'NUCKS GET NUCKING
Colin May
Upon return from the Olympics, the Canucks are back in action. Golden boy Roberto Luongo looks to continue his winning ways as Vancouver finishes up their mammoth road trip, making their return to GM Place March 13 after a record 14 game absence. Pavol Demitra, the Olympic tournament’s leading scorer, will add some punch to the Canucks line-up, after losing the first half of the campaign to injury. Sophomore general manager Mike Gillis, having been shutout on his first trade deadline, is likely to make a deal to acquire either a top six forward, or a veteran defenseman (to help deal with the injuries on the back end to Willie Mitchell and Kevin Bieksa, neither of whom will be ready to play for at least a month). Aside from these injuries, Vancouver looks poised to make a great playoff push, and finish the regular season fighting for another Northwest division title.
RAPTOR RAGE
Mac Fairbairn
The Toronto Raptors franchise has gained a reputation as being a bit of a tease over its fifteen-year history. High potential, big free agents signings, and media inflated expectations have generated high hopes for rabid Raptors fans across Canada that have been consistently dashed by a lack of on-court success. Big free agent signings such as last year’s ill-fated pairing of Jermaine O’Neal with Raptor’s superstar Chris Bosh, as well as the brief tenure of TJ Ford, who is most remembered for being outplayed by his backup Jose Calderon, were massive failures. With these disasters in mind, it is not surprising that Colangelo’s biggest free-agent signing this year, veteran swingman Hedo Turkoglu, failed to pan out to Torontonian expectations. The major difference this year is that, despite limited production from Turkoglu, the team has still found success, and with a 31-26 record, stands 5th in the Eastern Conference. Much of the credit rests on the All-Star play of Chris Bosh, who is legitimizing himself as a credible franchise player by posting averages of 24.5 points-per-game and 11.4 rebounds.LITTLE LOVE FOR LUGE
Ryan Bernard
Bobsleigh, Luge, Skeleton, Biathelon, and Speedskating: sports that receive little attention until the Winter Olympics put their participants on the world stage – yet with the NHL or NFL, I find myself cheering until my voice is hoarse. Will it be another four years before I find myself yelling at the TV for these athletes again? I hope not. Perhaps a Major League Bobsleigh is the answer, or an Extreme Curling league modeled after the former XFL. None of these will happen, but I wish they would, as these Winter Games have incited an interest in these sports that I never felt before. With such a talented group of young Canadians on the rise, it would be a shame to miss out on seeing their talented careers unfold. Hopefully, we get more coverage and attention paid to these sports in major sports media, but I know that next time curling is on I’m going to stop and watch instead of flicking over to reruns of the Office.
JERRY LUCAS: WIZARD?
Mac Fairbairn
He’s one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players of all time, yet most basketball fans have forgotten who Jerry Lucas is. Ironic, considering he’s now a memory education expert. He’s also the only basketball player who can directly affect your grades. During a Hall of Fame career, Lucas posted several ridiculous 20 point, 20 rebound seasons, and, using a memory system he invented, was able to recall every single play, of every opposing team in the NBA. Perhaps his most notable memory achievement was a national television appearance where he correctly recalled every name in the first 500 pages of the Manhattan telephone book. In 1974, Lucas partnered to create a memory book with his mentor Harry Lorrayne, a memory expert who says, “At last count [he’d] met and remembered somewhere around twenty million people.” The book, creatively called The Memory Book, uses an image based memory system for memorizing names, lists, foreign languages, and long-digit numbers. So, instead of wasting time watching the illiterate stars of today’s NBA, practice something useful from a legit NBA legend. Practice. Yes, I’m talking ‘bout practice.
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