Sports

 

 

Sports Terms for Dummies

Stephaffie Smith, OP Sports Guru

Da week while watching a
baseball game on TV someone asked
me where the term and idea of the 7th
inning stretch came from. All I could
tell them at the time was that it’s a
chance for the players to get a short rest,
the fans to stretch their legs (hence the
stretch part) and for them to get snacks
and use the facilities. I didn’t know the
exact history of it though, so I looked
it up.

There are actually many stories about
the origins of the seventh-inning stretch.
One tale claims that it began on account
of US President William Howard Taft.
He was supposedly in attendance at a
game between the Washington Senators
and the Philadelphia Athletics on April
14, 1910. He was uncomfortable in
his seat and by the middle of the 7"
he could no longer stand it and stood
up. According to the story, the crowd
mistook his action and believed he
was going to leave and so they, out of
respect, stood up as well. However,
minutes later, after stretching his legs,
Taft sat back down, as did the crowd.
This tale is more than likely false
as there is evidence of the practise
occurring as early as 1869.

Another story of the origin of the
seventh inning stretch is the story of
Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C., the
man credited with bringing baseball to
Manhattan College in the late 1800s.
Supposedly on one hot day in 1882
during the seventh inning against a
semi-professional team called the
Metropolitans, Jasper began to notice
his students becoming antsy. TO loosen
them up he called a time out in the game
and ordered everyone in attendance
to stand up and stretch. It worked so
well he began calling for this seventh
inning rest period at every game. The
Manhattan College custom spread to the
major leagues after the New York Giants
were charmed by it at an exhibition
game. The rest, as they say, is history.
The seventh inning stretch was not a
formal practice in professional baseball
however until the 1920s.

But like many myths, it is difficult
to state any one origin. A letter written
by Harry Wright of the Cincinnati
Red Stockings dated 1869—13 years
earlier than Brother Jasper’s time out—
documented something eerily similar to
the seventh inning stretch. In the letter
he made the following observation
about the crowd’s behaviour: “The

 

spectators all arise between halves of
the seventh inning, extend their legs
and arms and sometimes walk about. In

so doing they enjoy the relief afforded
by relaxation from a long posture upon
hard benches.”

 

 

S o the season has come and gone.
After a whirlwind finish the Canucks
captured the Division title and made the
Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. They

10

were to play the Dallas Stars; a team
that was incredibly even matched in

every way. The first game was a glimpse

into how the remainder of the series
would go. Roberto Luongo, playing in

Canucks Corner

Stephanie Smith, OP Sports Editor

his first ever post-season game managed
to hold on to a tie for the better part of
what seemed like 4 days rather than 4
periods of overtime. After facing 76
shots on goal, he pulled off the win.
The series went back and forth
with both goaltenders posting goals
against averages of less than 1.5 and
save percentages of about .950. A low
scoring series, and one that Vancouver
was supposed to lose, it all came down
to game 7. A fast paced home game for
the Canucks that the crowd could not
get enough of. The Canucks pulled off a
4-1 win and moved on to play the fully
loaded, fast-paced Anaheim Ducks.
Unfortunately this was the only
glory that the Canucks would see. The
Ducks were too much for Vancouver
to handle and they only managed to
pull one win out of the hat. There were
many factors that lead to the loss. The
most obvious being the abysmal power
play that the Canucks showed up with.
Not even 10 power play goals the
entire 2 series. Alongside the power
play problems there were disciplinary
problems too. The Canucks took a lot of
penalties at very inopportune moments,
which was essentially their downfall.

So, what happens now? The Canucks
are a good team, and one that won’t
need to make too many changes in the
off season. They did manage to work
out a deal with Ryan Kesler; a deal
which would see him remain a Canuck
for a further 3 years and for 5.25 million
dollars.

The only thing that really needs to
be done for this team is to secure decent
line mates for Captain Markus Naslund.
A lot of negative comments were
thrown Naslund’s way this season, and
it wasn’t all warranted in my opinion.
It’s tough for any player, even an elite
one such as Nazzy, to play consistently
and play well when your line mates
change every game and range from
players like Brendan Morrison to Brad
Moran.

Although it’s sad to think that after
a season such as this there will be no
glory, it’s not all bad. A lot of the team
that made it that far are still under
contract, the coach will be back to lead
them on, and I am sure we will see
a better Markus Naslund in the next
season.