The Best of Sport

Darren Paterson, Sports Editor
ife is fine and so am I, and with
that in mind I’d like to take some

ks time to explain to you just why I
love sports so much.

I love sports because they help us to
build our dreams and then vicariously live
them out through other people. They pro-
vide positive life messages and proof that
we can be successful, messages that are
often hard to find in other areas of our
lives. But why don’t I take some time to
break these points down a little bit.

Firstly, sports help us build dreams.
They create clear goals and clear prizes,
such as winning the game and receiving
the trophy, and year after year we are pro-
vided with proof that these goals and
prizes can be achieved. With the excep-
tion of this year’s NHL, we always get to

see a success story in every sports league
around the world. There is always visible

proof that it is possible to achieve your
goals and defeat all the things in your way
to win your prize.

Secondly, if you find that you keep los-
ing in life and that you’re not getting the
success that you need to stay positive, you
can take a little time to watch some sports
and attach yourself to the successes of
your favourite team. But here’s my
favourite part, there are no laws regarding
the picking of your favourite team. So do
what I do and change your favourite so
that you always pick the winner. In last
year’s NBA championships the Lakers
were my favourites, but then the Pistons
won the championship. Now this could
have been a disaster if the Pistons weren’t
my favourite team. But since they were, I
suddenly felt like I was a part of their suc-
cess.

Thirdly, sports provide positive life
messages like the idea that underdogs can
beat the odds to succeed. Oftentimes, I'll
be sitting at my desk, trying to think about
how the hell I can pass my English course
on the strength of my last take-home
essay, and just when I start believe that it
isn’t possible I think to myself, “wait a
Darren. If the Carolina
Hurricanes can make it to the Stanley Cup
finals, then you can sure as hell ace this
essay and pass your course.” And then,
with my enthusiasm rejuvenated, I have
the confidence to buckle down and write
a kick-ass essay.

minute,

And lastly, these are messages that are

Snappin the Funk

Vancouver Giants review

Travis Paterson, OP Contributor

 

22 |

www.theotherpress.ca

“Keep on playing a simple game, keep
taking the body, and we'll be fine.” These
were the words of hard-working forward
Cam Cunning during the post-game
interview after the Giants 2—1 win over
the Tri-City Americans on Feb 23.
Cunning was sporting the Giants’ hard-
hat, a fitting garment, considering the
crosscheck he received to his head.

The G-men held tight defensively
most of the night, holding the Americans
to 18 shots. The undrafted Mitch Bartley
of Maple Ridge tallied the winner for his
27th of the year, and the Giants can now
shake the sour taste of early February.

The Morning After

When the G-men suffered their 3-0 loss
to the Red Deer Rebels on Feb 16, coach
Don Hay ran a porno practice (no rub-
ber) at the break of dawn to remind the
team that he’d won the Memorial Cup

always there for us to turn to. So that no
matter how many times you get fired, no
matter how many times you fail, no mat-
ter how many times she leaves me, you
can always turn to sports to see that it is

while they haven’t. They were losing their
grip on third spot in the BC Division,
with the Kamloops Blazers chasing, and
the wake-up call seemed to do the trick,
as did a full team recovery from the flu.
The Giants came to by blasting the
Blazers in both games of a weekend
home-at-home series. The scores were
6-2 and 4-0.

Gilbert Brule led the way on Friday
with four goals and followed up with two
points on Saturday to climb back into 4th
spot in WHL scoring. Brule is 13 points
back of scoring leader Eric Fehr, and the
difference in points is shadowed by
Brule’s 144 penalty minutes that put the
rugged winger 20th in the list of undisci-
plined players.

Canuckle Talks of Hustle
Two-time Memorial Cup winner Trevor
Linden was back at the Pacific Coliseum,

possible to succeed. And for that I am
thankful because it is truly the best of

what sports have to offer.

 

this time skating with the Giants. Able to
offer advice to the young players looking
to carve out professional-hockey careers,
the presence of a WHL champion and
NHL veteran should prove motivational
as the Giants enter the home-stretch of
the season.

It’s a fine time to peak, since the G-
men are hosting four of their last nine
regular-season games at home. Be sure to
follow the streaking Giants starting with

a weekend home stand March 4—5 versus
the Portland Winterhawks and Kelowna
Rockets, as the thrilling Giants-Rockets
rivalry continues.

March 2/2005