Teed Off

I had occasion over the weekend to engage in age old debate: Is the game of golf really a sport?

It's not the first time I've had this discussion / argument, but it always seems to bring up the same time worn comparisons.

Golf is not a sport because it doesn't require significant physical prowess. Golf is not a sport because a 65 year-old man should not be able to compete against a 25 year-old. And my personal favourite: only in the game of golf could a cigarette-smoking, fat guy compete on a professional level (I'm assuming that reference is directed at John Daly, but we'll get to him later).

Truth is, most sports vary widely in terms of the physical and mental demands of the athlete. You wouldn't expect a 340 lb left tackle to run the 100 metres in 5 seconds. In much the same way that you wouldn't expect a pole-vaulter to wrestle a 340 lb linebacker to the turf. A gymnast probably couldn't hit a fast-ball past first base while some home-run hitters wouldn't last ten seconds on the parallel bars. So does that mean that these sports are not 'real' sports?

People have often said that golf is more of an activity than a sport. These are people who have never picked up a golf club in their lives unless they were cleaning out their garage. While it may be true that golf does not require the need to run (unless you're Sergio Garcia, or someone yells 'fore'), the physical demands of a properly executed golf swing are considerable. To reach a competitive level requires a tremendous amount of practice and refinement, and like other sports, being physically fit will give you an advantage on the golf course.

What distinguishes golf from other sports is the necessity to balance one's emotions while also employing strategy and a multitude of calculations prior to virtually every shot. Golf is heavily weighted towards the mental aspect of athletic performance, nonetheless hand-eye coordination, flexibility and physical strength are essential to success.

Then there is the age argument: golf is a game that can be played well into our retirement years, therefore it is not a sport. I've never really understood this notion. Age can be a factor in golf, particularly at the professional level. With a few exceptions, many older golfers cannot compete consistently at the same level as their younger counterparts.

There have been occasions when older players have performed well in golf (see Jack Nicklaus, 1986 Masters), however this phenomenon is hardly unique to the sport, just ask Mark Recchi. Many 'experienced' adults continue to engage and compete in physically demanding sports such as tennis, racquet ball and soccer. Does that mean they aren't real sports either?

Of course, there is no substitute for raw talent in any sport. You can practice ceaselessly, hire the best coaches, study the most effective techniques, but in the end, like all things, some people have it, some don't. Which brings me back to John Daly. At his best, Daly has a natural ability to hit the ball long and straight. He also has an excellent short game and (if you can believe it) a powerful ability to focus. Daly was never the picture of physical prowess, but despite our image of him he was able to generate tremendous power and control in his golf swing. Even the most physically fit athlete would have trouble accomplishing what Daly has in his career.

So just because Daly, and others like him are not the poster children for physical fitness, does that mean golf is not a 'real' sport? There have been plenty of athletes over the years who may not have looked the part but were able to perform at an elite level. More than a few chubby athletes can be sighted on a football field or baseball diamond. As for bad habits, like smoking, just ask a few athletes from the seventies how often they lit up in the locker room, some still do.

You don't have to like golf, you can even call it boring to watch, but unless you've walked 7 thousand yards in spikes then you don't know Jack about the sport.

Oh, and just for the record, a little dictionary excerpt...

sport

[spawrt, spohrt]
–noun

1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

Things We Could Do Without

Welcome to the first ever instalment of:

Things We Could Do Without

On today's list...

People who make every situation all about them.
(News flash: the people nodding and smiling don't really like you.)

Commercials in movie theatres.
(I paid my $50, piss off!)

Shad flies.
(Surely the ecosystem can manage without them.)

Reality television.
(It isn't real, it's scripted. We're not that stupid.)

That unknown sticky substance on your seat in the Metro.
(Chances are you've sat in it at least once in your life.)

Signs that tell us how much our government is investing in infrastructure.
(...and just how much did the freakin' sign cost?)

Any discussion of the Canadian constitution.
(Whatever the legal mess, it works, so shut-up already.)

Outraged politicians.
(Mock anger is about as sincere as campaign promises.)

Televised poker.
(Wow, five fat guys sitting around a table playing cards...in HD!)

Pierre Gauthier.
(Please, somebody stop him before he signs Kostisen to an 8 year $60 million contract.)

Phones pretending to be cooler than the iPhone.
(Imitation is the sincerest form of crappery.)

Fox News.
(...and while I'm at it, all the people who think it's real news.)

Useless blogs.
(I hate them, they drive me... oh, wait ...what?)

Over The Hedge

We are not alone.

We live in the city and burbs of Montreal with a blissful detachment from nature. If it gets too cold we retreat to our warm homes, if it gets too hot we lounge about in air conditioned comfort. If we have to go anywhere we can hop a bus or jump in our cars and be whisked off to just about anywhere. Our habitat is mostly one of concrete and pavement with designated and well-groomed green spaces.

Last night whilst huffing and puffing through the streets of Pointe-Claire on my evening run I crossed paths with a large, lumbering raccoon. We scared the bejeebers out of one another. The raccoon scrambled up a telephone pole and I nearly ran into a parked car.

You wouldn't know it from cruising the streets, but the island of Montreal is teeming with wildlife (and I'm not referring to Crescent Street on a Friday night). Raccoons are among many of highly adaptable urban creatures that inhabit our neighbourhoods. They share their territory with ground-hogs, squirrels, muskrats and, your favourite and mine, the skunk. There are also foxes, bats, rats and an abundance of field mice. You may be surprised to learn that the western part of the island is also home to brown snakes, a large herd of deer, a small group of coyotes and an industrious collection of beavers. Not to mention a wide variety of birds beyond the lowly sparrows, pigeons and grackles.

It's easy to forget, or even become arrogant about our place in nature. Most of the time, with the exception of a few fearless creatures, we don't experience the complexity of life around us. Sure there are pests like mosquitoes, flies, wasps, roaches and the aforementioned mice and rats, but these are but a tiny (and irritating) part of nature.

It seems only a few years ago that I learned that we share close quarters with hummingbirds. If you hang a feeder they'll appear seemingly out of nowhere. One night last summer, I was amazed to see fireflies buzzing around my suburban back yard. When I was working in the city I was equally astounded to see hawks circling above. The birds of prey were brought in to control the pigeon population. It turns out that skyscrapers make a rather nice substitute for cliffs and are now thriving in a very unnatural setting.

We often debate the importance of protecting the environment, but we don't often consider just how closely we are connected to it. I suspect if we spent an evening in our backyards sporting night vision goggles we might get a better appreciation of those mysterious paw prints.

Recently the city of Montreal acquired some land on the West Island, specifically in the area of l'Anse-à-l'Orme, to designate as a protected green zone. It was only in reading the news story that I learned about the huge variety of plants and animals that exist in our city's back yard. I always assumed the only creatures left on the island were the ones that adapted well to human civilization were the only ones hanging around the island, the rest headed for the hills long-long ago.

It made me think that perhaps the one message we don't hear enough with regards to the state of the environment is that it's not too late. Yes there are problems, and yes there are endangered creatures, but there is also hope. Nature, it seems, is a bit more durable than we thought. That is not to say we can continue to ignore the problems or postpone our actions to a time when we are faced with a serious crisis.

The populations of some of the rare creatures I mentioned are not growing, they are threatened. The good news is that they're still around, living in a sustainable ecosystem and, with some diligence on our part, will continue to do so for many years. The better news is that we can coexist with these creatures, in many ways almost completely oblivious of one another.

We don't get a lot of do-overs when it comes to our environment, but it seems as if nature is a bit more forgiving that we deserve, and more importantly, a lot closer than we think.

The Valiant Return of The Friday Time Waster Supreme

Iiiiit's back. Ya, I took a little time off to finish classes, play in a golf tournament and partake in a variety of other similarly important self-serving activities. So now I feel I must give back to you my dedicated and patient readers ...by wasting your valuable time. Read on, McDuffs.

***

So it looks like Federal Auditor-General Sheila Fraser will get to sift through the dirty underpants of our MP's finances after all. Lucky girl. The issue has been on high boil in Ottawa for the last couple of weeks. Which we now know is exactly how long it takes to shred massive amounts of documents and produce as second set of books. In case you were wondering.

***

BP's chief executive Tony Hayward got grilled on the hill in Washington yesterday. Among the many angry questions was one that asked how much the CEO knew about the technical aspects involved in the drilling of the Gulf deep sea well. As if he would know. How much does the CEO of GM know about installing a CD player in a Malibu? If there is one constant in the universe it is politicians playing up a situation to give the appearance of moral superiority. I wonder how many of these weasels got elected with the help of big oil money or related industries? People are climbing over one another trying to find somebody who is culpable in this situation. Truth is, there are a lot of guilty parties here, and this ain't the only off shore oil well in the world. How about we just fix this mess and stop wasting time pointing fingers?

***

I get the business of professional sports. I understand the concept of free agency, offer sheets, salary caps and arbitration. But it still hurts to lose a star player who captured our hearts. That's all I have to say about that.

***

Toronto Mayor David Miller is honked at the U.S. State Department for issuing a warning to American citizens advising them to avoid travelling to the Big Smoke during the upcoming G20 summit. The travel warning cites previous G20 summits where peaceful protests turned violent. The Mayor thinks the city is being treated unfairly noting that that the summit is taking place in only a small portion of the city and should not affect security in other areas.

Oh boy, Richmond Hill here I come.

***

The quote of the week goes to my favourite, Craig Ferguson: "In the U.S., soccer's popularity ranges somewhere between Jon Gosselin and people that give out raisins on Halloween."

Enjoy the sun.

Skools Out

Come to Quebec and get yourself a good edumacation.

Becawse rite hear in la bell Province our governanement is completely on the side of awl parents seeking to provide there chilldren wif the best education the governmant thinks they are entittled too. Yoo don't even have to worrry about wat language they speek at home, or anywhere else for thatt matter, our politisians will decide for you, no need to think.

And dont worry aboot overcrowdded classrooms, cus the governanenment is working day and nite to discoorage everyone fromm attending public school by creating legislashon that will drive all the rich kids into privaat schools and eveyone else out of the province.

Yess, oor governanenenment is competelely focussed on creating new rools for educashun in Quebec to satisffy the harshest and most revered of all critics: the lawyers and the radicalls. So we mustn't bother them with poles that indacate the vast majorrity of parrants in the province want to have a choyce when it comes to the langwage of instrucshion for there children.

Oh, silly parrants. Like thay have any idea aboot what is besst for their kids. Donn't thay know thaat the governamenanement has the best interest of all citizzens in mind when thay ban the rite to choose? It's for there own good. Besides who bettter to plan the future of oor children thann overpaid, overpensioned politishuns who send there kids abroad to get theire educashun in ivy leegue private scools?

So stop whinning all yoo parrents who think the system is unfair, restrictive and completely incompatible with your needs and desires for your child's education. The government's job is not to protect your rights or to spend your tax dollars on an educational system to serve its population. The government's job is to stay elected.

I'm justt happie I got thru my edumucation befour all this ruckkus started.

Get Out of Your Way

I recently posted one of the best golf scores in 17 years of playing the game. No, I am not blogging (or bragging) about the game, but rather about something I discovered as it was happening.

It's a funny thing how our minds work. We don't intentionally seek out complexity, but we often find ourselves mired in it. We tend to over-think and over-analyze things that should be straight-forward and obvious. There are times when we fumble the simplest and most basic of tasks. Things that we do every day, but for whatever reason, at any given moment, are handled with the physical and mental aplomb of the Three Stooges.

Get back to the basics.

We've often heard professional athletes and coaches reference this phrase. Simplify. Do the little things right. Not only is this notion cliché it is also exceedingly difficult to perform on command.

One of the most common and curious iterations of this concept is the suggestion that the key to success is for the athlete to get out of her or his own way. I've always found that particular expression both profound and confusing.

The idea that the limit to our successes comes from within is a powerful one, but how exactly does one get in one's own way?

During my recent experience on the golf course, I was of two minds. On the one hand I felt confidence in my abilities, while at the same time I had no expectations of the outcome. I was able to plan, visualize and execute shots, but could not explain how I was able to do so. The best description of the experience was an overall sense of calm.

In the days that followed I found myself already resigned to the fact that duplicating this performance was likely impossible, and that's when the light bulb flickered to life.

There are times in our lives we find ourselves ensnared either by self-doubt or our ego. In the one hand we don't allow ourselves to believe we are capable of extraordinary things while on the other hand we think our gifts, talents and hard work deserve just reward. How often do we write off the potential for success by assuming we are not good enough? How often do we squander success because we think we ought to be getting something better?

When we extract those two notions from our thought processes we eliminate two significant obstacles to success. I other words, we get out of our own way.

Of course, there is no accounting for life's good bounces and lucky breaks, sometimes we get them, sometimes we don't. There is much about life that is beyond our control, but once again, how we respond to these things depends largely on our mindset. If viewed through the eyes of self-doubt or our egos, it is easy to trap ourselves by thinking that bad breaks only happen to us, or the lucky breaks are somehow deserved. In truth, neither is the case.

Changing our mindset is not easy. As beings who are extraordinarily self-aware, discarding the propensity for self-analysis goes against our nature. We are constantly measuring ourselves against others and often against our own previous successes or failures. There is no off switch for this, nonetheless, it is an eye opener.

In some ways its a bit like managing expectations, but in a much different way. It's not about high or low expectations, I think its about having none at all.

We seldom let life happen to us. We always feel the need to intervene, to measure, to analyse and to take ownership. If we could just let go of our need to reshape life to suit ourselves and experience life as it comes, good or bad, who knows what we might discover.

Maybe ourselves.

The Crude Truth

'Don't trust anyone over thirty' suggested student activist Jack Weinberg at the height of Free Speech movement in the late sixties.

It was a time when a ponderous chasm had opened up between young and old generations triggered in part by the Vietnam war, racial discrimination, sexual discrimination and of course the huge bump in the demographics of western society called the baby boomers. Regardless of the reason, it was a time when change was no longer a matter of sober discussion and cautious debate. The need for change exploded into popular culture, smashing through barriers and resulting in frequent, and at times violent confrontation.

Weinberg's oft quoted line was not a rallying cry for this change, but rather a stark indication of the disconnect between the two sides.

If I were to revise the phrase to fit modern times, it would probably go like 'Don't trust anyone running a full page ad in the newspaper.' Okay, it's not as catchy, but you get the idea.

Earlier this week, a full page ad appeared in the local paper extolling the merits of the current methodology used to extract crude from the oil sands in Alberta. The oil sands people are trying to convince us that by using steam to separate the oil from the sand they have significantly reduced their use of toxic chemicals and also reduced their green-house gas emissions. As is often the case when it comes to discussing this particular facet of the oil extraction business, no mention is made of the massive pools of toxic liquid the industry contributes to daily given the somewhat benign name of tailing ponds.

The ad, one presumes, is something of an attempt to spin the positive benefits of oil sands production over less environmentally-friendly oil extraction methods, like, say, deep sea drilling. I suspect the larger goal is a paid rebuttal of sorts for the oil industry in general.

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has put the industry in full damage control. Of course their primary concern is not the environment, as we are discovering in shocking detail with each passing day, it is PR. The veneer of the oil business is dissolving into a giant black glob of goo that is not going to go away anytime soon. The presumption that the industry and government had strict rules in place to protect against such a disaster has also vanished and we are left to wonder how it got to be this way.

It's easy and convenient for politicians and industry leaders to point fingers at BP, but most of the world knows much better. I guarantee that every oil executive in the world goes to bed at night praying the same thing doesn't happen to their company, as well as thanking whichever deity they worship that it wasn't theirs in the first place.

What is happening right now in the Gulf is fast becoming the most appalling environmental disaster in history. It may also result in one of the most significant shifts in our attitudes towards energy and the environment.

For over a century we have been told, and tacitly accepted, that the most convenient and affordable method for producing energy came from the burning of fossil fuels. We heat our homes with oil, the vast majority of transportation relies on oil, virtually every industry that produces anything requires oil.

So is there is no real alternative to oil? We know we can produce vast amounts of energy using hydro electricity. We know that there are bio fuels that have been developed and refined for commercial consumption. Solar, wind power and even wave power are all successful and/or promising technologies with the right investment.

The real question is not about the existence of alternatives, but rather why are we, as consumers, not demanding them? Tesla, an automaker in the United States, has built a battery powered sedan that can travel up to 480 kilometres on a single charge. General Motors much anticipated Volt will travel only 64 kilometres on a charge before (wait for it) a gasoline powered generator kicks in.

When it comes to making positive change for the environment, we will have to recognize that the chasm between the two sides is as deep as it was during the Free Speech era of the late 60's. Make no mistake, it is about power, but not the kind that runs your car. Oil companies have an unprecedented grip on our economy, major corporations and politicians ...and they will fight dirty.

As the filthy crude spews into the pristine waters of the Gulf of Mexico ask yourself, who do you trust? The people who can afford to buy full page ads to spin their position, or the ones who say the time has come to change.

Greetings From Busyville

Yeah, I know, haven't blogged in a while. Free time is vanishing like nuts at a squirrel convention...ahem...so is my wit.

I am nearing the end of the radio broadcasting course, which has been an absolutely amazing experience. It took up a lot of my time, and I found running between work and evening courses a bit exhausting. Nonetheless, I learned a ton and am excited to see where this may take me in the future.

We visited CJAD/Virgin Radio/CHOM studios tonight and my head is still in the clouds. There are a myriad of creative adjectives and comparative phrases I could compose to describe the experience, but in my exuberance the best I can up with is 'cool'. My thanks to our host and tour guide Mark Bergman who seemed more than willing to answer my dumb-ass questions. Of course, I cannot forget 'media legend' Robert Vairo for leading me on this journey. I'm hoping to convince him to write a book about the history of radio in Montreal, his stories are the best.

For those of you keeping score at home, I am still working on my health-overhaul. Thus far I've lost close to 25 pounds and am feeling terrific. I am eating better and exercising regularly. There are some milestones yet to be reached, but I am encouraged by the progress. Yes, I'm probably crazy trying to do this in the middle of night classes, a busy work schedule and various other things I have on the go. I guess I learned that there is no such thing as a perfect time to make a change.

Well, enough about me.

Go Hawks, Go.