s! the outlaw torn

holy crap! we did an interview with the awesome one, and suddenly two months are gone, and yet no posts are forthcoming. shame, because lots happened in the two months and yet, nothing. in no particular order..

• Spain finally held their nerve and won a World Cup.
• BP finally put a fucking cap on the gusher. No one knows if they’ve finally gotten to the bottom of this.
• The Outlaw Torn finally got hitched.
• Summer finally came, with a heatwave and a vengeance. Who knew the Northeast could hit the 100s.
• The Buffalo Sabres finally got to the playoffs again, and got KO’ed by a mediocre Boston outfit.

had one fantastic annual trip down to NOLA with family and friends in tow, and then was in DC for July 4th weekend which was awesome too. can i complain bitterly why there are no more Nando’s in the country apart from in DC?? it is good to see the South African giant make inroads here, and if they keep making their amazing chicken and sauces (and unlimited fro-yo!) they will definitely be an unmitigated hit!

have been on an astronomy trip since watching the Hubble 3D movie – am ruminating buying a space telescope after seeing how cool Vip’s is. the downside of that skywatching escapade was finding out that mosquitoes will not be dissuaded in the dark by any amount of bugspray and insect-proof sunscreen. if i do get a telescope i will limit myself to what i can see out of the living room window. shame none of the neighbors are ogle-able though. oh well.

finally got both mountain bikes fixed and roadworthy, so we’ve been cycling a lot in the evenings. unfortunately it’s not the best time to be out in the bushes since the bugs are coming in to roost, but if you cycle fast enough you get by. we’re really lucky that the Nashua River Rail Trail begins virtually a stone’s throw away from home. scenic views, peaceful surroundings, no car traffic, all make for idyllic biking.

Buffalo Sabres hockey starts up again tonight, home against the Canadiens for Game 1.

Not too many changes to the team form last year – bywords being grit and accountability, with additions of some veterans and journeymen who aren’t afraid to drop the gloves and duke it out.

I’m more excited about the kids coming up – 6’7″, 19 yr. old and sporting the nickname Chara Lite, here comes Tyler Myers! also South Buffalo native Time Kennedy makes the opening day roster and you know pocket rocket Nathan Gerbe will be in BUffalo more than in Portland.

After two seasons of not making the playoffs, this is it – playoffs this year or else break up the lineup and start afresh.

Let’s Go Sabres!!!

German people have for long carried the reputation of efficiency and doing things the right way. it also appears that this is not accidental, and is intentionally inculcated in them while still in their youth. if you are so inclined, you could read the following article about how the German youth football (soccer if you will) teams have turned things around since the early part of this decade.

the point i am trying to convey is aptly driven home in this excerpt – (the coach mentioned here, Matthias Sammer, had a distinguished career as a German international footballer playing 74 games for the national team and captaining the team to the Euro 96 title. his playing career as a midfielder ended soon after with a serious knee injury. he is widely acknowledged as having an insightful and analytical vision and a knack for tactical brilliance.)

The final push probably came in April of 2006, when Matthias Sammer was made the DFB’s director of football. He spent large parts of the next years demanding a stronger winning mentality of the junior sides. It seemed to run counter to the prevailing notion that youth football should be about development, not winning, but Sammer felt differently.

“We have explicitly stated that winning titles is our aim in youth football,” he said, “because certain character traits are part of the learning curve as well. We cannot just concentrate on conditioning, technical skills and tactics – we have to intensify our focus on a player’s personality. Players can build a winning mentality only through experience. Once you’ve had the experience of winning in youth football, you want to have it again.”

this thing about building winners – it goes beyond sport. everyone blanches when you mention competitive kids, because every one of us ran into a couple of them in their own schooling lives and beyond. however, i see a distinct difference between being competitive and being a winner. competitors are people who fight tooth and nail and always give everything they have, and only go down kicking and screaming. winners, however, are an elite level, who always seem to have something more. that little extra splash of gas in the tank for the afterburners on the home stretch. that ‘finisher’ mentality to seal the deal when doubt starts creeping in.

i think it’s important that people win in their lives – this gets the bug in your brain as Sammer notes. character traits are not rigid and can be molded over time, more easily so for the youth. what’s best about this is that it’s never too late though – you can start changing things right now. however, you need to want this, because if there is any one characteristic that sets winners apart from any other half-witted clowns is the desire for success.

for the second year running my beloved Sabres will be roaming the badlands as the elite continue into the spring competing for playoff hockey

they finished off the season on a tear, falling short by a meager two points yet again.. lots of “if only..” and “what could have happened if..” but alas, it’ll be in vain

the one thing that did give me immense pleasure was smacking hated rivals and playoff bound Boston Bruins 6-1 in a home game to close out the season

oh well, hope springs eternal.. bring on the next season!