There is a saying that athletes die twice. Once in retirement and the other time just as we all do. Patrick Willis rejected that idea when he announced his retirement from football at the relatively young age of 30. “Retired doesn’t mean you’re dying, it means you’re putting something to[Read More…]
Behind the Bench
Behind the bench: Mourinho, soccer’s witch doctor
Henry Winter of the Daily Telegraph once said, “When [José] Mourinho walks into a press conference, he makes Machiavelli look like an innocent schoolboy.” It’s a hyperbole, but it’s not untrue. Over the course of his illustrious career, Mourinho—the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’—has turned every team that he has coached into[Read More…]
Behind the bench: Nothing but Nets
As long as I have been watching the NBA, I have been a New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets fan. Yes, those Nets. The team that has had a cumulative .447 winning percentage since the 2003-2004 season, the year I started following them. However, this is also the franchise that was purchased by[Read More…]
Behind the bench : Just like they drew it up
In Super Bowl XLIX, when Russell Wilson’s pass was tipped by Malcolm Butler and somehow corralled by Jermaine Kearse—after Kearse had been knocked down and left squirming on the turf—it seemed too impossible to actually be happening. Sure, there was the difficulty of the catch itself, but that was only[Read More…]
Behind the bench: Canadian uprising
Although Canada is known for producing hockey players and winter sport athletes, it may come as a surprise to some that the great white North is responsible for producing some extraordinary NBA talent in recent years. This influx of Canadian talent stems firstly from the influx of young Canadian basketball[Read More…]
Behind the Bench: Winter ‘not so’ classic
As Troy Brouwer scored the game-winning goal with 13 seconds remaining in regulation, one could almost forget that the NHL’s annual Winter Classic was struggling to maintain its popularity among fans. This year’s game, an outdoor tilt between the Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks, may have been the most[Read More…]
Behind the Bench: The art of commentary
Good sports commentary is hard to come by nowadays. On occasion we hear balanced, interesting analysis, but most of the time it feels like we’re being drowned in a sea of ads, stats, and clichés.
Behind the Bench: Happy days in the NBA
The fabric of a league rarely differs all that much on opening night from what it was the year before.
Behind the Bench: Narrative from nothing
When the Ottawa Senators appointed their superstar forward Jason Spezza captain one year ago, the response from the media was immediately critical.
Behind the bench: The end of the enforcer
For the first time in 43 years, the Philadelphia Flyers’ opening-day roster did not include an enforcer.
