Random Thoughts, Part 12 (Turin)
Dec. 7th, 2005 08:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
la_samtyrSo, you can probably guess where this is going. Stevie Y. officially withdrew his name from Team Canada. I'm not exactly surprised and in some ways I'm glad he did it. His international career will now end w/Olympic gold -- it's hard to see how he could top that. It's obvious that "The Announcement" won't be far behind. Just how long is anybody's guess though. (Unless he has announced something within the last 2 hours or so, in which case I've missed it.) I was so happy about his goal last night. I've wondered if making the decision not to compete in Turin took enough pressure off so that he could relax and score. Possibly so. He's a class act and one of the very few players in any sport that I find I can respect.
Then on the other hand you have Mario. While it's possible that he *did* genuinely have 'chest pains' or whatever, I must shamefully confess that I am more than a little bit suspicious of the timing. He's been making noises about not going for a while now, and not-too-subtly hinting that he's like StK to take his place. So now it looks as if he and Gretz will *definately* be having a "little chat." Oh, I would love to be a fly on the wall for that! Otoh, Mario being a HOF'er, I can't really say too much. He did win 2 Cups and if he had stayed *healthy*, it is possible that he would have given Gretz a closer run for the record book. At least, that is the agrument of some of the game's statisticians. (To me, there are three kinds of deception: lies, damned lies and statistics.) But I feel like he's trying to sneak out, to let his doctors make the call for him while Stevie was upfront about it. (Though gods know Stevie could have played the doctor/hospital card himself. But he *didn't*.)
Stevie is game to the bone. My favorite sports film quote is from 'Chariots Of Fire': "You can't put in what God left out." If that doesn't describe Stevie, I don't know what does.
LJ needs an icon for "reflective."
Then on the other hand you have Mario. While it's possible that he *did* genuinely have 'chest pains' or whatever, I must shamefully confess that I am more than a little bit suspicious of the timing. He's been making noises about not going for a while now, and not-too-subtly hinting that he's like StK to take his place. So now it looks as if he and Gretz will *definately* be having a "little chat." Oh, I would love to be a fly on the wall for that! Otoh, Mario being a HOF'er, I can't really say too much. He did win 2 Cups and if he had stayed *healthy*, it is possible that he would have given Gretz a closer run for the record book. At least, that is the agrument of some of the game's statisticians. (To me, there are three kinds of deception: lies, damned lies and statistics.) But I feel like he's trying to sneak out, to let his doctors make the call for him while Stevie was upfront about it. (Though gods know Stevie could have played the doctor/hospital card himself. But he *didn't*.)
Stevie is game to the bone. My favorite sports film quote is from 'Chariots Of Fire': "You can't put in what God left out." If that doesn't describe Stevie, I don't know what does.
LJ needs an icon for "reflective."
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