I'm not a big philosopher and I don't particularly spend much time dwelling on the past when it comes to anything because I figure what's done is done; but this week's airplane crash in Russia that wiped out an entire professional hockey team as well as this being the 10th anniversary (I don't like using that word because I always think of an anniversary as being a good thing) of the September 11th terrorist attacks, I can't help but be a bit reflective to ponder a few things.
My family has five people (myself, my wife, and three children) and each morning we say our good-byes and go our separate ways. Each night, it's taken for granted when we all end up back in the same place we started our day. Yet, that in itself is a pretty remarkable miracle.
I wonder if I had a relative die in the New York City incidents ten years ago if I would feel any better today than I did in 2001? I'm betting I wouldn't. Just because time passes, it doesn't mean you wish any less that your loved one is with you. You just get more used to not having him/her/them. We also have to remember that the 2,900 people that died all had family and friends that loved them. Often when we talk in numbers, it's easy to shrug off the fact these are actual individuals.
It's probably silly to get sentimental every single morning when you kiss your family good-bye for the day; but I think the world would be a much better place if we all tried to make sure we don't go to bed angry.
A wise man once said 'Do what makes you happy. The rest is just background noise.' I don't know why, but that quote has stuck with me and I've thought about it a lot this week. If you are not happy, then what are you? Sometimes, I suppose, we need bad days to better understand what makes us happy. I just wonder, as a society, are we smart enough to pay attention?
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are 2-and-0 under 'new' head coach Ken Miller. This is, somewhat, disconcerting to me because I wonder if the players were unprofessional enough that they purposely sewered the team to ensure a change was made at the coaching level. Or, was Greg Marshall's coaching so bad that simply removing him and re-installing Miller makes that big a difference? Either way, it's an incredible turnaround so far.
I spent five days in Atlanta earlier this month to take in a Major League Baseball game, a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, and a couple of NASCAR races. The main NASCAR race on Sunday was rained out; but I saw enough to come to a few conclusions when it comes to sports and how they can better interact with the fan base. When going to a race, fans can rent a scanner that allows them to tap into the conversations between the driver and his crew. Wouldn't it be nice if fans could do the same in a hockey game? Wouldn't you like to hear what a coach says to his players on the bench or in the dressing room? Football would be incredible. You've got all those different co-ordinators coaching their respective groups. It would be tremendously enlightening.
Fans also can acquire pit passes that allows them to walk amongst the pit crew just a few hours before race time. Can you imagine a fan being allowed to walk past an NHL team's dressing room at four o'clock when game time is slated for seven? I honestly don't think this is a big deal. What is there to hide? And, is it really that distracting? I mean if an NHL star can't get ready for a hockey game and take the time to say a quick 'hello' to a few hundred fans then what kind of a professional are you? Roy Halladay, for example, won't even talk to the media a full day before he's schedule to pitch! Grow up.
In short, I'm not a big NASCAR fan, but the rest of the major sports could sure learn a lot from how they package their product. If I'm sitting in a seat at a live event, I better get something that the person sitting at home on the couch doesn't get. At the moment, the guy on the couch gets a much better experience. The one that really fries me are replays. The Braves game at a real close play at second base that ended up being controversial. I got to see it once with the naked eye. No replay. How many times do you think they showed it on tv?
Nice person mentions this week to Justin Yawney, Scott Keith, Mike Cardinal, Kirk Weinmaster, and Jody Bartel.
