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1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless."
3 What does man gain from all his labor
at which he toils under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
"Look! This is something new"?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
11 There is no remembrance of men of old,
and even those who are yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow.
In reality, as they said on Seinfeld, you are really just cheering for laundry. Many things made Sakic a fan favorite, but one huge reason was due to his tenure with the same team. What makes a fan a fan? If you live somewhere else, do you cheer for the home team or the team you always have loved? What is it that we identify with, a logo on a uniform? The history of the team? The players, who make the team, are a revolving door.
AD should know the mentality of these guys more than any of us who aren't intimately associated with professional sports. I would imagine he is correct in his assertions. You do see passion from many of the players (at least on TV or at the game), but the bottom line is they aren't in a profession that is changing the world. What makes sports not be just trivial? I think that, as fans, we enjoy the esacpism and the "thrill of victory/agony of defeat" - as well as seeing some amazing athleticism that most mere mortals aren't capable of doing.
It can be hard to except that there are times when the athletes playing the game don't actually care about it as much as we do, but it is sadly true. I think for some athletes it is never true but for others it is true more often than not (sadly). I'm very passionate about the things I believe in, and the Avalanche is one of them.
I became an Avs fan since the 90's. I think one of the reasons why I became an fan is because they were really good back then, if they weren't I'm not sure what happened. I love Sakic, Forsberg and Roy, etc. I told myself then that the only time I would consider switching teams is when these 3 have retired. That time has come when Sakic retired a few months ago. Technically, Forsberg could still come back but... I asked myself if I would switch team, what would be my new favorite team. I like a few players outside the Avalanche world, but I don't think that it's enough for me to follow that certain player's team. I've shown support for this team by watching as much as I can, it's really hard because games are not really available here. I buy merchandise as often as I can, worn Avalanche shirts during playoffs even if no one really cares here. I've made jokes to my brothers when they comment on the merchandise about being expensive... "Yeah, Hejduk and Johnny need to be paid 4M each, and I need to contribute something so I buy all these merch... ". I've been labeled as a hockey fanatic because of this, but I don't really care. Watching hockey or other sports that I like entertains me. It's a distraction. For 2-3 hours of watching hockey, at least I don't have to think about all other things. It doesn't control my life but it definitely makes it a bit better.
Our biggest concern was moving away from our family & our sports teams; AVs, Broncos & Nuggets. Thank God we have Dish so we can receive the games here for NHL Center Ice. The Nucks are just 25 mi north & we're in Vancouver regularly but the AVs will remain OUR TEAM always.
My love for Hockey started at 8 years old when my uncle took me to a Quebec Nordiques game against the Hartford Whalers. Prior the game i was standing behind the players bench and Michel Goulet came up to me and gave me is autograph hockey stick, and then he scores a Hat trick in a 5-3 win. After that i never miss a game on tv or radio, i witness every loss the nordiques had for 5 years( last night performance was good to compare) they were in the pit of hell years after years. One day we had the best young team in the ligue, names like Deadmarsh, Sakic, Forsberg, Sundin, Kamensky, and the list goes on... the dream of a stanley cup in Quebec was more than possible, that was the reward for been patient with my team( not like some peoples here). So, one morning i open the Tv and the headline was the Nordiques sold to Denver, hit me like a baseball bat. How worst can that be!!! I told everybody that i never watch hockey again!!! Wrong, i remember the first game in denver, Patrick Roy in net with is new white mask in a Avalanches Jersey. I became a Avs fan right away and enjoy 2 stanley cup championships. Do you think i really care about how much money they make!!! Absolutly not, every goal, every fight, every win in a 7 games gave me so much joy and trill this is not about money, ask Ray Bourque if he would trade 1 millions in exchange of is stanley cup championship!!!! If the players are making that much money the team owner are making much more money and they dont risk there lives on the ice. I am 100% sure that Paul Stastny gave the maximum effort last night, so Hedjuk and so Wolsky, they cant win every games thats all. Now the question for me is, if the Nordiques comes back to Quebec and it might happend, can i endure another 5 years in the bottom of the ligue!!!!!
that wasn't the point of what I was saying. Not that I hate my job - I don't. It just amazes sometimes that there even IS this job, and that there IS this thing called pro sports. If anybody took the blog as me "whining", they shouldn't. Just my deep thought of the night. Now I'll go back to finding out about Cody McLeod's eye or something
Anyways, its done and over with, and hopefully the coach gives them a little time off before they head back to practice. P.S i didnt like the line combos last night either, but i guess the coach had to try something to shake them out of their funk - i didnt think i would ever say this, but the Avs are really starting to miss Tucker, McLeod, Gagliardi and Hendricks
Oh, and it sure was nice seeing Raycroft SHUT OUT your "prized rookies." I'll bet he really enjoyed that a lot.
Where, if anywhere, on the ice were Duchene and O'Reilly anyway? I don't think Haynes or McNab said their name last night once.
As far as your blog is concerned, as much as I liked it and could really relate to it, I think it was a little premature for the season the Avs are having. Two road losses (one being to a great team like the Sharks) is not the end of the world for this team. If, in fact, the loss is what sparked it.
Your job "matters" as much as anyone else's does, it puts a roof over you and your family's head and gives the ability to buy goods you need to survive. That's all it boils down to, no one's job "really matters". I work in politics, trying to push for things that will supposedly make a difference to me and millions of others, but in the end it is just a job, a very thankless job at that.
So perhaps this will help give your work meaning...thank you for your writing. I look forward to it daily, and have won an argument here and there based on your articles. There, it means something now right?
Was Sakic really bothered by the Avs losing last year, how competitive was he?
Beyond that, I think that sports are a proxy for war. The ancient Romans read the local papers to see stories about the current war, but also to see stories about the recent Gladiators. Professional sports aren't new or aborrent, they're as natural to humans as gossip, fashion, politics, and exploration.
As for me, I realized that it will take me two full years to make what Stastny did in one game. I work my butt off so that 27 fourth-graders will have the opportunities for success that they deserve. Stastny got paid $80,000 for having fun for two and a half hours. I guess I could get bitter or even depressed about that. But then I wonder, how long would it take Stastny to postively influence the lives of kids as much as teachers do in one day? Two years? An entire career? Maybe I don't have anything to be bitter about after all. Thanks for the perspective, AD.
Did you notice the quality of responses left, better than usual I'd say huh? You hit some deep chords in alot of us & thats not easy!! Keep up the good work & trust the Post notices it as I have.
A big super THANX also to jfmartineau! Your window to the world sets hockey apart. This says it all.
I am now off to ponder more about what we get out of sports and what athletes get out of it. Great blog Adrian. You truly have found your talent in writing!
I hope that you cast aside the naysayers of this particular post. Although I've always enjoyed reading your posts, it's the longer ones in which you ramble on a tangent that I find particularly gratifying. Keep those creative juices flowing. (grins)