Making a case for Twitter November 3, 2009
Posted by DaveC in uncategorized.add a comment
Before those who’ve already sworn off the flavour-of-the-week social networker click away, let’s start with the following premises:
Firstly, that I am a reasonably intelligent man.
This is a point of some debate, and I certainly won’t discourage that. However, in a random sampling of people, let’s assume I’d made a decent accounting of myself, for the purposes of this post.
Secondly, let’s assume that we like to make generalizations. That there are those of us- and I was among them- that assumed Twitter to be a short sighted, uninteresting forum for short sighted, uninteresting people. Let me assure you, ladies and gentlemen, it is much more than that.
I’m not here to lead a legion of people onto the flavour-of-the-day social networker. I’m here to change the way you look at it. So grab a chair, and lend me your ear. I’ll try not to waste your time (well, any more than usual).
*****
I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first.
My buddy Ken, who got me onto Twitter, wasn’t really either. And our initial forays proved this. But like anyone, we’ve adapted and changed as we’ve discovered what we like and don’t like, what works and what doesn’t for what we want to accomplish.
What was this strange, connective, online bulletin board messenger thingy? Was it a “what we’re doing now” instant updater, for all to see? Was it yet another internet fad, to be passed around to others like ourselves, and discarded in favor of something newer and bigger and flashier? Maybe it is. Lord only knows what kind of server costs this sort of this is incurring, and Twitter doesn’t have Facebook’s now-invasive apps and advertisements to support it just yet.
When I talk to people who aren’t on Twitter about it, there’s some misunderstanding about what it is. Well, I think there’s some misunderstanding, for what I want out of it.
*****
There are those that use Twitter as a “what I’m doing RIGHT NOW” forum. And that’s fine. That’s one use for it.
There are those that use as a direct line of communication and marketing- my buddy Ken, for a while, had his Geekdad updates go right to his Twitter (which he, mercifully, moved to another account). Bill Simmons, who writes for ESPN, seems to agree with this line of thinking. And I do, to a point- I’ve got my blog posts going directly to my Twitter, so anytime there’s an update, up goes a link to a new post, for everyone to see.
I had a fifth grade teacher, Ms. Russell, who had us keep journals of what we did at school from day to day. She always encouraged us not only to say that “we had French and Social Studies and recess”, but to say what we did IN that class, and what we thought about it. That’s something that always stayed with me- to not just mention the main points, but to get into the details. The how, and the why.
As someone modestly creative, the how and the why of things fascinate me. And Twitter gives me an immediate outlet for the how and the why of a particular moment. It’s what I’m thinking RIGHT THEN. The immediacy appeals to me, as well as the context.
I “tweet” (that’s what a Twitter post is called, for the uninitiated) about sports a lot, because I like being able to spout off what I’m thinking right at a particular time. As a fan, the emotions tend to run hot and cold, and being able to write right away about what’s going on in my head is something I’ve really enjoyed.
Certainly, there’s the potential for Twitter to neuter narrative detail, and that’s a danger, especially with the 140 character limit. But that’s also a challenge- you need to be creative to express yourself in small bursts, to get your point out sharper and quicker, as Simmons mentions in the link above.
But it’s not just what you give- there’s a lot to get in there as well.
Like a particular topic? Search it on Twitter- find people who are talking about it, respond to them, start a conversation. I’ve gained a few followers and followees that way, while ranting on something or other on a particular night.
Much has been made of “celebrities” who are on Twitter, and there’s no shortage of them now, with it gaining popularity of late. And there’s those who, as Simmons also mentioned, use it as a marketing vehicle and a subtle way to promote themselves. But there’s also some who use it as a direct line to fans and people, to communicate and debate and react to the people who are out there. The band Collective Soul, for example- usually, guitarist Dean Roland- often spends time “tweeting” back with fans. And while there are limitations in the Twitter format, there’s no denying the benefit of a direct line to those that support you. And the possible advantages in having such a line, rather than being forced to use handlers or publicists or media.
As someone following the evolution of journalism and media, Twitter is a fascinating study in that evolution.
Middlemen are being continually eliminated, with processes of communication becoming easier by the day. Anyone can have a blog, or be a self-published author. Podcasts can be made and produced in the comfort of one’s home, with nothing more expensive than a microphone. When media outlets were shut out of Iran during the protests over the election, Twitter became a way for people in Iran to get the word out. There was even a massive campaign to get users to change their location to “Tehran” to cover for legitimate Iranian protestors who were really working against the government (think along the lines of “I am Spartacus!”, for those wondering how that ever accomplished anything).
Changing the world? Nope. Greasing the wheels of the train? Sounds good to me.
****
This probably meandered off point. That’s not unusual for one of my posts.
But like I said, I’m not looking to lead a legion of followers to this strange, new-ish web meme(though, really, this guy’s pretty cool). Just looking to change the viewpoint on poor, picked on Twitter a little.
So stop on by Twitter sometime and see what’s up there. It won’t hurt. I promise.
The psychology of a beanball October 2, 2009
Posted by DaveC in sports.4 comments
Baseball is a difficult sport to explain to people who don’t like it. It’s a sport rooted in tradition, and patience, and occasionally antiquated ideas. You either like it, or your don’t. And odds are if you do like it, it’s because your dad liked it, or your brother liked it, or some other familial connection. That’s part of the tradition. It’s a sport meant to be slow and deliberate, to be dissected and analyzed, to occasionally nap to on a Sunday afternoon or evening.
And within that sport, there are individual aspects that are difficult to pass on, even to casual fans. One of them is the idea of batters getting hit.
*****
Simple answer: It’s a guy thing.
Hockey has fighting. Football has tackling. Baseball’s answer to that? More often than not, it’s the “beanball”- when a batter is hit intentionally.
Certainly, there are times when a batter is hit without intent. You’re throwing a ball at that kind of velocity, with the kind of spin and curve that these guys do, it’s occasionally going to slip. And some of baseball’s worst moments have involved someone being struck with a ball- whether that’s a batter at the plate, or a pitcher or fielder on the wrong end of it. But we’re not here to talk about that.
We’re here to puff out our chests, to get angry and vindictive, to be “fanatics” about our teams. Let’s get our caps on, our beverage of choice in hand, and be the armchair analysts.
*****
The Jays got into a bit of a donnybrook a couple of weeks back. You might have heard about it. Jesse Carlson throws behind Jorge Posada, who gets uppity and yells back at him. But he eventually gets to first.
A little later, he comes around to score- and brushes Carlson on the way to the bench. The ump throws Posada out of the game as Carlson takes exception to it, and the benches clear.
I wish I’d watched it live. There hasn’t been a lot to see the last little while with the Jays, as listless effort with nothing to play for has winded down the season.
A novice analysis would conclude that the Jays are at fault. This would be shortsighted. Why did Carlson throw behind Posada? Had the ball slipped? No, it had not. Carlson is a left handed pitcher, and Posada was batting from the right side. For it to slip- and to slip so much that the ball was behind Posada, and NOT hit him- there was clearly intent.
Jays second baseman Aaron Hill, possibly their best player this year, had been hit in the back earlier- with the game well in hand for the Jays. The Blue Jays, as a team, had been hit eight times in recent games against the Yankees. Intentional or not, that’s a large number. The number of retaliations for the boys in blue? Zero. None. Nada.
Baseball’s psychology of beanballs says that “if you hit our guy, we’ll hit yours.” Eye for an eye. A very immature policy at first glance, but upon further review, there is some credence to it. With the risk of injury, there is a certain desire to ‘protect’ your players. If they’re getting hit a lot, and you’re not responding, then other teams may take advantage of it. Not just by pitching more inside and pushing them off the plate, but by ‘beaning’ your best players. Much like how in hockey, one will send goons after the best scorers.
Carlson saw Hill get it. He knew that the Jays had been hit a lot this year. Manager Cito Gaston isn’t the sort to retaliate- and ordinarily, I approve of that policy. But let’s face it- eight-love is a liiiiiiiiittle much to be on the long side of. It was time. And Carlson, who hasn’t done much else this year, redeemed himself with a lot of fans.
He didn’t hit Posada. He threw behind him- which is, in beanball parlance, a warning shot. A “we’re not going to take it anymore”. But Posada’s reaction- getting out of the box and yelling back at Carlson as Jays catcher Rod Barajas came out to keep him away from Carlson- could be charitably described as ‘whiny’. But the game went on.
Posada eventually scored- which, really, is the best revenge for getting hit- but he couldn’t let it go. He hit Carlson on the way to the dugout. The umpire was quick, and immediately ejected the cheap-shotting catcher, but Carlson had already- correctly- taken umbrage, and yelled back. The benches cleared. Punches were probably thrown, as guys jumped in to defend their team, or break up the scuffle.
Testosterone. Cheers and beers. Men being men. Live it. Love it.
*****
Another round. Jays and Red Sox, this time. Divisional opponents. Not really rivals, since success, like agains the Yankees, has only occured on one half of this particular matchup.
The Jays put a pasting on the Red Sox. DH Adam Lind was having an excellent game- a couple of home runs, a bunch of runs driven in.
In the ninth inning, BoSox closer Jonathan Papelbon hits him in the ribs. Hard.
Now, another facet of this ‘beanball’ is a batter getting hit after having a good game, as Lind had. This is a little more childish than the ‘eye for an eye’ philosophy of before, but is still at least a modestly accepted part of the culture. You don’t want your team to be shown up (really, the best response is to play better, but let’s not let logic get in the way of our man-moments).
On the way to the bench, Papelbon walked by Lind, and made a motion, mouthing “my bad” for the cameras to see, showing concern for the wounded Jay. So, it may possibly have not been intentional. Jays fans likely thought otherwise. I know I did at the time.
The next game had Jays ace Roy Halladay on the mound. A lot of the Red Sox regulars were sitting, and there was some call to respond for Lind’s late beaning the night before. And he did. On the first pitch of the second inning, he hit Red Sox DH David Ortiz in the side.
I’ve spoken of Halladay at length before, and this certainly did little to dim the affection of the normal Jays fan towards him. Justice had been served, in the macho culture of baseball. Eye for an eye. You hit our guy, we’ll hit yours.
While I smiled a little at the response- and that it was hopefully-Blue-Jay-for-life Roy Halladay who did it- I couldn’t dismiss the image of Papelbon mouthing “my bad” the night before. Was this the right way? Maybe, or maybe not. But as a sport mean to be dissected over long discourses and discussion, it’s fun to find out.
Punch drunk love September 26, 2009
Posted by DaveC in blogs.1 comment so far
(Written on Friday, posted this morning)
Is it still Thursday?
I don’t think I slept on the flight. I vaguely recall watching some Star Trek, and large portions of In Good Company and Canadian Bacon before touching down in Halifax. Westjet getting satellite TV on their flights was a stroke of genius, it saved me ever going to the iPod or laptop for amusement. I was surprised at the quality of the fare on TV late at night, though that depends on your interpretation of the movies in question. Those are both acceptable “wandering into them on the TV” fare, from my view.
Most of today wasn’t funeral related, we took the chance to visit some family on Dad’s side after a power nap in the morning. As well as finding two more packing mistakes: Discovered that I left my hymnal at home, which wasn’t a huge gaffe. I could recall the exact sequence of how it happened- took out the music to add dress clothes and a jacket, and forgot to put it back in. I’d be playing mostly by ear anyway, and that doesn’t concern me too much on short notice.
The other one- again, not major- was bringing a jacket with a semi-busted zipper. Why do I have this jacket in that first place? I’m not really sure. It will remain a mystery.
My laptop is still on Calgary time, which is disorienting. Between the scattershot sleeping and eating schedules over the last day or two, I think I’m on middle-of-the-Atlantic-ocean time by now, while my stomach is still working on a massive lunch (Two cheeseburgers, a piece of butterscotch cream pie, and finishing fries for two others and pie for one more- I REGRET NOTHING).
The funeral’s Saturday at 2, with more of our aunt’s family coming in for lunch and prep in the morning and afternoon. I’m still feeling the all-night flight, but I’ll be hitting the sack soon enough. I’ve felt like I’m ‘punch-drunk’ most of the day, without really knowing what that feels like, since that’s a state associated with boxing. Though I imagine it’s like this- a constant lull of a headache, no sharpness or ability to focus.
I can’t imagine doing this without family. I’m glad we have so many people here, to have this time with Mom and Dad, driving by the beautiful autumn trees of Nova Scotia, with the occasional rain clouding our view. ‘Bittersweet’ would be the word- nostalgic, sad, glad, all of those things. I remember the good times, even in the midst of this.
We’re here. We’re together. And that’s not bad, isn’t it?
Red eye September 24, 2009
Posted by DaveC in blogs.2 comments
Calgary airport- it’s been a while.
I was a putz going through security, unaware that my copious amount of coinage and sanitzer spray in the alto sax would set off the alarm. It wasn’t the laptop and iPod, through whatever coincidence allowed that to occur. I feel like that’s odd, somehow.
I keep thinking about driving home from work, and the one police van that turned on his siren to get into the turn lane, and then promptly turned it off. I remember doing that in “Police Quest”- hitting the siren just before a red light so I could drive on through without having it end my game. It was kind of amusing to see it in real life.
The last time I went to Nova Scotia was for Nanny’s 80th birthday. This is for her funeral.
I don’t know where my head’s at. Like the writing, it’s scattered, jumping from topic to topic, smashing out pithy one-liners and hoping they bring a smile or a chuckle, so I don’t have to think about the finality of it. I don’t feel like it’s sunk in. Maybe it will when we get there. Maybe I’m compartmentalizing, distracting myself from the reality of it. I could picture myself doing that. But then, I’m not the most unbiased judge at the moment.
Strength, God. That is all I ask. I get the sense we’ll need it.
Giddy-up go September 15, 2009
Posted by DaveC in sports.Tags: blogs, star trek
2 comments
Apparently I write here.
Smarter people than I informed me of this a short time ago, and made note of lack of said writing over the last little while. I, for one, was startled. People read this? Blogs on the interwebs? PREPOSTEROUS.
I don’t think I have anything long enough for a decent entry, so this might wander around some. I’ve got a lot of thoughts that aren’t necessarily in a row, arranged neatly to be looked at and approved of with knowing nods.
I’d have paid good money to have Micky in the room for the end of the Bengals/Broncos game last week. And not just because Gus Johnson may have spontaneously combusted on air making the call. A bunch of great finishes for the first week of the NFL, I’m excited to have my Sundays full of football again.
I’m often thinking about how things play out in the bigger picture, wondering about my own place and the place of others in the universe around me. Recent events around me have gotten me thinking about life and death, and what happens when we’re at the end of the line. Being a geek, I put it in Trek terms, with this quote from Star Trek 2 flashing through in my head: “How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn’t you say?” And I happen to agree with that… especially with someone close to us. I’ve been blessed in those terms, to have a stable family life, and friends who’ve always been with me. I’m very thankful for that.
Speaking of Star Trek, I watched Space’s original Star Trek marathon on Labour Day, with the remastered special effects, and really enjoyed it. Certainly, it was a lazy day in front of the television, and there’s some concessions made for the era, but I came away with a new appreciation for classic Trek, seeing more of the subtle-ties and intelligence that you don’t always see on the first glance, when you get caught up in the pastel colours and blocky bridge consoles and glamour shots of the token hot gal.
Shows I’ve got our PVR set to record: The Office, Castle, Dollhouse, 24, with Mad Men and Stargate: Universe as possibilities with people recommending them to me, and Law and Order as another standby, though I only enjoyed some of their episodes last year. I don’t want to commit too many hours to TV with sports already getting a lot of my viewing time, but as someone with an interest in creative endeavours, I’m trying to expand my palette a teeeeeeeeny bit.
There really is nothing like barbecued burgers in September.
I’ll talk to you soon.
The absurdity of hope July 26, 2009
Posted by DaveC in blogs.4 comments
I’m not really sure where this is going to end up. I just know where it is now.
I was out with a friend a while back, and we got to talking about romantic relationships, and dating. It became something of a debate, after we’d gotten caught up on the details of our lives since we’d last talked with any depth.
It was odd that the conversation got there. But it was natural, and comfortable, in ways it might not have been in our prior associations. More than I can recall, I TRIED to make it natural and comfortable, as if it was a subject I could discuss without feeling out of my depth and wanting to run from the room, embarassed.
In any case, we had our catch-up, discussion, and debate, on whether the internet and it’s associated trappings (email, chat, Facebook, etc. etc. ad nauseum) made those kinds of relationships easier or harder. He thought it was harder. I thought it was easier.
The odd thing was, I didn’t disagree with a lot of what he said. In some ways, having these other, less threatening ways to socialize, where you’re not immediately facing someone, has encouraged us to remain in our comfortable shells, behind a keyboard where nothing can hurt us, and where we can project whatever image we like. I have struggled- I DO struggle- with that myself sometimes. It’s easier for me to be here, rather than to put myself on the line in a social setting, with people I don’t know. I need to get out more. I usually enjoy it when I do.
In the right hands, however, I believe connecting online can be a powerful tool, for any kind of relationship. I can speak as to a success story with two of my own friends, who met through a Christian dating service, and are now happily married. I know that my writing, chatting, and podcasting have helped me make connections with people all across the world. And while my one attempt at a long distance romantic relationship didn’t work, I do take positives out of having tried to make it work. You try and take the positives from it, learn and grow.
The trick, I believe, is to not let yourself get trapped into only connecting that way. Your computer, your email, your blogging, should be a tool within your connections and relationships, and not the sole thread by which your relationships exist. To use the words of one Austin Powers (in what may well be the only instance these words have ever been quoted): “We have freedom AND responsibility. It’s a very groovy time.”
I have to say, this finished up much better than I thought it would. I expected maudlin and emo, and got preachy and self-important. Well done, Churchy, well done.
The Doctor’s last house call (and/or getting depressed over the Toronto Blue Jays) July 24, 2009
Posted by DaveC in sports.1 comment so far
It’s weird being a sports fan.
(K&C, you can sit this one out, this is about sports.)
It’s weird to look at it, I mean.To try and analyze it, find out the how and why of it. Is it tradition? Is it testosterone?
I recall Alex asking me questions about what appealed to me about sports, picking at the rules while I watched it, asking “Can they do this or that” or why things were arranged a certain way. He looked at the mechanics, and got me to think about them. But for a lot of fans (the longer term being “fanatics”, which is more appropriate in some cases), it’s the connection to the team as much as it is the particular variety of sport. Without that connection to the team, we don’t necessarily have as much invested in it.
I don’t know what I’m going to do when Roy Halladay is no longer a Blue Jay.
The doctor is in.
*****
It is a matter of when at this point. Maybe tonight, maybe in the offseason, maybe next year, when he finally walks away.
Roy Halladay is everything you want in a pitcher, and a player, and has been for the Jays during his time with them. He’s the ace, the rock upon which you build a team. Goes out there every five days and gives you a chance to win. 200+ innings, a bunch of complete games, 20 wins, and opposing hitters walking away saying, “Wow, what was that?” Quiet, professional, humble, and remarkable on the field. That is Roy Halladay. Every year, you could count on him.
I don’t blame him for wanting to go. He’s been the best pitcher in baseball for some time, on a team that has done virtually nothing around him. He’s played the good soldier, took the discount, and watched great players come and go, organizations that built up and came down while he wasted away prime years on a middling team.
They tried, the Jays. Moneyball 2.0, mini-Sawx/Yanks, but usually “if everything breaks right, we have a chance”, only to see- well, everything break. Injuries, slumps, inconsistency, or the Rays finally becoming a juggernaut, there were excuses every year. Some legit, and some that made you wave them off and ignore them. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember. I apparently watched Joe Carter hit the home run off Mitch Williams that gave the Jays the ‘93 World Series, but I can barely remember it now. The years since them, have been numb, bland, running together (Probably why they’re cashing in on the nostalgia so much now).
This year, we were prepared for the worst. The team had lost players, had injuries, and needed a whole ton of things to break right. GM JP Ricciardi was bracing us for it right out of the gate… we were loading up for 2010. Next year. Always next year.
A funny thing happened on the way to inevitable, crushing defeat. The Jays started out hot. The bats were hitting, the pitchers were pitching. Everything was breaking RIGHT, for a change. We were making up for the tasteless, boring year that 2008 had been.
Which made the inevitable fall even worse, and somehow harder to take. We’d gotten invested, interested, had gotten hope again. We were talking about the playoffs, about meaningful games in the final couple of months, became interested in baseball again. The Blue Jays were relevant.
But back to Roy Halladay. He was the Terminator-faced, consistent, machine-gunning linchpin, there with that same stubbly face with every game, coming out and giving his all. He was even a good story, having almost gotten a no hitter, lost then going all the way down to A-ball before coming back up and becoming the dominating pitcher he is today.
I look at that paragraph and notice I’m already talking about him in the past tense. This makes me sad.
*****
If you’re not a Jays fan, you can’t understand how hard this is. I don’t have enough paragraphs to explain what he meant to this team. If you don’t understand the kind of connection people make with their teams, with their players, you can’t understand. It’s crazy, and weird, and draining, and taxing, especially when they struggle like this, when you see things happen that you don’t want to happen.
He hasn’t left yet, but I’m pretty sure I’ve gone through the stages of grief on this one.
Denial: No way they trade him. He’s the linchpin, the #1 starter. They can’t get equal value for him. (Twitter-ed here)
Anger: Why do people keep bringing this up? It’s not happening! Give it a rest! (More examples)
Bargaining: If someone’s dumb enough to take Vernon’s contract, MAYBE we can keep him…
Depression: Everyone’s believing this now. Can it really happen? Will they really trade him? (Heyo)
Acceptance: Well, if they’re going to deal him, they should try and make the best of it. (From today, after his last start)
I railed at Sportsnet West for a good half an hour once I found out the game wasn’t on TV tonight (which made it even better that I was home alone). Might have been Halladay’s last start as a Jay, and there was nowhere to see it. Of course, he went nine strong innings, letting in only two runs, and the Jays lost in extras, 4-2. It would be a fitting ending to his tenure with the team… Halladay throwing incredibly, pouring himself into it, but the Jays coming up short.
I love Roy Halladay. I love the kind of player he is, and the kind of person he seems to be. He’s the guy you want to throw the money at to stay on your team, the one you want to win it all with. And I hope he gets the chance to pitch on a higher stage under brighter lights than he did in Toronto.
On that day, I will root for Roy Halladay. But it will be twinned with sadness at what could have been, and wondering about if he could have accomplished this with the Blue Jays, the team he’ll always be associated with. With MY team.
New life and new civilizations May 10, 2009
Posted by DaveC in blogs.2 comments
I turned off the first season finale of Enterprise, and to my modest surprise, didn’t turn it on for season 2. Didn’t realize I had until a few weeks into the next season… and I found that I didn’t miss it.
That’s when I thought I was done with Star Trek (the franchise), you see. I can recall exactly how I felt. The episode didn’t interest me. The series hadn’t hooked me. The characters, the dialogue, and the sets: flat, repeated, and grey. There was nothing to it. Nothing to keep me watching. Nothing new or compelling.
I grew up on Next Generation, and the original Trek movies (and am completely in the tank for late season Deep Space Nine)… one of the heydays of the universe, I think. The characters and writing was strong, and original, and new and exciting and compelling.
Over time, that changed. The series’, the movies, the media that were being pumped out, grew worse, retreaded, and hit the low with Enterprise, which limped through four uninspiring seasons, mostly so Paramount could get it into syndication. I loved Trek… it killed me to watch it die.
You can imagine my skepticism when I heard about a new Star Trek movie, after the mediocrity that was Insurrection and the disaster that was Nemesis. I thought it needed time… time for new ideas to flow, for a new team to take over Trek, and bring it in a new direction. But it’s not the nature of business to not try and earn money from a property, and so, production went forward.
As the movie was made and trailers were released, I made the progression from cynical to trying-not-to-get-excited to all-out-fanboy, and as such eagerly awaited seeing the movie with my brother, and buddies Greg and Ryan. But the foreboding, the cynicism that had crawled in during recent movies and series still remained, warring with my excitement. I wanted this to be good. I NEEDED this to be good. I wanted Trek to be relevant again, and not the sole property of we geeks who poke and probe every little detail, to the point that it alienated most people.
It was all that. Oh my goodness, was it ever.
Star Trek (the movie) was EXACTLY what it needed to be. It was epic, it was fun, and it tore down the barriers that kept most people away from the franchise. The characters were fun, and people we could relate to. The action was good, and the plot kept moving. It wasn’t afraid to be funny, or sexy. It was self-aware, and reveled in it- something Trek (back to the franchise) has never been accused of doing. It even cussed (shocker!). Sure, it was sci-fi in the future, but it didn’t get bogged down in it- something Trek has OFTEN been accused of doing. But it was also faithful and respectful of the original universe.
It wasn’t perfect. I could poke holes in the plot and the logic and what this did to the universe and some of the things characters did for a while. But why would I do that, when this movie did exactly what it set out to do? It modernized Trek, brought it into the 21st century in it’s writing, characterization, and presentation, and made it relevant again. And while the plot wasn’t as deep as some Trekkies would like, it shouldn’t have been- not for a “reboot” like this.
Star Trek is all about new life and new civilizations… and any good explorer knows you don’t find new life by going to the same places you did before. J.J. Abrams and the team that made Star Trek (movie, again) knew that, and I applaud them for the great job they did with this movie, and the life it will give a previously dormant franchise.
Pleas May 1, 2009
Posted by DaveC in blogs.add a comment
Let me stay here.
Let me see myself as I am, and God as He is.
Let me stay humbled, kneeled, bowed before Him. A man, imperfect, weeping over the full knowledge of my sin, but weeping also knowing that I posess the forgiveness and grace of God, even when I don’t deserve it. Let me know it in weakness, and in strength. At all times, and in all things.
Let me stay here, knowing this.
Let me know this alone, in my room, under cover of darkness and night, hands clasped before me. Let me know this together, with men, talking of times past and present, as we pray for each other. Let me remember this at church, in the pews worshipping, whether with hands raised or head down, merely staying in His presence, with His followers. Let me know this at work, at school, let it be a constant reminder to me, going through days and weeks, that I would cherish each one as it’s own, and not as one of so many before and after, with opportunities that will not come again.
Please let me stay here. Don’t let me forget this. Don’t let me get comfortable, and arrogant, and prideful, any of those things that will keep me from You. Let me have this. Let me always have this.
Keeping the candle burning April 27, 2009
Posted by DaveC in sports.add a comment
The Flames are out again. Can’t say I’m all that surprised, I had the ‘Hawks in six at the beginning.
They actually played pretty well tonight, good pressure by the forwards, outshooting the Hawks by a bunch, but mistakes in their own zone doomed them again. Injuries killed them down the stretch, but the unfortunately-routine fall from grace at the end of the season started before the sickbay became popular, and the Flames have always been lucky in terms of injuries to their star players. Save for the ‘04 playoff run, anyway.
Pinning blame is a fun exercise for sports fans, and there’s no shortage here. Certainly, the injuries hurt them a lot… none of their defensemen were totally healthy, and they definitely missed Robyn Regehr, with all the breakdowns in their own zone. Mike Cammalleri had a quiet postseason, and Miikka Kiprusoff and Dion Phaneuf did little to earn their hefty paycheques, continuing on a disturbing trend from the season. Jarome Iginla was mostly taken out of the series by the Blackhawks top defense pairing.
If changes are in the offing for Calgary, it’s likely to start at the top, since they don’t have a ton of wiggle room for what they can do with their players, with a bunch of guys signed to big deals (Iginla, Kipper, Phaneuf, Jokinen, Langkow, Regehr, Sarich), and the cap likely to go down. While coach Mike Keenan’s hiring in the first place was (and continues to be) inexplicable, letting him go would be probably a cosmetic move at best. It would give the impression of change, since they can’t do much with the roster. I made the point a while back when Keenan was hired that when he was fired, GM Darryl Sutter should probably go with him as well. So they might do that. If I were to place a bet, it would be on Keenan getting his walking papers now, and Sutter just on the clock.
After the cup run in ‘04, it was contended far and wide that while the Flames were a gritty team, they needed to add more skill. They have in subsequent years, with Dion Phaneuf coming into his own as an offensive defenceman, and Jokinen, Bourque, and Camalleri adding a little flash up front. But it seems at times as if they’ve lost that hard working edge, which is stranger under a coach of Keenan’s pedigree. Certainly, Miikka Kiprusoff is not what he once was, but there’s not a lot Calgary can do about that, with the contract he signed. Very ominous shadows of Roman Turek, though this one’s a little costlier in tightening economic times.
What’s to be done? There will be some turnover on the roster, for sure, with a lot of free agents (Bertuzzi, Cammalleri, Roy, Lundmark, Peters, Aucoin, Warrener, Pardy, Leopold, Erikkson, McEhlinney), but there’s not a lot of room for improvement, barring a trade- and it’s unlikely that many teams will be taking on salary in this climate. The Flames already have $46 million committed to 15 players (from nhlnumbers.com), so here’s how I figure it should break down:
Staying: Lundmark (showed a little), Pardy (got good by the end of the season), Peters (cheap labour)
Going: Cammalleri (way out of the Flames price range), Bertuzzi (I think I’m projecting), Roy (What did he do?) Erikkson, Aucoin, Warrener, Leopold (overpriced, the lot of ‘em), McEhlinney
Which leaves a bunch of roster spots, and not nearly enough money to fill ‘em, depending on where the cap ends up. Great.
Moving Miikka Kiprusoff or Dion Phaneuf may sound like blasphemy to some, but those that have watched them play would quietly nod and approve of the notion. Phaneuf is the more likely of the pair to get anything in return, since his perceived value is more than his actual value, and his youth would work in his favor, even with an excessive contract. So we see if there’s a team that’ll hire Pierre McGuire as GM, and then deal him there for about eight hundred draft picks and someone who actually knows how to play in their own end, and a lot of cap flexibility.
The Flames are, for better or worse, stuck with Miikka Kiprusoff, and we can clearly no longer count on him to steal games as he once did. But one way they could perhaps help that- and I’ve been saying this for a while- is to GET AN ACTUAL BACKUP GOALIE. Not a placeholder made of cardboard at the end of the bench. You used to be able to justify the lack of a backup with how well Kipper played, but the numbers no longer bear it out. And perhaps playing that backup more will give Kipper more energy, or motivate him to play better. Teams seem to be able to find these Alex Aulds and Curtis Sanfords on the cheap, why can’t Calgary?
It’s hard to know how good this team is. As fans, we get too close and involved and nitpicky, but at the same time we like to think we know them better than some, as if they’re family. This was a team that led it’s division for much of the season, and had a healthy offense, but showed a disturbing streak of inconsistency, and some leaks on the back end.
I thought that Calgary hadn’t changed enough to be successful this season, and was pleasantly surprised until the very end, when it came unraveled as it had the year before. To us fans, the fact that the same problems seem to be repeating themselves without any moves made to address them is a little disturbing.
That said, as fans, we are legally obliged to say: Go Flames go!
