You've got to be kidding me!

I was going to post about ANZAC day today but 1) I didn't have the time, and 2) I noticed this article online. Now, it's just a normal article reporting on a normal occurance in the NBA.  But what struck me as odd - and no doubt if you read it the same thing happened to you - is the name of the player:

Metta World Peace.  No, you're not reading that wrong.  That's a name.  First name: Metta.  Surname: World Peace.  It took me a quick wikipedia search to figure out who it used to be (Ron Artest, though that name may not mean much to most people) and find out the reason.

Now, I thought Chad Ochocinco changing his name was a bit funny (though also incorrect, as far as I know; he's number eighty five not number eight five), but this is bordering on the ridiculous, especially for a player who was "at the center of an altercation among players and fans during a game," (quote from Wikipedia).

Watch what happened here:

To be fair, it was obvious he was provoked into the whole thing, but as a professional you have to show restraint (I think the commentators even say as much), and his going into the stands pretty much turned that into a riot.  World Peace indeed, but maybe he's changed.

End of the Season

Last night the Toronto Raptors lost a heartbreaker to the New Jersey Nets to end their season. The game was hard fought until the dying seconds when a pass was intercepted to prevent Toronto a chance to win the game. They lost their first round playoff series 4-2. This was certainly the most entertaining basketball game I have seen in a long while, and the only thing that could have made it better was to see Toronto win. Certainly both teams played hard enough to win, but unfortunately only one could have.

Still, the game suggests that next year will be a much better season, after already making huge strides this year. For starters, the Raptors fought hard when it mattered. They went out scratching and clawing right to the end. They must be commended for that. A second sign of hope is the young age of their stars. All of them are still improving and none of them are leaving at the end of the season. Certainly what they went through last night can only help them in future playoff series next year.

So, thanks to the Raptors for giving us all something to cheer for and to look forward to next year. I know I'll be watching.

Pro Sports Roundup

"So what's with all this talk of pro sports on this blog?" you're probably asking yourself. "Isn't this guy not a fan of all things corporate?" Well yes and no. I do follow pro sports but sometimes I loathe myself for doing so. As I tell my students cheering for a team (in their case the Canucks) is like cheering for a company. Why should we be loyal to these companies? What do they do for us?

Well, I'm trying to distance myself from the loyalty to company idea, though I am not really doing a great job of it lately. So I thought I would try to do my best to give an unbiased (hahaha!) report of what is going on in the world of pro sports this week.

NHL
Living where I do I am exposed to many biased opinions about a certain hockey team which I am not such a big fan of (mostly due to it's fans). This week saw the beginning of the second round of playoffs, and already I think we've seen some things that we did not expect. Detroit is down 2 games to none and Ottawa beat the Devils. Vancouver actually managed to win a game in their series (so I was wrong in my predictions of a sweep - if they win game three I'll never hear the end of it on Monday from my students). I'm going to make a bold prediction and say San Jose wins the cup. Either that or Buffalo, but many people have picked them already.

NBA
It's hard to be a Toronto Raptor fan right now. They didn't really look good in their three games against New Jersey. The bright side is that they actually have one win in those games, so they are not facing an insurmountable lead at this point. All year they dealt with stretches like this and then came back with a long win streak. Maybe that streak starts tomorrow night. I have also been following Phoenix a bit (Steve Nash is the only reason really) and I was surprised they lost that third game. I'm no fan of Kobe Bryant's (due to his recent past), but the guy is a good basketball player.... Nash is better though.

MLB
What is up with the Blue Jays? They lose 5 games straight against, then win three straight and then start another losing streak. Today's game was rather dissapointing. Their offence kept getting them back in the game and their pitching kept taking them out of it. I can't really blame them since their closer is injured (along with a lot of their offensive stars). Right now they just need to hang in there and hopefully they will not be too far back when they get everyone back (whenever that happens).

MLS
Apparently Toronto has a soccer team now, Toronto FC. They have yet to win (I think they haven't even scored a goal yet) in four games this season, the latest setback coming
today to Kansas. Today was their first home game and I heard on TV that the crowd was over 20 000. Not too shabby. I wonder what it will be like when David Beckham comes to town.