I am proud to say that I am now one of the 86,925 select few that are following Alyssa Milano on Twitter. My favourite Twitter updates these days come from Mister Lights Out, Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman. The guy lives a very interesting life. And now, on to this weeks questions.
Comments: My friend and I are watching game six the other night and the question came up…do the refs watch game tape during the intermission to see if they have missed calls? Hopefully there is an interesting answer to this!
From: Andrew
Answer: Hi Andrew, thanks for the timely question. I went straight to top on this one and asked Stephen Walkom, the NHL’s Director of Officiating, what exactly they do in that situation. Stephen had this to say: "Most of the time they chat about what’s happened and get ready for the next period but don’t reference game tape while doing it." Hope that helps.
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Comments: Hi Jim,
Love the column. Over the past few years, the responses from athletes seem to be more and more bland and politically correct. I think this is an indication that our sports heroes are getting more and more media savvy (not wanting bad press i.e. the bulletin board comment). Others however, attribute this to the lack of trust athletes have for the media. What is your opinion?
From: Dancing Oyster
Answer: Well Dancing Oyster, that’s an intriguing question. The short answer is that it is a bit of both. Over the years, athletes have become more mistrusting of reporters and less willing to open up and let them know how they’re really feeling. At the same time, agents are schooling athletes on what not to say and how to deal with the media. Sydney Crosby has been taught how to talk to the media since he was 15 years old. That’s why guys like Charles Barkley and Jeremy Roenick are so popular in the media. No matter what the sport or the league, there is a "go to" guy that the media speak to on an almost daily basis. In Vancouver, it’s Willie Mitchell, in Toronto, Matt Stajan, in Montreal Josh Gorges and so on. It’s not like your "go to" guy is necessarily your best quote, it’s just that when a reporter is up against a deadline, these guys will always come through for you. There is a part of me that understands why athletes are less open these days. From training camp until the end of the playoffs, we are in their face seven days a week. That would test the patience of any athlete, no matter how nice they are.
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Comments: Hey Jim
Who is your favourite athlete of the modern era and your favourite baseball player of the modern era? Thanks.
From: McCartney
Answer: Hi McCartney, I like the question. I will start with my favourite ball player. Or should I say "players". My favourite pitcher in the modern era was The Ryan Express, Nolan Ryan. The guy was still throwing no hitters and still throwing in the mid to high 90’s when he was in his 40’s. Best of all, Nolan Ryan was all natural. My favourite position player in baseball in the modern era has to be Ken Griffey Junior. I was prepared to say Manny Ramirez but the dude got caught taking PED’s. Griffey is the same size he was when he broke into the major leagues and for years could literally do it all. My favourite athlete of the modern era is a tie between Edwin Moses and Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky is an easy one, what he did in the 1980’s might never be duplicated, ever. Not only did Moses win the Gold Medal in the 400 metre hurdles in the 1976 and the 1984 Olympics; he won a mind boggling 122 consecutive races between 1977 and 1987. Honourable mention goes out to Bo Jackson. I love Bo because he was a Raider and until suffered that hip injury, he was on pace to do some amazing things in the NFL and in baseball.
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Comments: Hey Jim how are you? I’ve been wondering what free agents you would go after if you were Burke or would you save up the cash and sign Rick Nash next year?
From: Kristoff
Answer: Hi Kristoff, thanks for the question. I can not see any logical reason why Brian Burke would want to wait to sign quality players that could help the team. Depending on whom you speak to, the cap could plummet to somewhere in the $48 million dollar range for the 2010/2011 season. If Burke waits, he might not have the room to sign him. There are so many good UFA’s this year, why wait? Before Burke goes crazy on July 1st, he’s going to do some serious wheeling and dealing during the NHL entry draft weekend. That will go a long way to determining what UFA’s he’s going to sign this year and next.
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Comments: Hi Jim, long-time reader, first-time asker of a question. What’s the origin of the word “Garden” in buildings such as Madison Square Garden and Maple Leaf Gardens? It seems a strange association to make with places that routinely saw blood and guts spilled.
From: Pat in Toronto
Answer: Hi Patrick, I love history questions. I spent days researching this one on the internet and I was able to come up with the following info. The origins of the name "Madison Square Garden" can be traced back to the location where the first two gardens were located (Madison Square) on Madison Avenue at 23rd Street. The site of the very first MSG was built way back in 1879. That original plot of land was sold to P.T. Barnum and converted into a venue called “Barnum’s Monster Classical and Geological Hippodrome.” In 1876 it was renamed “Gilmore’s Garden.” and at the time it was an open air arena. William Henry Vanderbilt officially renamed Gilmore’s Garden “Madison Square Garden” and reopened the facility to the public on May 30, 1879 at 23rd Street. As the venue moved to new locations the name "Madison Square Garden" still stuck. The only apparent reason why Boston and Toronto named their NHL rinks "Garden" was in response to the Rangers and MSG. Hence the Maple Leaf "Gardens" and the Boston "Gardens".
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Comments: Original Coke or Coke Classic?
From: The man with no name from parts unknown.
Answer: That’s easy, Coke Classic.
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The final word goes to Marc in Quebec who wanted to respond to Keith’s question last week about the perceived notion that the Canadiens will only hire a French speaking coach.
"I’d like to see an unilingual French head coach behind the bench in Toronto… Like you said Jim, in a market like Montreal or even Quebec City, you need someone who can talk with the fans and sorry Keith but the majority of people leaving in ” La belle Province” are still French until further notice. Anyway, it is not like we got a bad coach in Martin, he is one of the best and thank God for you he will talk to you in English too so you will understand what is going wrong with the Habs…cool hey!!"
Well said Marc, keep the questions rolling in.