Man on Fire, Sunday, October 30th

1 - To start things off we want to congradulate the Pittsburgh Penguins on winning their first game of the season, 7-5 over Atlanta last Thursday. The token Penguins fan is very impressed. Unfortuanetly though, after rallying from a 4-0 first period deficit to beat the Thrashers the Pens gave up four 3rd period goals yesterday to lose to the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3, the surest sign that what goes around comes around.

2 - Some baseball writers are already calling this century 'The Curse Breaker'. We had the Boston Red Sox last year, and now we have the Chicago White Sox, who last won the World Series 88 years ago. The logical conclusion to all this would be that Chicago's other hard luck team, the Cubs, will win it all next season. To this we say no. As long as the Astros and Cardinals live in the NL Central (which may change) there is no chance. We pick another hard luck team, the Clevland Indians (who haven't won since 1948), to go the distance. The only thing the Cubs have going for them is the law of averages, which states that since the last two curse busters came from the AL, the next one will come from the NL. To this we reply that the law of averages has never applied to the Cubs.

3 - For those of you who are interested in the White Sox we reccomend watching that classic baseball movie 'Eight Men Out', the story of what became known as the 'Black Sox Scandel'. There are definetly better baseball movies out their, but this one is still worth watching.

4 - Last time we spoke, the staff at Man on Fire opined that Iraqis were happy without Saddam. Now comes news that perhaps we were too quick to jump to a conclusion. Read this article and you'll know why we think this. Veteran Foreign Affairs Correspondant Don Murray writes at the end of his column about a survey done by the Iraqi people that was leaked to a London daily. According to the survey 45 percent of those asked believed attacks against British and American forces were justified, while a another 82 percent were 'strongly opposed' to the presence of those forces. Those are very serious statistics, but as far as Man of Fire is concerned, they mean nothing. Why? No information was given on who answered the survey, other than to say the Iraqi People. Was the survey conducted in the Anti-American Sunni-domminated province of Anbar, or in a province of supposedly pro-american Shiates and Kurds, or maybe both? If it was in the former, then we are not surprised, if it was in the latter, we are shocked, but we digress. The point is that this survey has no grounds to claim it represent the views of the entire country of Iraq. Maybe it is true, but based on the article in which it was sited, we're not ready to believe it.

5 - On a more personal (but less interesting) note, read this article by noted feminist Georgie Binks on the CBC website. The staff here at Man on Fire was pleasantly surprised to come across this gem of an article. If the world would start treating young boys and girls like they're equal instead of identical then we bet a lot of society's problems would drastically reduce themselves.

6 - The Token Winnipeg Jets fan at Man on Fire was cruising the columnist section on this site recently and discovered an alarming trend. As many columnits are quick to point out (see Jim Kernaghan, Bruce Garrioch, and Mike Ulmer) fighting in hockey is down, and according to some, on the way out. The reason, they say, is that the faster style of play combined with the penalty parade means less five on five hockey, and therefore less ice time for goons. Point taken, but The Token Jets fan still thinks this is silly. Fighting is down, just like hitting, but both will be back once the players get used to all the rule changes. Besides, as Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff noted in Mike Ulmer's column, if the NHL is serious about establishing some heated rivalries, goons will be back, and they won't be bringing popcorn.

7 - Today's famous person quote comes from Mr. October, Reggie Jackson:

"Nobodies don't get booed..."

Sounds like something Terrell Owens would take comfort in.

8 - Mike Ulmer is officially one of our favorite people after writing this. Mike and M.O.F. have some minor theological differences, but nothing worth starting a schism over. The fact is, he's right! While Man on Fire does believe in worshiping God through playing sports (another topic for another day) the pointing of the finger has got to go. It means nothing when it's being done by people who probably have no relationship with God (there are exceptions to every rule... well... almost every rule) and that kind of ruins it for everyone else. On a less serious note, Ulmer's comment on the NBA dress code is priceless.

That's all for today. Talk to you later.

M.O.F.

Welcome to the Man on Fire blog. Postings will be totally random, about a variety of subjects. Here are today's random thoughts (October 25th):

1 - Just finished reading columnist Greg Easterbrook on www.nfl.com. His column, Tuesday Morning Quarterback, is what inspired the crew at Man on Fire to start blogging. If you like Football, Science Fiction, and Humour, give it a try. Can't say we ever thought we'd see football and science fiction in the same column.

2 - Switching sports, many people will probably have an opinion on a piece written by Vancouver beat reporter Dan Murphy. Murphy thinks people should quit harrassing Vancouver Canucks winger Todd Bertuzzi about the Steve Moore incident, which is by now old news. We here at Man on Fire agree with this assesment, and think that if people are still angry at Bertuzzi, they should instead direct their wrath at NHL commisioner Gary Bettman. He's the one who handed out the punishment. Pestering Bertuzzi about his decision to sucker punch Moore is one thing, but people who go after him because they think his suspension wasn't long enough need to switch targets. Murphy's right, this horse is dead...

3 - Switching sports for the last time, to the CFL... because the staff here at Man on Fire consists largly of former volleyball, hockey, soccer, and football referees we will not make any wisecracks about the ineptitude of the officiating during last Sunday's Stamps-Rider game at Taylor Field in Regina, Saskatchewan. Besides, the fact that we're all Rider fans here clouds our vision.

4 - Today's famous quote of the day comes from one of our favorite people, Sir Winston Churchill,

"Although prepared for martyrdom, I preferred that it be postponed."

The great thing is, he's not joking.

5 - For those who are interested in Churchill we suggest reading his account of his experience as a war correspondant in South Africa during the Boer War. 'London to Ladysmith via Pretoria' and the sequel 'Ian Hamilton's March' are exciting and riviting true stories of adventure. If you think thriller novels are corny, then this book is for you. If you're having troubles finding a copy, it was re-released in 1989 under the title of 'The Boer War'.

6 - With the NHL season starting up, and the CFL play-offs just around the corner we havn't been paying attention to the political and international landscape as much as we normally would. So please excuse our lack of knowledge while we weigh in on the lastest news coming out of Iraq. According to a story on the CBC website 79% of Iraqis who voted in an October 15th referendum on their new constitution gave it the thumbs up. That's 13% more than the two-thirds majority needed. Say what you will about the U.S., but it's news like this that leads us to believe the majority of Iraqis are happier without Saddam.

7 - The Token Toronto Maple Leafs fan here at Man of Fire is not happy with Darcy Tucker. Earlier this week Tucker opined that hazing has a place in sports. To this, The Token Leafs fan replies that if Tucker wasn't on such a hot streak right now this comment would be inexcusable. Teasing the rookies has its place, but hazing has outlived its usefulness. It's difficult to see how the incidents that occured at McGill and Windsor create an atmosphere of togetherness and team bonding. The fight that occured at the following Spitfires practice is a more likely result. On a sentimental note, we were disappointed with Spitfires coach/GM and ex-Winnipeg Jet Moe 'Mustache' Mantha. He was a fan favorite here. We hope he cleans up his act.

That's all for today. Talk to you all soon.

M.O.F.