I’m sorry to inform you all that the time of the year in which I must depart from my perch of advice giving has come. Yes indeed, the end of my fall semester as a junior in college has arrived. But before I go, I would like to provide you with some parting words.
Over the past couple of months, I have provided you with advice, with direction of do’s and don’ts, in regards to some things I have personally experienced and other things I have not personally experienced, all with the hope that I could help you improve your ability to be a smart shopper in regards to shopping for sport related items. In a way, I have worded my advice as if each and every one of you were completely unaware of the issues I presented and whether or not that itself is true, what is true is that when this final blog is posted, you will definitely be on your own to make decisions.
Really, I can’t tell you what to buy or not to buy. What may seem to make sense to me and what is true for me may not make sense or be true to any one of you. So I will no longer highlight specific items to buy or not buy, I will just tell you to be careful.
I don’t know how much I have in common with you my readers, but one thing that I’m sure that we have in common is that we all greatly value our money—maybe some of us more than others. And because I’m sure that we all greatly value our money, I will advise you all to be careful of how you spend it. This doesn’t mean that you can’t make a semi-impulsive purchase every now and then, what this means is that you should just stop and think before you buy something. It maybe wouldn’t even be too bad of an idea if you paused for a few seconds before buying something and just asked yourself, “Will I eventually regret what I am about to buy.” By doing this, by stopping and thinking, you should be able to weed out the needless purchases so you can then only have to make the purchases that are worth your money.
Especially thus time of year. It is the Holiday Season and you will find yourself in stores and malls as you will be flooded by advertisements and images of appealing looking items. The temptation to go crazy will be there. But while sme craziness can be fun, I advise you all to not go too crazy or at least crazy in a way that you will eventually feel bad for what you did.
So on this night, my final word is for you to go out, shop, have fun, but all while being careful. With that, I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
My Greatest Buy
I remember one particularly memorable vacation that my family took way back in July 1996. The destination for that now famous vacation: none other than Niagara Falls themselves.
This was a great and memorable trip for yours truly. I mean, on this trip, in our hotel room, it was the first time that I ever watched the movie HAPPY GILMORE, not to mention that when I saw the actual Falls themselves, I was able to see the exact spot where John Candy and Rhea Perlman were “hunting” for suicide bodies—supposed to be funny—in the 1995 Michael Moore movie Canadian Bacon. Oh yeah, and there was this other thing about seeing one of nature’s true landmarks. What can I say, I was 9. But perhaps best of all was that my oh so great parents decided that my family would stay on the Canadian side of the falls, i.e. hockey country.
I love hockey now. I loved hockey in 1996. It is my passion. One thing that troubles me though is that when I am in the lower 48, not counting The Might Ducks or D2 as “real” hockey movies, it is virtually impossible to find hockey movies/documentaries anywhere. For me, as someone who loves learning about hockey, as a kid then who hated reading and absolutely preferred watching about hockey as opposed to reading of it, what was fantastic was that in Canada, there was actually an abundance of hockey tapes (no DVDs back then) available for purchase. So I bought three tapes: NHL 75 seasons, Top 50 Playoff Goals, and Hardest Hitters. Eleven and a half years later, those tapes still sit in my college dorm room. THEY ARE MY GREATEST BUYS.
The NHL 75 Seasons tape was made in 1992 to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHL’s formation in 1917. And this tape, completely in documentary form, is perhaps what has taught me more about hockey history than any 1 entity. This tape even begins documenting the history of hockey before the NHL’s formation in 1917 and with starting at the very beginning of the history of hockey, covers all of the biggest events through 1992—when it was made. Although now, for a fan, 15 years of information has yet to been covered, for me, as the only 15 years left out are the 15 years I have been an actual fan in person, this 75 Seasons tape teaches me about all hockey events and famous people that I may have never gotten the privilege of seeing live myself. This tape, only 90 minutes long, it covers everything.
The NHL Top 50 Playoff goals is an hour long production with CBC in Canada’s Ron MacLean and Dick Irvin Jr. as “hosts.” This tape is exactly what it says it is. Made in 1993 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Stanley Cup, Top 50 Playoff Goals is merely a countdown of what are perceived as the top 50 playoff goals, in terms of stories and skill throughout hockey history. Although there have been many goals scored since 1993 that would make it onto this list, even though the list is now somewhat outdated, the tape itself is still a great watch. I have it on in the background right now.
The Hardest Hitters is exactly what it says it is as well. It highlights the absolutely most bone-crushing hits and collisions—there is a difference—of the then prior 5 years or so. Although the tape is only about 35 minutes long and features some hits on more than one occasion, there is just something about seeing Luke Richardson nearly decapitate Tony Granato from 1989 that is strangely appealing. Who would have guessed that lumbering Luke would still be in the NHL in 2007. Although this tape is short, it is great entertainment for hockey and non-hockey fans alike as it captures that little part of everybody that loves a good hockey hit.
I have watched all 3 of these tapes hundreds of times. I first watched them in 1996 and I still watch them now. Although by this point I basically have them all memorized, these tapes have been through a lot with me. Back in high school, I started a tradition of always watching one of these 3 tapes before any game I played in. Now that I am in college and play men’s league hockey, I still follow this tradition. I have great memories of watching these 3 hours total of footage.
I bring up these tapes because they are absolutely my greatest buy. For probably only about 30 CANADIAN dollars total, they have occupied me and even put me to sleep some nights for 11 years now. And I know that no matter what my future holds for me, these tapes will occupy a place in my home. So I bring up these tapes also as because it is the holiday season, so I advise you, when shopping, do not overlook what may seem like the most insignificant of items. Because of you choose wisely, the items that you buy and give as gifts, they may be able to hold a special place in the heart of the recipient for the rest of that person’s life. Although my tapes were not a gift per say, they will absolutely hold a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.
This was a great and memorable trip for yours truly. I mean, on this trip, in our hotel room, it was the first time that I ever watched the movie HAPPY GILMORE, not to mention that when I saw the actual Falls themselves, I was able to see the exact spot where John Candy and Rhea Perlman were “hunting” for suicide bodies—supposed to be funny—in the 1995 Michael Moore movie Canadian Bacon. Oh yeah, and there was this other thing about seeing one of nature’s true landmarks. What can I say, I was 9. But perhaps best of all was that my oh so great parents decided that my family would stay on the Canadian side of the falls, i.e. hockey country.
I love hockey now. I loved hockey in 1996. It is my passion. One thing that troubles me though is that when I am in the lower 48, not counting The Might Ducks or D2 as “real” hockey movies, it is virtually impossible to find hockey movies/documentaries anywhere. For me, as someone who loves learning about hockey, as a kid then who hated reading and absolutely preferred watching about hockey as opposed to reading of it, what was fantastic was that in Canada, there was actually an abundance of hockey tapes (no DVDs back then) available for purchase. So I bought three tapes: NHL 75 seasons, Top 50 Playoff Goals, and Hardest Hitters. Eleven and a half years later, those tapes still sit in my college dorm room. THEY ARE MY GREATEST BUYS.
The NHL 75 Seasons tape was made in 1992 to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHL’s formation in 1917. And this tape, completely in documentary form, is perhaps what has taught me more about hockey history than any 1 entity. This tape even begins documenting the history of hockey before the NHL’s formation in 1917 and with starting at the very beginning of the history of hockey, covers all of the biggest events through 1992—when it was made. Although now, for a fan, 15 years of information has yet to been covered, for me, as the only 15 years left out are the 15 years I have been an actual fan in person, this 75 Seasons tape teaches me about all hockey events and famous people that I may have never gotten the privilege of seeing live myself. This tape, only 90 minutes long, it covers everything.
The NHL Top 50 Playoff goals is an hour long production with CBC in Canada’s Ron MacLean and Dick Irvin Jr. as “hosts.” This tape is exactly what it says it is. Made in 1993 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Stanley Cup, Top 50 Playoff Goals is merely a countdown of what are perceived as the top 50 playoff goals, in terms of stories and skill throughout hockey history. Although there have been many goals scored since 1993 that would make it onto this list, even though the list is now somewhat outdated, the tape itself is still a great watch. I have it on in the background right now.
The Hardest Hitters is exactly what it says it is as well. It highlights the absolutely most bone-crushing hits and collisions—there is a difference—of the then prior 5 years or so. Although the tape is only about 35 minutes long and features some hits on more than one occasion, there is just something about seeing Luke Richardson nearly decapitate Tony Granato from 1989 that is strangely appealing. Who would have guessed that lumbering Luke would still be in the NHL in 2007. Although this tape is short, it is great entertainment for hockey and non-hockey fans alike as it captures that little part of everybody that loves a good hockey hit.
I have watched all 3 of these tapes hundreds of times. I first watched them in 1996 and I still watch them now. Although by this point I basically have them all memorized, these tapes have been through a lot with me. Back in high school, I started a tradition of always watching one of these 3 tapes before any game I played in. Now that I am in college and play men’s league hockey, I still follow this tradition. I have great memories of watching these 3 hours total of footage.
I bring up these tapes because they are absolutely my greatest buy. For probably only about 30 CANADIAN dollars total, they have occupied me and even put me to sleep some nights for 11 years now. And I know that no matter what my future holds for me, these tapes will occupy a place in my home. So I bring up these tapes also as because it is the holiday season, so I advise you, when shopping, do not overlook what may seem like the most insignificant of items. Because of you choose wisely, the items that you buy and give as gifts, they may be able to hold a special place in the heart of the recipient for the rest of that person’s life. Although my tapes were not a gift per say, they will absolutely hold a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
You Tell Me
I understand that I am about to strike a soar chord with many of you my readers on this subject. I understand that this will be a soar subject because there are a great number of you who buy these products that I am about to address. I also understand that many of you go to great lengths to acquire these products which many times translates into forgoing a fortune to obtain just 1 of these products. I understand that this will be a soar subject because the very products that I am suggesting are huge wastes of money are also products that many people hold near and dear and often present very loudly and proudly in their homes and even their offices as well. The products that I am addressing are autographed merchandise.
First of all, I am not saying that all autographs are wastes. I mean if you are a kid who has the great privilege of meeting a professional athlete, getting an autograph as a souvenir of your experience is a great memento and a great memory that will often last a lifetime. For me, I have great memories of getting autographs. I even remember which sports people were particularly nice to me and which sports people were particularly mean to me. No matter how much I try to ignore my lone encounter with a player as being the deciding factor of their character, it is impossible to forget as a kid. These events have a great impact on kids. As such, I will always be a fan of guys like Turk Wendell, Dan Reeves, Doug Bodger, and even Mark Messier. I will not go too far into that but as I HATE the New York Rangers and as I HATE the New York Yankees, I once got Mark Messier’s autograph on a baseball at a Yankees game. But anyhow, I will always be a fan of all of the sports figures as a result of the kindness in which they showed me as a kid—EXCEPT MESSIER! And on the opposing side, I will never forget how rude hockey player Bobby Holik was to my mother and me—after a week of being in his hockey school—and I will never forget how Mets reliever Mark Guthrie treated me like garbage on 3 occasions during the 2002 season. I will not forget and I may never forgive. But even though all of my memories aren’t great, my encounters, for better and for worse, have no fiscal value as they are priceless.
I am instead addressing the grown men and women who shop online for autographs of signed memorabilia who then received their “signed” memorabilia in the mail regardless of whether or not they ever meet the athlete and regardless of having any guarantee that the autograph and memorabilia that they are receiving is actually authentic. I guess there are certificates of authenticity with many of the pieces of memorabilia, but seriously, if an autograph can be faked, couldn’t a certificate of authenticity then be faked as well? I mean, how could a person ever be absolutely 100 percent with no doubts sure that the artifact that they will later brag to their friends of how they spent a fortune for it is absolutely real unless they saw the person sign it themself. How would anybody tell the difference between the signatures of Jim Carey the goalie and Jim Carrey the actor- 1 r may not be able to be examined in a non aesthetically beautiful autograph scribble? Answer: you could never be absolutely sure.
Not to mention, even if the mail order autograph is real, what is the thrill of having such a memento. The child experience autograph is a memento of actually meeting a famous sports person. An adult receiving an autograph in the mail is just random scribble from someone that they themselves have never even met. Is this just me, or does it sound stupid to pay a fortune to receive a handwritten signature of a person you never even met? But then again, it’s your choice if you want to spend for such an item that I guess I can only be described with one of Carrol O’Connor as Archie Bunker’s best words from yesteryear: “Crapola.” I guess it’s your money after all.
I just feel it’s necessary to address this issue because in the modern day, I see a breathtaking number of people spend such hard earned money on products that to me seem so pointless. I guess that as much as I am advising you my readers to never buy such mail order autographs, I am also asking for someone to perhaps explain to me what the big deal is. Is there that big a desire to even get a smell of someone famous—or not that famous?
For a few months now I have provided you all with my analysis and my advice; now I am asking for some reader analysis, advice, and opinion. Would someone please tell me what the big deal is in buying signed memorabilia of someone you never met which is probably not even authentic? Please tell me!
First of all, I am not saying that all autographs are wastes. I mean if you are a kid who has the great privilege of meeting a professional athlete, getting an autograph as a souvenir of your experience is a great memento and a great memory that will often last a lifetime. For me, I have great memories of getting autographs. I even remember which sports people were particularly nice to me and which sports people were particularly mean to me. No matter how much I try to ignore my lone encounter with a player as being the deciding factor of their character, it is impossible to forget as a kid. These events have a great impact on kids. As such, I will always be a fan of guys like Turk Wendell, Dan Reeves, Doug Bodger, and even Mark Messier. I will not go too far into that but as I HATE the New York Rangers and as I HATE the New York Yankees, I once got Mark Messier’s autograph on a baseball at a Yankees game. But anyhow, I will always be a fan of all of the sports figures as a result of the kindness in which they showed me as a kid—EXCEPT MESSIER! And on the opposing side, I will never forget how rude hockey player Bobby Holik was to my mother and me—after a week of being in his hockey school—and I will never forget how Mets reliever Mark Guthrie treated me like garbage on 3 occasions during the 2002 season. I will not forget and I may never forgive. But even though all of my memories aren’t great, my encounters, for better and for worse, have no fiscal value as they are priceless.
I am instead addressing the grown men and women who shop online for autographs of signed memorabilia who then received their “signed” memorabilia in the mail regardless of whether or not they ever meet the athlete and regardless of having any guarantee that the autograph and memorabilia that they are receiving is actually authentic. I guess there are certificates of authenticity with many of the pieces of memorabilia, but seriously, if an autograph can be faked, couldn’t a certificate of authenticity then be faked as well? I mean, how could a person ever be absolutely 100 percent with no doubts sure that the artifact that they will later brag to their friends of how they spent a fortune for it is absolutely real unless they saw the person sign it themself. How would anybody tell the difference between the signatures of Jim Carey the goalie and Jim Carrey the actor- 1 r may not be able to be examined in a non aesthetically beautiful autograph scribble? Answer: you could never be absolutely sure.
Not to mention, even if the mail order autograph is real, what is the thrill of having such a memento. The child experience autograph is a memento of actually meeting a famous sports person. An adult receiving an autograph in the mail is just random scribble from someone that they themselves have never even met. Is this just me, or does it sound stupid to pay a fortune to receive a handwritten signature of a person you never even met? But then again, it’s your choice if you want to spend for such an item that I guess I can only be described with one of Carrol O’Connor as Archie Bunker’s best words from yesteryear: “Crapola.” I guess it’s your money after all.
I just feel it’s necessary to address this issue because in the modern day, I see a breathtaking number of people spend such hard earned money on products that to me seem so pointless. I guess that as much as I am advising you my readers to never buy such mail order autographs, I am also asking for someone to perhaps explain to me what the big deal is. Is there that big a desire to even get a smell of someone famous—or not that famous?
For a few months now I have provided you all with my analysis and my advice; now I am asking for some reader analysis, advice, and opinion. Would someone please tell me what the big deal is in buying signed memorabilia of someone you never met which is probably not even authentic? Please tell me!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Opposite Of A "Money Waster"
For weeks, I have been telling all of you about products to avoid wasting money on. Now I would like to inform you all about a product that is the opposite of a money waster as it is in fact a bargain. The one product in the sports world that more than any other is a bargain and is an otherwise unbelievably useful product is MLB.TV.
MLB.TV is a system that is a section of MLB.com that allows baseball fans to watch every single Major League Baseball game for the entire season either live or on re-run.
By far, the most useful area of MLB.TV is the ability to watch games on re-run. All games are available on delay within a half hour of their completion. The reason that such a feature is so useful is because it allows rabid baseball fans to never ever have to miss a game ever while allowing such an activity to be done without buying numerous blank video tapes and having to go through the hassle of setting your VCR on a regular basis. Though Tivo could also perform the same function, as your computer is portable while your TV is not, you can have “your team with you” also as long as you have your computer— no matter where you go. Never would you have to have the fear of missing a game ever again. Tivo would be just as useful if you were always to be stationed in your home, but as MLB.TV can both be useful in your home and abroad, MLB.TV is a much better buy for the purpose of baseball only. With MLB.TV, wherever in the world you are, you can watch your team’s games on demand. The reason that this product is so useful for rabid baseball fans is because it sets them free from the slavery of their team’s schedules.
I am one of those fans. I don’t like missing games. For years, the stories of the lengths that I have gone to in order to see games have become family legends. The reasons that these stories have become so legendary is because many of them—most of them—are utterly ridiculous in nature. Some involve cell phones being held up to TVs and others that shall remain unspoken of go to even further lengths than that, but the bottom line is that for years, going through the “pleasure” of trying to see all of my team’s games was a ridiculous hassle in my life. If I ever was in a situation where nobody could tape a game for me, then I was put in a situation where I COULD NOT miss the game. For someone who also desires an active social life, this “responsibility” to my team could put me in very difficult situations on a regular basis. But with MLB.TV, no matter where I am, no matter what my plans are, no matter who may be around to help—or not help—me, I know I will be well taken care of. For only $130 for full-access MLB.TV for the entire season, for rabid fans, this is often times a life saving purchase.
For me, MLB.TV has been a life saver. Instead of summer nights of having my mother setting VCRs and getting blank tapes ready for me, now, I can miss a game to go out with my friends always knowing that when I get home, that night’s game will be waiting for me. No longer does anybody’s schedule—including mine—have to be compromised for the sake of a baseball game. MLB.TV is a relatively cheap way of acquiring every single MLB game—when you buy it you get all 30 teams—and putting thus games into your computer to be enjoyed at your disposal. I didn’t even mention how with MLB.TV your game-watching experience can be cut by up to a half hour at times via the ability to fast forward through commercials. But as I feel now as I have made my case for the usefulness of MLB.TV, I would like to provide you with some true examples from the 2007 season in which MLB.TV saved me.
First, as you all should know, I am also a huge hockey fan. During the time in which hockey is in the final stages of it’s regular season and if my Islanders make the playoffs—they did in 2007—those games also become un-missable entities for me. And as hockey does not offer such a system as MLB does with MLB.TV, I can watch my hockey games live and then watch my baseball games in re-run immediately after. There I can keep my allegiances to my multiple favorite teams at once.
Other such uses could involve games of teams other than your favorite team. One example for me was this summer when Barry Bonds hit home run 756. I was not home that night, but with MLB.TV, when I got home, I was able to go to that night’s Giants game, fast forward to the record breaking at bat, and then watch the home run being hit as well as I was able to also enjoy the post home run ceremonies. No Sports Center condensed highlight for this guy. I watch San Francisco Giants Fox Sports Bay Area’s coverage of the event. Without MLB.TV, I would have missed history.
Whether it is the ability to see your team when on vacation or after a hard night’s partying or whether it is the ability to see full coverage of history making moments, MLB.TV allows a fan to be as fully involved in the sport of baseball as possible while not having their time consumed and schedule continually altered as it would be otherwise. For me, MLB.TV is perhaps the biggest bargain that I have ever purchased. If you are a crazy big baseball fan, I urge you to go buy it NOW! Or at least before the season starts in April.
MLB.TV is a system that is a section of MLB.com that allows baseball fans to watch every single Major League Baseball game for the entire season either live or on re-run.
By far, the most useful area of MLB.TV is the ability to watch games on re-run. All games are available on delay within a half hour of their completion. The reason that such a feature is so useful is because it allows rabid baseball fans to never ever have to miss a game ever while allowing such an activity to be done without buying numerous blank video tapes and having to go through the hassle of setting your VCR on a regular basis. Though Tivo could also perform the same function, as your computer is portable while your TV is not, you can have “your team with you” also as long as you have your computer— no matter where you go. Never would you have to have the fear of missing a game ever again. Tivo would be just as useful if you were always to be stationed in your home, but as MLB.TV can both be useful in your home and abroad, MLB.TV is a much better buy for the purpose of baseball only. With MLB.TV, wherever in the world you are, you can watch your team’s games on demand. The reason that this product is so useful for rabid baseball fans is because it sets them free from the slavery of their team’s schedules.
I am one of those fans. I don’t like missing games. For years, the stories of the lengths that I have gone to in order to see games have become family legends. The reasons that these stories have become so legendary is because many of them—most of them—are utterly ridiculous in nature. Some involve cell phones being held up to TVs and others that shall remain unspoken of go to even further lengths than that, but the bottom line is that for years, going through the “pleasure” of trying to see all of my team’s games was a ridiculous hassle in my life. If I ever was in a situation where nobody could tape a game for me, then I was put in a situation where I COULD NOT miss the game. For someone who also desires an active social life, this “responsibility” to my team could put me in very difficult situations on a regular basis. But with MLB.TV, no matter where I am, no matter what my plans are, no matter who may be around to help—or not help—me, I know I will be well taken care of. For only $130 for full-access MLB.TV for the entire season, for rabid fans, this is often times a life saving purchase.
For me, MLB.TV has been a life saver. Instead of summer nights of having my mother setting VCRs and getting blank tapes ready for me, now, I can miss a game to go out with my friends always knowing that when I get home, that night’s game will be waiting for me. No longer does anybody’s schedule—including mine—have to be compromised for the sake of a baseball game. MLB.TV is a relatively cheap way of acquiring every single MLB game—when you buy it you get all 30 teams—and putting thus games into your computer to be enjoyed at your disposal. I didn’t even mention how with MLB.TV your game-watching experience can be cut by up to a half hour at times via the ability to fast forward through commercials. But as I feel now as I have made my case for the usefulness of MLB.TV, I would like to provide you with some true examples from the 2007 season in which MLB.TV saved me.
First, as you all should know, I am also a huge hockey fan. During the time in which hockey is in the final stages of it’s regular season and if my Islanders make the playoffs—they did in 2007—those games also become un-missable entities for me. And as hockey does not offer such a system as MLB does with MLB.TV, I can watch my hockey games live and then watch my baseball games in re-run immediately after. There I can keep my allegiances to my multiple favorite teams at once.
Other such uses could involve games of teams other than your favorite team. One example for me was this summer when Barry Bonds hit home run 756. I was not home that night, but with MLB.TV, when I got home, I was able to go to that night’s Giants game, fast forward to the record breaking at bat, and then watch the home run being hit as well as I was able to also enjoy the post home run ceremonies. No Sports Center condensed highlight for this guy. I watch San Francisco Giants Fox Sports Bay Area’s coverage of the event. Without MLB.TV, I would have missed history.
Whether it is the ability to see your team when on vacation or after a hard night’s partying or whether it is the ability to see full coverage of history making moments, MLB.TV allows a fan to be as fully involved in the sport of baseball as possible while not having their time consumed and schedule continually altered as it would be otherwise. For me, MLB.TV is perhaps the biggest bargain that I have ever purchased. If you are a crazy big baseball fan, I urge you to go buy it NOW! Or at least before the season starts in April.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Hockey News, "Arbour Day" In November, And Me
For me, November 2007 is a milestone month. For me, November 2007 is the month that I have decided to end my long-running subscription to The Hockey News. Having been disappointed with that publication for a while, but not having ha a strong enough disappointment to end my subscription, I have now finally been pushed over the edge. For me, The Hockey News and other such weekly/monthly publications no longer have any ability to inform me in any way. The reason that the have no ability to inform me in any way is not because they don’t provide accurate and meaningful information, but rather the reason that they have no ability to inform me is because I am too big of a hockey fanatic.
Let me explain. I eat, breathe, and sleep hockey. It is an obsession. It doesn’t matter if it is in-season or off-season, not a day goes by where I don’t think of hockey or read of hockey. You can say that 24/7/365; I have my finger on the pulse of the sport.
Almost exclusively, I gather my information from the internet. Often, I am reading rumor web sites that verify events for me before they even happen or I am visiting TSN.CA—the Canadian version of ESPN.com—which despite being a very official web site is either breaking the most major stories or commenting on the most major stories within minutes of their occurrence. As I check these web sites several times a day, you can say that the longest I ever go without having had the latest hockey-world related story given to me is the length of a long night sleep. Trying to sneak a hockey story is like trying to sneak a ray of light pasta rooster; you can’t do it.
Take this example. This past Saturday, former Islanders head coach Al Arbour returned to coach the Islanders for one night only. Arbour returned at the request of regular Islander coach Ted Nolan so Arbour could coach his 1,500th game as Islander coach. His 1,500 games as Islanders coach are by far more than any other coach has ever coached with any 1 team, his 740 wins are the most, and as he is now 75 years old, he became the oldest man ever to coach an NHL game. To say that this was a big story in the hockey world would be an understatement to say the least.
In regards to me, as an Islander fan, I circled this game on my calendar one it was announced over the summer. On Saturday night, I watched this entire game and all of the involved ceremonies and coverage. Since Saturday, I have read stories from multiple web sites on this event as I have also re-watched both the post-game celebration and tribute video on YouTube. You can say that less than 72 hours after this event, I have seen it from every imaginable angle.
As big and as nice of a story as it was, quite frankly, I’m done with it and ready for the next piece of news.
I’m sure that The Hockey News will have something to say on the event. But while I am already done with this story, it won’t even be in The Hockey News for another couple of weeks. By the time that the edition of The Hockey News with Al Arbour stories sin it is released, who knows what hockey stories will be first and foremost in my mind then. Whatever stories they may be, it certainly will not be the story of Alger Joseph Arbour. In terms of The Hockey News and its coverage of the event, for me, quite frankly, it’ll be a few weeks too late.
I understand that most people are not like me. I understand that most of the population either doesn’t even care about hockey or only follows hockey on a casual basis. I understand that during some games and instead of reading hockey blogs, some fans have jobs, other hobbies, or other events that they go to besides hockey. Ignoring the fact that THESE people are completely inexcusable losers—just kidding—The Hockey News does still maintain the ability to inform this portion of society. And to this portion I say, “Go out and buy The Hockey News.” It will be a good and informative read.
But my advice today is for that small portion of you that are die-hard obsessed hockey fans like me. To you—us—I urge you to ignore The Hockey News and similar publications because for us, continuing to live the way that we now live will provide us with all the hockey information that we could ever need. Plus, assuming that you would have the Internet anyway, OUR WAY IS FREE!
Let me explain. I eat, breathe, and sleep hockey. It is an obsession. It doesn’t matter if it is in-season or off-season, not a day goes by where I don’t think of hockey or read of hockey. You can say that 24/7/365; I have my finger on the pulse of the sport.
Almost exclusively, I gather my information from the internet. Often, I am reading rumor web sites that verify events for me before they even happen or I am visiting TSN.CA—the Canadian version of ESPN.com—which despite being a very official web site is either breaking the most major stories or commenting on the most major stories within minutes of their occurrence. As I check these web sites several times a day, you can say that the longest I ever go without having had the latest hockey-world related story given to me is the length of a long night sleep. Trying to sneak a hockey story is like trying to sneak a ray of light pasta rooster; you can’t do it.
Take this example. This past Saturday, former Islanders head coach Al Arbour returned to coach the Islanders for one night only. Arbour returned at the request of regular Islander coach Ted Nolan so Arbour could coach his 1,500th game as Islander coach. His 1,500 games as Islanders coach are by far more than any other coach has ever coached with any 1 team, his 740 wins are the most, and as he is now 75 years old, he became the oldest man ever to coach an NHL game. To say that this was a big story in the hockey world would be an understatement to say the least.
In regards to me, as an Islander fan, I circled this game on my calendar one it was announced over the summer. On Saturday night, I watched this entire game and all of the involved ceremonies and coverage. Since Saturday, I have read stories from multiple web sites on this event as I have also re-watched both the post-game celebration and tribute video on YouTube. You can say that less than 72 hours after this event, I have seen it from every imaginable angle.
As big and as nice of a story as it was, quite frankly, I’m done with it and ready for the next piece of news.
I’m sure that The Hockey News will have something to say on the event. But while I am already done with this story, it won’t even be in The Hockey News for another couple of weeks. By the time that the edition of The Hockey News with Al Arbour stories sin it is released, who knows what hockey stories will be first and foremost in my mind then. Whatever stories they may be, it certainly will not be the story of Alger Joseph Arbour. In terms of The Hockey News and its coverage of the event, for me, quite frankly, it’ll be a few weeks too late.
I understand that most people are not like me. I understand that most of the population either doesn’t even care about hockey or only follows hockey on a casual basis. I understand that during some games and instead of reading hockey blogs, some fans have jobs, other hobbies, or other events that they go to besides hockey. Ignoring the fact that THESE people are completely inexcusable losers—just kidding—The Hockey News does still maintain the ability to inform this portion of society. And to this portion I say, “Go out and buy The Hockey News.” It will be a good and informative read.
But my advice today is for that small portion of you that are die-hard obsessed hockey fans like me. To you—us—I urge you to ignore The Hockey News and similar publications because for us, continuing to live the way that we now live will provide us with all the hockey information that we could ever need. Plus, assuming that you would have the Internet anyway, OUR WAY IS FREE!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Names On Backs
I would like to share with you a personal story. When I was in 1st grade, 14 years, I was my favorite Mets player, Bobby Bonilla for Halloween. Despite the fact that our differing “skin tones” made it impossible for me to really look like Robert Martin Antonio Bonilla, an integral part of my costume was my Bobby Bonilla racing stripe style Mets jersey. As Bobby is still my all-time favorite baseball player, as he was my favorite then too, to wear the jersey with his name and number 25 made me feel proud. Then a couple years later, on July 28, 1995—a very dark day for yours truly—the Mets traded Bobby Bonilla to the Baltimore Orioles. I cried. Gone was my first ever favorite player. But also, gone was the ability to use—this predated the idea of retro jerseys—my Bobby Bonilla jersey. And thus a trend began, whenever I have ever bought a jersey with a player’s name on it, the player has left my favorite team in very short order.
My next favorite—but not my all-time favorite—Mets player was Lance Johnson. Still a bit skeptical about buying another jersey, I instead bought a Mets Lance Johnson T shirt with the #1 on the back. I bought that shirt so I could go to a game and wear it proudly. I bought the shirt that day, by the time I got to the game just hours later in fact, Lance Johnson had been traded. That was 1997.
Feeling burnt, I waited 4 more years before I ever bought another jersey. In 2001, as I was an Italian descent middle school 3rd baseman, I bought the jersey of the Italian descended Mets 3rd baseman, Robin Ventura in June of that year. That October would mark the ending of Robin Ventura’s Mets career. The curse followed me to hockey as well.
With hockey jerseys, for years I had only bought jerseys with no name or number on them. I had owned dozens of jersey over the years, but I did not buy my first islanders jersey with a name on it until September 2004. I bought the jersey of my all-time favorite hockey player, Adrian Aucoin during the Lockout as an investment in the better days that surely awaited me somewhere in the future. Although the NHL would return from the Lockout 13 months later, Adrian Aucoin was then a Blackhawk and never even played a game for the Islanders while I owned his jersey.
Next, just before the beginning of the first season after the Lockout, I bought the jersey of my formerly 2nd favorite—now 1st favorite—Islander, Oleg Kvasha. 5 months later, Kvasha was traded to Phoenix.
Whew I have been burnt. Today, I wear a David Wright jersey to Mets games and a pre Reebok Edge Brendan Witt jersey to Islanders games. I cannot help but live in fear that those players will move on to new teams.
This week, I am not trying to tell you to NOT buy something. I love owning jerseys with players’ names on them and I in fact believe that they are a great investment and a great tool to be used to support your favorite team—or player. But I am advising you to be calculated before you buy a jersey.
What I am suggesting is buying a jersey that even if the player ever got traded or moved onto a new team in some other fashion, you would still feel comfortable wearing that jersey to a game. My Mike Piazza jersey that I still keep in my closet at home is an example. With this method, you can buy a jersey of a current player and even if the player were to move on, their once-held popularity was so high that it would never be seen as taboo to represent that player at their former team’s venue.
Or, if you are deadest on owning a jersey of one of your team’s current players, try to calculate which player is least likely ever to leave that team. For example, as Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro is in the 2nd year of a 15 year contract in which he receives a salary that most teams believe is too high for a goaltender of his quality, it is likely that DiPietro will not leave the Islanders until MY mid 30s and with that, buying a Rick DiPietro jersey can be regarded as a safe purchase. So could a David Wright or Derek Jeter jersey. Those players mean so much to their organizations, both on the field and off, that it really is unfathomable that they would ever leave their respective teams. Although in sports, the unfathomable often does come to fruition, there can be no sure thing and as I said if you are deadest on owning a jersey of one of your team’s current players, this I definitely the best way to go. Note: Buying a Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey may not currently be a good idea.
So really, you are free to do whatever you want here but please, for your own sake, think before you act and please be careful!
My next favorite—but not my all-time favorite—Mets player was Lance Johnson. Still a bit skeptical about buying another jersey, I instead bought a Mets Lance Johnson T shirt with the #1 on the back. I bought that shirt so I could go to a game and wear it proudly. I bought the shirt that day, by the time I got to the game just hours later in fact, Lance Johnson had been traded. That was 1997.
Feeling burnt, I waited 4 more years before I ever bought another jersey. In 2001, as I was an Italian descent middle school 3rd baseman, I bought the jersey of the Italian descended Mets 3rd baseman, Robin Ventura in June of that year. That October would mark the ending of Robin Ventura’s Mets career. The curse followed me to hockey as well.
With hockey jerseys, for years I had only bought jerseys with no name or number on them. I had owned dozens of jersey over the years, but I did not buy my first islanders jersey with a name on it until September 2004. I bought the jersey of my all-time favorite hockey player, Adrian Aucoin during the Lockout as an investment in the better days that surely awaited me somewhere in the future. Although the NHL would return from the Lockout 13 months later, Adrian Aucoin was then a Blackhawk and never even played a game for the Islanders while I owned his jersey.
Next, just before the beginning of the first season after the Lockout, I bought the jersey of my formerly 2nd favorite—now 1st favorite—Islander, Oleg Kvasha. 5 months later, Kvasha was traded to Phoenix.
Whew I have been burnt. Today, I wear a David Wright jersey to Mets games and a pre Reebok Edge Brendan Witt jersey to Islanders games. I cannot help but live in fear that those players will move on to new teams.
This week, I am not trying to tell you to NOT buy something. I love owning jerseys with players’ names on them and I in fact believe that they are a great investment and a great tool to be used to support your favorite team—or player. But I am advising you to be calculated before you buy a jersey.
What I am suggesting is buying a jersey that even if the player ever got traded or moved onto a new team in some other fashion, you would still feel comfortable wearing that jersey to a game. My Mike Piazza jersey that I still keep in my closet at home is an example. With this method, you can buy a jersey of a current player and even if the player were to move on, their once-held popularity was so high that it would never be seen as taboo to represent that player at their former team’s venue.
Or, if you are deadest on owning a jersey of one of your team’s current players, try to calculate which player is least likely ever to leave that team. For example, as Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro is in the 2nd year of a 15 year contract in which he receives a salary that most teams believe is too high for a goaltender of his quality, it is likely that DiPietro will not leave the Islanders until MY mid 30s and with that, buying a Rick DiPietro jersey can be regarded as a safe purchase. So could a David Wright or Derek Jeter jersey. Those players mean so much to their organizations, both on the field and off, that it really is unfathomable that they would ever leave their respective teams. Although in sports, the unfathomable often does come to fruition, there can be no sure thing and as I said if you are deadest on owning a jersey of one of your team’s current players, this I definitely the best way to go. Note: Buying a Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey may not currently be a good idea.
So really, you are free to do whatever you want here but please, for your own sake, think before you act and please be careful!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
I Got Dooped
I just got shafted again into buying something in a ridiculous manner. I want to share my story with all of you so you can perhaps more easily identify scams yourself in the future.
Before this hockey season, I have never played fantasy sports. For some reason, I was never open to them, learning about them, or being associated with them in any matter. I guess I was worried about becoming another fantasy sports playing/obsessed “nerd”—I apologize if you are one of these nerds. But now, the inevitable has become a reality as I have become a fantasy hockey obsessed nerd.
It all started this summer during my internship. I intern for a hockey writer and in our office, there are a number of my-age guys who all claim to know more than each other about hockey personnel—nobody is crazy enough to question my trivia prowess. But for years now, never have we had a way to settle this dispute.
Then this fall, our office’s senior intern—age not experience—decided that we should all create a fantasy hockey league for just the Fischler Hockey interns. Although I have no experience in playing any fantasy sport and although I really wasn’t even pen to the idea of playing any fantasy sport, as I take great pride in my hockey knowledge and as I am ultra competitive in these regards, I could not help but being dragged into this battle.
So about a month ago we held our fantasy draft. And not only was I determined to win our league, I was determined to do so by using non-big name players. So I went analyzed the 2006-07 stats and developed an elaborate cheat sheet to help me decide which players could best help me succeed in all fantasy hockey areas. In goal I took a first time number one goalie Niklas Backstrom (Minnesota Wild), I took second year defenseman Shea Weber (Nashville Predators), and second year forward Milan Michalek (San Jose Sharks). Although I would add a few established veteran stars, my fantasy hockey roster was sprinkled with young talent under the age of twenty-five. Then our season started an din week 1, I went 1-9-1. Not to impressive. But then in the next two weeks, as I went 9-1-1 and 8-2-1, as my “genius” began to be revealed, I could not help but begin to be obsessed with my fantasy team. Every night, I would go onto our league’s yahoo.com page to change my roster for the upcoming day and to more importantly, check my progress through checking on that day’s stats. Then a few days ago it happened.
Yahoo.com said that for me to be able to access player stats through yahoo.com fantasy sports, I would have to for 10 dollars purchase a stats tracker. I immediately bought the tracker.
The next day, I realized that I had been dooped in a very terrible way. You see, without the Stats Tracker, I would not be able to see my fantasy stats on the night that they occurred. But what I hadn’t realized was that while I would not be able to see my fantasy stats on the night they occurred, even without Stats Tracker, I could see my players and my entire team’s stats the following day. If I could just go to bed without knowing my fantasy hockey progress, I could have saved 10 dollars. And just like that, I was dooped out of 10 dollars.
You see, many times, these sucker-buys are not the couple hundred dollar jerseys or over priced ticker and season ticket packages. Sometimes, these products are marketed with the Wal-Mart mentality in that the goal is low price but high quantity. The idea is that if a person sees a product for maybe only $5 or $10 or whatever, then there is a good chance that the person would be willing to buy the product with little provocation.
I fell into the trip. With little provocation I though, “what could be the harm in spending only 10 dollars?” And just like that, my money was gone on something that I really didn’t need to buy.
That is how I got dooped. In order for you to not get dooped I have only one bit of advice, “think before you buy.” This may seem like a painfully simple concept but in reality, practicing this such behavior can go a long way. Maybe even sleep on a decision. I am not advocating putting yourself in a position where you never buy anything. I am just saying be careful and choose your spots. Or in other words, don’t be like me.
Before this hockey season, I have never played fantasy sports. For some reason, I was never open to them, learning about them, or being associated with them in any matter. I guess I was worried about becoming another fantasy sports playing/obsessed “nerd”—I apologize if you are one of these nerds. But now, the inevitable has become a reality as I have become a fantasy hockey obsessed nerd.
It all started this summer during my internship. I intern for a hockey writer and in our office, there are a number of my-age guys who all claim to know more than each other about hockey personnel—nobody is crazy enough to question my trivia prowess. But for years now, never have we had a way to settle this dispute.
Then this fall, our office’s senior intern—age not experience—decided that we should all create a fantasy hockey league for just the Fischler Hockey interns. Although I have no experience in playing any fantasy sport and although I really wasn’t even pen to the idea of playing any fantasy sport, as I take great pride in my hockey knowledge and as I am ultra competitive in these regards, I could not help but being dragged into this battle.
So about a month ago we held our fantasy draft. And not only was I determined to win our league, I was determined to do so by using non-big name players. So I went analyzed the 2006-07 stats and developed an elaborate cheat sheet to help me decide which players could best help me succeed in all fantasy hockey areas. In goal I took a first time number one goalie Niklas Backstrom (Minnesota Wild), I took second year defenseman Shea Weber (Nashville Predators), and second year forward Milan Michalek (San Jose Sharks). Although I would add a few established veteran stars, my fantasy hockey roster was sprinkled with young talent under the age of twenty-five. Then our season started an din week 1, I went 1-9-1. Not to impressive. But then in the next two weeks, as I went 9-1-1 and 8-2-1, as my “genius” began to be revealed, I could not help but begin to be obsessed with my fantasy team. Every night, I would go onto our league’s yahoo.com page to change my roster for the upcoming day and to more importantly, check my progress through checking on that day’s stats. Then a few days ago it happened.
Yahoo.com said that for me to be able to access player stats through yahoo.com fantasy sports, I would have to for 10 dollars purchase a stats tracker. I immediately bought the tracker.
The next day, I realized that I had been dooped in a very terrible way. You see, without the Stats Tracker, I would not be able to see my fantasy stats on the night that they occurred. But what I hadn’t realized was that while I would not be able to see my fantasy stats on the night they occurred, even without Stats Tracker, I could see my players and my entire team’s stats the following day. If I could just go to bed without knowing my fantasy hockey progress, I could have saved 10 dollars. And just like that, I was dooped out of 10 dollars.
You see, many times, these sucker-buys are not the couple hundred dollar jerseys or over priced ticker and season ticket packages. Sometimes, these products are marketed with the Wal-Mart mentality in that the goal is low price but high quantity. The idea is that if a person sees a product for maybe only $5 or $10 or whatever, then there is a good chance that the person would be willing to buy the product with little provocation.
I fell into the trip. With little provocation I though, “what could be the harm in spending only 10 dollars?” And just like that, my money was gone on something that I really didn’t need to buy.
That is how I got dooped. In order for you to not get dooped I have only one bit of advice, “think before you buy.” This may seem like a painfully simple concept but in reality, practicing this such behavior can go a long way. Maybe even sleep on a decision. I am not advocating putting yourself in a position where you never buy anything. I am just saying be careful and choose your spots. Or in other words, don’t be like me.
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