Who Should We Be Angry with?

I am a big sports fan. Two pieces of sports news in recent days caused quite a reaction inside of me, and the reaction is not sports in nature:

News #1: On Monday, Vancouver Canucks general manager Dave Nonis was fired by the team for missing the playoffs two of the last three years.

News #2: Also on Monday, Denver Nugget forward Carmelo Anthony was arrested for driving under influence (DUI) at around 4 a.m. in the morning.

The reactions fans had for these two pieces of news are very different, but the difference is... interesting, to say the least.

First is the angry reaction that some Vancouver fans are showing towards Nonis. Some were using some pretty strong words; some were celebrating the firing as if justice was served. While you are at it, fire the coach, fire the scouts, fire everyone in the front office too… it is as if people are playing fantasy hockey, where the entire team can be dumped with no harm done.

Meanwhile, in Denver, some fans were making excuses for Anthony, saying that he just had the worst game of his career and had to "let out some steam" in a night club. Sure, he should not be driving when he was drunk, but it was 4 in the morning... he could do no harm at that time of the day… Let's cut him some slack...

Welcome to a world that has its priorities all messed up. Nonis may not have done his job well and may deserve to pay for the team's poor performance by losing his job, but he has done no crime and has wronged nobody. He just did not compete well against the other managers in assembling a more competitive team. And people have to fire curses at him. Anthony, on the other hand, has probably committed a crime, could have killed someone or himself, but was given a mercy pass because he is a sporting hero.

I don’t know if the fans who are celebrating Nonis’ firing have ever been fired, or ever known someone who has been laid off, before. The guy has lost his job! His family may have to re-locate now. His life is suddenly turned upside down. As an observer, we can say his firing is justified, but why the celebration? On the other hand, why should Anthony be cut some slack? Would those people feel the same if his car actually hit someone, and that someone is someone you love? Should we cut him some slack then?

We live in a world that judges people based on sets of numbers: his salary, his points scored, the number of championship rings he wears... I sure hope that there is a higher standard that looks beyond these things…

The End of an Era

On April 5, Trevor Linden of the Vancouver Canucks probably played his last ever game in the National Hockey League. At the end of the game, he was greeted with one of the warmest reception ever in the Vancouver sports scene. Kudos also to Jerome Iginla and the Calgary Flames for coming out from the dressing room to shake hands with Linden like the way hockey players do at the end of a hard-fought playoffs series. This piece here is dedicated to Mr. Trevor Linden, my favourite Vancouver Canuck.

Trevor Linden will always be an especially special player in my heart because we practically came to Vancouver at the same time. He was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in June of 1988. I immigrated to Vancouver in July of 1988. I practically grew up in Vancouver watching Trevor Linden with a Vancouver Canucks jersey on his back. I could remember, as if it was yesterday, when I listened to the radio broadcast of the Canucks games. My English listening skills were terrible then – I could not understand half the time what legendary broadcaster Jim Robson was saying in the play-by-play. But Robson’s voice was filled with passion, and I could feel the excitement through his voice. Trevor Linden’s name was one he frequently mentioned. I did not understand what a "rookie" was back in the day, but this first-year player managed to score 30 goals in his first season, not a bad feat for the not-so-powerful Vancouver Canucks.

I became a Canuck fan since. And though Linden was not initially my favourite player, he was such a consistent performer that I grew to respect more and more. When the spring of 1994 arrived, Trevor Linden, along with my then favourite player, goalie Kirk McLean, took the Canucks to game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, it was the highlight of my sports viewing life. I remember this picture so well, but I also remember the riot that kept me glued to the radio following the loss in game 7…

The Canucks’ fortunes started to sink not long after the 94 season. When Mark Messier and Mike Keenan took away the captaincy from Trevor Linden’s sweater (Linden publically offered it to Messier, but I was certain that Keenan and Messier pressured Linden into doing so), and subsequently sent him off to the New York Islanders, I was crushed. I actually vowed not to follow the Vancouver Canucks, and I did not for a few years.

Trevor Linden eventually came back. Though he was not the same player he once was offensively, he was endeared even more by many hockey fans, including me. It was as if you have to lose something (in this case, someone) to truly appreciate him.

The end of the era was looming closer and closer, but Linden had always defied the force of nature when the playoffs arrived. During the quest to the Stanley Cup, Linden would always rise to the occasion, setting up big goals and scoring game winners. The aura around him went beyond the letter he wore on his jersey – the fact that Trevor Linden is playing in a playoff game meant the Vancouver Canucks would always have a chance to eek out a win.

But head coach Alain Vigneault did not seem to appreciate Linden for who he is. Benching the Vancouver icon 23 times this season, in spite of Linden’s prowess to win the game when it counts the most (does he ever miss a shot in the shootout?). The writing is on the wall – the coach does not want Linden, and, true to his form, Linden will not walk away while throwing everyone under the bus. He will leave without pointing his fingers at people, and would focus on how blessed he has felt for the love he has received from the Vancouver fans.

And class goes beyond his act in the rink. Outside the rink, Trevor Linden is as good, if not a better, person. As a child, I could remember Linden speaking on behalf of the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, a palliative care facility that provides a place for children with terminal diseases to spend their last days in. I actually knew a friend who spent some time in the hospice. She was visited by the Canucks players on several occasions. I am sure Linden was one of the many fine men who had paid her a visit. For this and much other community work, Trevor Linden has won the King Clancy Trophy for humanitarian efforts.

Trevor Linden may have played his last game as a Vancouver Canuck, and though this piece here does not describe well enough how I respect the man, I would say that I will continue to wear proudly my #16 Vancouver Canuck jersey for many, many years to come.

Thanks for everything you have done for the city of Vancouver, Mr. Linden! You will always be, in my heart, Mr. Canuck.

Is It Worth It?

I am normally not someone who likes to comment on another person’s looks - to me, it is neither here nor there. But this picture is worth talking about:

For those of you who have never seen this person, her name is Tammy Thomas, a former track cyclist in the U.S.A. Thomas is currently facing perjury trial for lying to the court about hers and others’ use of steroids during the infamous BALCO investigation.

According to court documents, when investigators visited Thomas’ home, they were greeted by Thomas, whose face was covered with shaving cream, and was in the process of shaving off her beard. Investigators found that she had many of the other signs of using anabolic steroids, among them the growth of chest hair, the lowering of her voice, uncontrolled temper problems, and male-specific baldness.

Thomas, who is now 38, is studying law. If convicted, she most likely would not be allowed to practice.

We all have goals in lives, and we all try, at varying degrees, to achieve our goals. But when the means cannot justify the possible end, is it still worth it? Even if Thomas is never caught, even if Thomas’ looks do not change, even if she may not risk losing her chance to become a lawyer, is it worth it? And for what did she take the drugs (allegedly) for?

When you really want to achieve something, what are the means do you go about getting it. Is it worth it? More importantly, is it the right thing to do?