Beat the Opponent, Not the Fans

It’s hard to say that John Tortorella cost the Rangers their season - up to and including Game 4 of the first round he seemed to be the spark that ignited their late season run – but he made several errors during the last three games of the series. It was still up to the Capitals to claim the thin sliver of opportunity that they had been presented, which they did.

Early in the series, Tortorella seemed to focus on the officials and Sean Avery instead of New York’s outstanding play and Washington’s insecure goaltending situation. Whilst attempting to inspire his team late in Game 5, he pulled Henrik Lundqvist and it seemed to take the goalie another four periods to regain his form. Lastly, he lost his composure and chose to shine the spotlight on himself when he threw a water bottle into the stands and lunged at a spectator with a hockey stick. Consequently, he was not present to lead the team during the Game 7 (actually Game 6 which was held at Madison Square Gardens) because he was suspended.

Tortorella will always be a coach with negative characteristics that correspond to his positive traits. This year, his fiery personality proved to be a stark contrast to the cool and calculated demeanor of previous coach Tom Renney, inspiring the Blueshirts. Objectively, the encouragement of Bruce Boudreau better motivated the Caps, who won the final three games of the series and moved on to the next round.

16? Not Like That

In 2008-09, both the Toronto Raptors and the Montreal Canadiens experienced disappointment. Both teams began their seasons with high hopes, both fired head coaches during the campaign, and neither achieved playoff success. In addition to those superficial parallels, there are several significant similarities between the two. Each organization believed that they were a step away from championship contention when they actually had a much longer path to travel.

General Managers Bob Gainey and Bryan Colangelo both traded key players (goalie and point guard respectively) for younger and cheaper replacements. The new starters were not able to perform at the same level as their predecessors and the teams suffered. Gainey and Colanagelo felt that they had enough depth at those positions but they were wrong in their analysis.

Instead of acquiring top-shelf talent, the G.M.s settled for bit players (Alex Tanguay instead of Mats Sundin or Vincent Lecavalier; Will Solomon and Roko Ukic instead of an elite wing player). Neither sought the leadership that would improve the defensive intensity of each team.

After Sunday’s Game 1 win over the Utah, Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson wrote on the dressing room whiteboard: “15? Not Like That.” Jackson was referring to performance that was required to win fifteen more games and claim the Association title. A talented team - comprised of veteran players and respected leaders - knows enough to raise their games to the next level. Firstly, Gainey and Colangelo were carried away by previous success and didn’t create that type of team; secondly, their teams didn’t raise their games during the year.

The Green Bay Packers

Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer and Run to Daylight by Vince Lombardi helped popularize the sport novel - a famous author partnering with an athlete or coach to bring fans into the locker room - whereas Vince by Michael O’Brien is a regular biography that benefited from popularity of those other works. Lombardi’s report of a week during the regular season is the most succinct and provides the best coaching advise and Kramer’s account presents the viewpoint of a thoughtful player throughout a championship season. On the other hand, O’Brien’s cursory biography does not introduce any new information or anecdotes that are not available elsewhere. Three ideas stand out after reading these three books about the Packers’ dynasty in the 1960s.

Building Relationships: Vince Lomardi is much more sympathetic than his grizzled and hardened public image would suggest. After Paul Hornung was placed on waivers and claimed by the expansion New Orleans Saints, Lombardi showed immense regret, balancing his desire to make the right move for the team by exposing the aging running back with his feelings for the man. The coach led the toughest training camp in the N.F.L. but also insisted upon daily team building activities, some as basic as singing during team dinners.

Flexibility: One of Lombardi’s favourite expressions was “Run to Daylight,” signifying that the backs and receivers did not run set routes but took advantage of the opportunities presented by the defence. “Run to Daylight” could also serve as one of the integral tenet’s of basketball’s motion offence.

Perspective: Jerry Kramer, the Hall of Fame guard, spoke about how the team peaked for critical games and took minor setbacks in stride. Although the season was not divided into macrocycles, peak and taper periods were included. The team members shared a very balanced outlook and common goals. The veteran team employed chemistry, communication, intelligence, and teamwork to defeat younger, more athletic, and bolder teams.

Curling Faux-Pas

On Sunday evening, during the tenth end of the World Championship Final, Kevin Martin threw his first rock away. The match was tied 6-6 and Canada was lying one after David Murdoch’s first shot. Martin was worried about hitting the mess of rocks on the out-turn side of the house and wanted to maintain an in-turn draw for his last shot. Everyone knew Scotland was going to raise one of their rocks with their last shot. They did and Martin missed a double-takeout with his final stone.

Never hand the opponent anything; that’s what friendlies and pick-up games are for. In basketball, a point guard should never make an excessively risky play, such as a cross-court pass over three defenders, but they wouldn’t deliberately commit a shot-clock violation just to avoid taking a chance.

Martin should have guarded Scotland’s angle raise. Under pressure, he chose to through the game, and the championship away.

Tulpan

On Saturday evening, I screened the Kazak film Tulpan, which had received a favourable review in the Friday edition of The Globe and Mail. The compliments proved merited and the film was enjoyable, albeit occasionally tedious. That tedium is part of the routine of nomadic sheep herders which comprises the rhythm of the film. Tulpan, the title character, is the only young woman in a three yurt village. She is not shown on-screen, except for a brief moment as she peers through curtains in the yurt. Asa, the protagonist, is the young man snubbed because of his big ears. After his reverse dowry of ten sheep and a chandelier is refused, he struggles to move forward.

The film alternates between comedy and drama. It’s not a film like Borat which makes fun of the Kazak culture but one that portrays the absurdity of living an agrarian existence on the steppe while receiving European culture via the radio. Asa must decide whether to relocate to the city and marry a woman that he has never met or remain with the family that his supported him. He also endeavours to earn the respect of his brother-in-law so that he may be entrusted with additional responsibilities and privileges.

The film is thoughtful and sentimental. The audience begins to appreciate Asa, his aspirations, and the simple pleasures of his life. It’s a good - but not excellent - film which and makes for a pleasant - although not memorable - evening. Mild recommendation.

Hungry for More

Hunger - a film recreation of the hunger strike by I.R.A. leader, British M.P., and inmate of the Maze Prison in Belfast Bobby Sands - is mostly very good. It is a gritty recreation of the “Troubles” between the United Kingdom and Irish Republicans. The cast successfully portrays the intense emotions of Irish prisoners on a “blanket and no-wash” protest because they are seeking political status. When Sands and other inmates seek to up the ante with a hunger strike, the actors give the audience a real sense of the determination required to sacrifice oneself for a cause.

However, major flaws abound.

Firstly, the lead character is not sympathetic at all. As the audience watches Sands deteriorate and suffer extraordinarily painful symptoms, he merits no compassion. He is reprehensible and completely disregards the lives of others and their families. There is no reason that anyone but one of his compatriots would wish for him to survive or hope that he proves his point.

The protagonist orders the murder of prison guards and encourages other inmates to end their lives by joining his strike. Sands is not a tragic hero who recognizes his mistakes and regrets the path he has chosen. He is simply a callous and self-centered ideologue who is so consumed by the righteousness of his cause that he is hyperopic to those around him, like Pádraic Delaney in The Wind that Shakes the Barley as he executes his own brother for the sake of the new Irish Free State.

Secondly, the symbolism of the film is inconsistent. Early in the film, the director Steve McQueen focuses on the hands: the bloodied and bruised hands of a guard, the feces encrusted hands of a protesting prisoner, and the gloved hands of the cleaning staff. This is meaningful because the hands are the tools of the characters, like the characters are the tools of the British and Irish sides. That is, until the idea is abandoned midway through the film.

The film begins by profiling the daily minutiae of a guard’s life. I’m not sure what to make of him; he doesn’t seem to enjoy his job and has become desensitized by all the violence required. Sands is shown with his family members and discussing his ideals with the prison pastor and this helps clarify his character. There is a half-hearted attempt to show parallels between the good and the evil (although this is from an entirely relative point of view) but it is not coherent throughout the film.

I’m not sure what the message is of the film. Considering the mindless violence of the Troubles and the two thousand civilians killed, nobody is sympathetic. Perhaps, as Andy Dufresne said in another prison drama, The Shawshank Redemption, it’s “Get busy living or get busy dying.”

Last Sunday

When a Michigan State upsets a Louisville or a Tiger Woods tracks down a Sean O’Hair on Sunday, it often comes about because of one criteria: who forced the other to play their game? The Trojans made the Mid-West Regional Final a defensive halfcourt battle and Tiger Woods started erasing the five-stroke margin as soon as he took the course.

The winner of the battle of wills was decided during the months before. Who has the discipline to stick to their gameplan? Who has the desire to do the little things which are part of the program? Who has the pride to develop positive habits? Who has the motivation to set a tone as soon as the ball is tipped? Who has the determination to head into the corner for the puck?

Those answers determine whether Wildcats can shut down Blue Devils and whether Tigers from Missouri can outrun those from Memphis. Tom Izzo may be a master coach but a great deal rests inside each athlete, like Tiger Woods showed on the back nine Sunday.