Fred is dead

I can't believe it. How could it happen to one of the twins?

Before the dramatic book sale, I contemplated who would be killed off in the final instalment, as promised by the author. I didn't really think any of the big three would be eliminated. But someone else of note would have to go.

Since I didn't remember the name of the other twin, I guessed "Fred will be killed." My prognostication, partly in jest, was met with scorn from my spouse and daughter.

However, when that same daughter, a big fan of the book and movies, finished the seventh volume last night, she appeared from her ivory tower, looked at me and blurted out "Fred was killed!" She glared at me like I was some kind of seer.

I guess you just have to know what you are talking about. A little bit of luck is also helpful.

Pourquoi les Canards?.... Parce que!

Je ne sais pas. Who really knows how it was that the Anaheim Ducks put it all together this season and captured the Stanley Cup.

Recently, a sports columnist wrote that he hated to admit it, but Brian Burke is the best general manager in the NHL.

Is it a factor that the Ducks have more Canadian players on their roster than any other NHL team?



Maybe having a no nonsense head coach to help the boys focus on hockey in the southern California sun was what was needed.

Perhaps the right combination of veterans and young skaters was the reason for success.

Why the Ducks? Why them and not the San Jose Sharks, the Los Angeles Kings, the California Seals, the Oakland Seals or the California Golden Seals?

You might point to luck, and it is true that some of the games in the final two series could easily have gone the other way with a few opposite bounces of the puck. However, there were probably some instances where the opponents had advantagious bounces also.

Why does a team suddenly rise to the top, when other teams who have been dwelling in mediocrity for decades can never seem to get anywhere? Well, it must be a combination of things that come together at the right time. Whatever the reason, this prairie boy is still ecstatic about the Anaheim "Mighty" Ducks taking home the hardware. Go Ducks!

No more crying on the lawn

Okay, Ken Dryden, I may have been cheering for you at the Liberal party leadership convention, but you ruined my life back in May 1971. It is still a bitter memory today, being reminded that one's favourite team is the only one among 28 that lost a Stanley Cup final series after being ahead 2 games to none at home. The Chicago Black Hawks just couldn't bring it to pass that year. In game 7, while ahead 2 goals to none, my favourite player Bobby Hull, the Golden Jet (father of the Golden Brett) cruised in over the opponents' blue line and let go a terrific slap shot that rang off the cross bar. Had he connected, a three-goal lead likely would have been insurmountable. Alas, the opponents tallied twice to tie the score, then the Pocket Rocket breezed around Pat Stapleton for goal number three, and that was all she wrote.

After the finish of this game, I brutally attacked the foot stool (well, it was one swift kick). Following this outburst, I made my way outdoors to the lawn where I laid down and cried. That's right, I laid down on the lawn and cried. I was sixteen. My disappointment was pronouced following near misses by the Black Hawks almost every year since I was 10. Did I mention that I laid down on the lawn and cried?

I am 52 years old now, and I finally have reason to rejoice and to gloat a little. At last, my favourite NHL team has won it all. Even now I can hardly believe it. The Anaheim Ducks have won the Stanley Cup! During all those years of bearing the taunts of Duck unbelievers, I have cheered for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim through thick and thin, from their inception in 1993. It was especially sweet to have Teemu come home last year and to share the joy this season. Ducks win!

I have a new lawn now, on a steep hill in Calgary, down which you could easily roll out onto the bumpy street. I have no more need to go cry on the lawn. Did I mention before: "Ducks win!"

Thrill of the Lifetime

We missed going to Peters' Drive-in

I had a most interesting birthday. I can kind of blame myself for that. The others here made the mistake of letting me plan the afternoon of my birthday (they took care of the rest).

With the birthday boy driving (naturally) we headed south on Centre Street from our home in Calgary and stopped at a little dim sum restaurant. We all got out and went inside where I ordered a single order of steamed shrimp dumplings to go. The clerk at the till turned around and grabbed a container and handed it to me. I handed her some change and we left. It took thirty seconds.

We enjoyed devouring the shrimp on the sidewalk, then drove further down Centre to Safeway. Here we purchased a single order of sushi that we also ate on the sidewalk. You probably get the idea where this story is going.

Having opted out of the long lineup at Peters' Drive-in, we worked our way through downtown and onto MacLeod Trail, the main drag south of the river. We enjoyed a single baked potato with cheddar and broccoli at Wendy's, then shared a single cheese and bean quesadilla and pop at Taco Bell.

After turning around and heading north on MacLeod, we stopped for poutine and onion rings at Harvey's. Then, having driven three doors up the street from there, we finished off a couple of salads at Burger King.

We all seemed a bit fatigued by the adventure, so we ended up at Dairy Queen near our home where the birthday boy shared a blizzard with his youngest daughter, while the others enjoyed Buster Bars. Seven restaurants, spending $40 in total.

My girls then prepared a sushi party supper and a couple of our friends came over to celebrate as well. We enjoyed fresh salmon, snapper, tuna, avocado and cucumber in addition to some shrimp and smoked eel and plenty of rice and nori. Later we finished the evening with DQ frozen cake. Absolutely delightful.

Anyway, that was my birthday.

Do you remember...?

... when the Green Bay Packers'

starting offensive backs and

receivers were five guys named

Antonio, Ahman, Bubba, William

and Bill?

On being extremely critical of a footballer's manager's critically wrong non-decision today

I mean, what was he thinking? Your star centre fullback comes away from the endline holding his crotch, wincing with each step and looking to the sideline for direction. And this after missing most of the previous game with a serious groin injury; and this with only a couple of minutes remaining in the first half.

The camera shifts to the famous manager in the stands who, while glancing down to the sideline, suddenly brandishes a closed fist, to signal to carry on the same for the rest of the half. What is this? Has Vince Lombardi risen from the dead to revive the play while hurt philosophy?

No retroactive hindsight here. At the time I kept admonishing the TV screen to take out the injured player. You are going to take him out at the half anyway. If you don't take him out right now, the underdog team might very well get an opportunity to score due to the defender's inability to run (or even walk properly). A goal here might result in a disastrous effect on the entire season since the favoured team is only one win ahead of its nearest rival.

Alas, the telly did not heed my advice, and lo and behold, the other team did score during (appropriately named) injury time, while our wounded star basically stood in the box as a spectator.

This report from manutd.com is puzzling: "That goal on half-time was an absolute killer for us,” Sir Alex told MUTV. “I think if Rio had been fit they wouldn't have got it. But that's the breaks in football and you have to accept these things."

Am I missing something here? The manager wants our fans to accept that the other team wouldn't have scored the tying goal if he had had a fit defender playing? That all the manager had to do was to withhold his closed fist salute at the start of injury time, and make the obvious needed change then, rather than at the half? Am I missing something here?

I found some solace later on, in the fact that our team was able to salvage a draw, which would leave them still one point ahead of the pursuer. But I still cannot understand why such a great manager would make such a bonehead non-decision in this no-brainer context.

As a hopelessly hooked fan, I will still be watching and cheering next week. Sigh.