Making the move: On being a bicoastal hockey fan
To be perfectly honest, hockey has not been at the top of the brain for the last month. I moved from San Francisco to Philadelphia over the weekend and the cross-country switch has been preoccupying, to put it mildly. Maybe that’s part of the reason why I got home (my parents’ home — still apartment … Read more
Outdoor allure: Why we love the Winter Classic
It started to flurry sometime in the middle of the second period of the 2012 Bridgestone Winter Classic. Just a few wispy, genuine flakes swirling down across a baseball field covered in cottony, fake snow and temporary ice. More than an appearance by The Roots, an array of what appeared to be flaming white trash … Read more
The B(s)CS strikes again
I can still remember the debates on local sports radio channels when I moved to Michigan in 2006 concerning a possible rematch between Ohio State and Michigan in the 2007 BCS Championship Game. However I will have to beg the reader’s pardon because being from the South, I am simply unable to replicate all of … Read more
What Science Doesn’t Say About Head Trauma
In an absurd collision with teammate Wayne Simmonds’s knee, Claude Giroux is now the third Flyer to jump on the concussion bandwagon. Sydney Crosby is out again due to concussion symptoms, and this series about the life and death of Derek Boogaard in The New York Times has swirled up all kinds of head trauma … Read more
Coming to a head
Brains haven’t always been such a big deal in the sports world. As the old adage suggests, brawn — tempered by agility and speed — is the stereotypical currency of elite athletics, and hockey is no exception. But thanks, most recently to Sid the Kid, brains are in the spotlight all across the hockey world … Read more
Hockey and the machine
The moment I started loving hockey I was ten and sitting, well, standing, actually no, hopping from foot to foot, with my curl-framed face inches from the quivering puck-marked plexiglass. I could have had a staring match with the goalie if he wasn’t adjusting to take on the rushing Flyers’ offence. My slightly rowdy, beer-clad … Read more
Rounding Third: year one
I need to start this off by saying (writing) that when Gavin Craig approached me (instant messenged me) about this idea — starting a web-zine stocked with writers drawn from our group of quirky, nerdish pals and their quirky, nerdish pals — my biggest worry was making sure I was producing content as interesting, and … Read more
Brandon comes back
Last week, Detroit Tigers third baseman, catcher, centerfielder, oh-hell-put-him-anywhere-and-he’ll-play guy Brandon Inge was called up from the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate in Toledo to join the starting lineup against left-handed pitchers. A ringing endorsement, I know. Inge was assigned to Toledo earlier this season when his hitting, never stellar, totally bottomed out — .177 in 239 … Read more
When asked to officiate a wedding, this is what a baseball fan comes up with
We’re here today to celebrate the union of Laura and Ben, and provide witness to their enduring partnership. Partnership. When I spoke with Laura and Ben about what they wanted me to say today, that’s the one word that came up again and again. And, as far as I’m concerned, we can’t talk about partnerships … Read more
