Chuck Daly Passes Away At Age 78

May 9th, 2009

chuck_dalyIt is a sad day for basketball players, fans and the general population of Detroit, Michigan.

NBA Hall of Fame coach, Charles Jerome Daly (aka: Chuck Daly) died this morning, at his Jupiter, Florida home with his family by his side.   Daly had been battling pancreatic cancer, but succumb to the disease on the morning of May 9th, 2009.

I was never a fan of the Detroit Pistons, but when coach Chuck Daly took over the captains seat, I had to respect his abilities as a coach. The "Bad Boy" Pistons that Daly created weren’t nice, but they got the job done, winning 2 NBA Championships, back to back in 1989 and 1990.  Daly was able to do what other coaches were not and that was bring out the best in a team that had a small, but very point-guard (Isiah Thomas) as their main star.  Chuck Daly also lead the first "Dream Team" to Olympic Gold in 1992. Daly moved to several NBA franchise teams, but enjoyed most of his success with the Detroit Pistons and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994.  Daly is ranked ninth in playoff victories (75), 10th in post-season winning percentage (.595) and in 1996, to mark the NBA’s 50th season, he was named one of the NBA’s Top 10 coaches in history.

Coach Daly will be missed by players, coaches, general managers, owners and fans of the National Basketball Association and basketball worldwide.

Condolences to the Daly family and friends. Daly is survived by his wife, Terry; daughter Cydney and two grandchildren.

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Pound-for-Pound Pacquiao KO’s Hatton

May 3rd, 2009

manny pacquiao vs ricky hatton

One of the many "rights" Manny Pacquiao delivered to the face of Ricky Hatton on May 2, 2009.  Manny Pacquiao was the favorite in this light welter-weight fight since he dismantled Oscar De-La Hoya in a previous bout.  Pacquiao has certainly become a ring tactician, with speed, power and overall ring generalship and control of his opponents.  But not many expected to see, tough chinned, England’s poster-boy, Ricky Hatton.  Manny’s hall of fame trainer, Freddy Roach knew something that others didn’t, when he called the fight to be over by knockout, in 3 rounds.  Roach was wrong… it ended viciously in two.  Pacquiao’s  hand speed, footwork, precision and power, amongst other things, were way too much for the chin-first style that Hatton served up.  After taking severe punishment in round 1 and with 8 seconds remaining in round 2, Manny Pacquiao launched a short left hook that sent Ricky Hatton to dreamland.  Hatton was unconscious before his body hit the ground and his head hit the mat.  Thankfully, no serious injuries occurred for Hatton,

From the time I saw little Manny Pacquiao take out Marco Antonio Barrera, not once, but twice, he became one of my favorite light-weight boxers.  Barrera was my former favorite but the way Manny handled him, let me know it was time to retire Barrera and move on to Manny.  Not only is Manny Pacquiao a great fighter, his ability to stay humble and grounded is very impressive.  I’ve never been a fan of all the trash talking, so to see a guy like Manny, who takes the sport of boxing seriously and like a job, I can only admire him and hope that other boxers and people in general, save the trash-talking and chest-thumping and show it in their performances, whatever it may be.

Congratulations and thanks to Manny Pacquiao for providing such a great fight and a dominating performance.  With the chatter of Floyd Mayweather Jr. coming out of retirement, Mayweather vs Pacquiao is a fight that everyone will be waiting to see and although Floyd is fast, Manny Pacquiao will win that fight. (Yes I said it!)

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It’s The Flu – You Swine!

April 30th, 2009

swine-flu The recent outbreak of the Swine Flu does have serious implications if things are not handled properly, but the barrage of media attention it’s getting is driving people into a panic.  As serious as the Swine Flu can become, I don’t think people realize that over 200,000 people get the flu virus every year and 36,000 die from it.  Those are pretty hefty numbers when compared to the Swine Flu in its infancy as it is right now.  Yes, we need to stay on top of it and be prepared, but the daily barrage of fear being thrown out by the media is driving some people insane.

The one good thing that all the Swine Flu press is doing however, is reminding people about some important things that have been long forgotten.

  • Wash your hands often… with soap!
  • If you’re sick, stay home. Employers cannot continue to put fear into employees that stay home sick from work. It’s an endless cycle of germ spreading and how productive do you think things will be when all of your employees are in the hospital?
  • Have concern for your fellow human.  When I’m sick, I try to isolate myself from everyone, because I don’t want them to go through what I’m going through.  It’s temporary so we just have to grin and bear it.

Point one above is really key. I can’t say how many times I’ve seen guys use the restroom and walk out with even looking at the sinks.   Truly nasty, but now we know why the fist-bump was created.  In all seriousness, don’t let this media hype overwhelm you. Just stay alert, informed and keep things clean and healthy.

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The 100 Days Overkill of President Obama

April 30th, 2009

http://www.deconstructingthenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/obama-100-days.jpg

April 29th has been a hell of a day, with every news network killing themselves with the 100 day milestone of President Obama.  Don’t get me wrong, I like Barack Obama and what he stands for, but I do not recall all these daily milestones for any other president, but I guess things in our society have become so "instant" that we have become addicted to constant updates, with Twitter, Myspace, Facebook and every other social network and tracking platform on the web.  I think people are beginning to tire of all the media over-saturation with him and the markers… Even the President himself ranted on about "the 100 days and the next 100 days" in his address tonight.  There’s nothing wrong with analyzing what the President has done and is doing, but people should be able to form their own opinions based on what has been reported and known of his actions.

Overall, with all of the positive and negative press, President Obama receives on television, online, print and radio, I think he has done an exceptional job.  And my main reason for saying this is because he has shown the American people and the rest of the world, that a US President is human being, just like them.  He shows compassion and understanding and chooses to listen, before speaking.  I really give him a great deal of credit for his re-shaping of perception of Americans.  Being a Canadian, I grew up hearing and seeing that American people could be some arrogant and cocky individuals, but I let a lot of that slide, because the arena was sports related and they were 9 times out of 10, better than we were in every way.  As I got older, I started to see that these attitudes were not only related to sports but many other areas, where America didn’t have the upper hand that they did with sports.  Barack Obama is showing Americans that things can be achieved with out beating your chest and saying how great you are.  Everyone that hasn’t been living under a rock knows that America is a "super-power" when it comes to world affairs and if you don’t know, just take a look at who everyone looks to for help when their country is in crisis. 

The public just needs to realize that Barack Obama is a man, not a miracle working.  He is not going to be able to change the way that politicians operate overnight or even in his first term as President.  The old ways of reciprocal back-scratching to get things done is going to be a hard system to break and with far right Conservatives offering criticism rather than solutions, they are only making things more difficult in the long run.

Continued success, President Obama, don’t let anyone change your sense of responsibility to your fellow man.  If you’ve made a mistake, own up to it like you’ve done in the past.  No one expects you to be perfect, but we are all appreciating your honesty.

See you in the next 100 days or so!

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Rock For FoodShare with The Boss!

April 29th, 2009

Bruce Springsteen Rock For FoodShare

An old school friend, Robyn, brought the cause FoodShare Toronto to my attention.   There are many causes all over the world, but to help others, I think you first have to have a strong foundation and that starts with making sure all local people especially children have the opportunity to receive healthy food.  FoodShare has teamed up with Bruce Springsteen aka: The Boss to offer an online auction for great tickets to his concert in Toronto on May 7, 2009, a backstage meet and greet and a matching contribution of up to $50,000, by Bruce Springsteen himself.

So if you’re a big Springsteen fan or you just want to help a good cause, put in a bid and you might just get the opportunity of a lifetime! Either way, share this your friend, family and colleagues and give others in need a chance to eat good, healthy food and wipe out hunger.

Thank You.

FoodShare Toronto: A non-profit community organization whose vision is Good Healthy Food for All. We empower individuals, families and communities through food-based initiatives, working "from field to table", meaning that we focus on the entire system that puts food on our tables: from the growing, processing and distribution of food to its purchasing, cooking and consumption. FoodShare facilitates empowerment and community development from the ground up, cultivating awareness, building citizenship and enhancing individual and community participation, all the while striving to improve access to good healthy food. We take a multifaceted, innovative, and long-term approach to hunger and food issues.

FoodShare Toronto is Canada’s largest food security organization, recognized as an important innovator of effective programs that have been reproduced all across Canada.

We reach over 100,000 children and adults a month through subsidized fresh produce distribution, student nutrition programs, community gardening and cooking, classroom curriculum support, homemade baby food workshops and youth internships.

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