Into a Winter Wonderland

I'm not a winter fan. In fact I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to say that I hate winter. Hate it! I hate the snow and the ice and the cold. But since I live in the Midwest I have about five months of winter to deal with (November-March). It snows at least a little through these months. In the past I've been content to hide indoors and only go out when the snow has stopped flying. This year I'm trying something different.

My brother and his family were in town this weekend and we spent a ton of time hanging out with them. It was wonderful. But I was complaining to my very athletic brother that I wanted to start running but I didn't want to go running in the winter. We don't have a treadmill and the sidewalks are way too slick for fearless running. The conversation went a bit like this:

Me: I do want to start running but I'll probably wait until the spring.

John: Why?

Me: Well, I don't have a treadmill and I'm not going to run outside.

John: Why?

Me: The sidewalks scare me. I'm not comfortable on that kind of ice.

John: Where do you live?

Me: Huh, West Des Moines

John: And there are no fields out there?

Me: Run in a field?

John: Yep, go running in the snow. If you fall, who cares. It's soft. Find a nice snowy field and run. It doesn't matter where you run. As long as you have fun and get some benefit from it.

He's so smart! So I decided to try it. And I am happy to say that it works. I couldn't run for very long but I was able to run. I was in boots and jean and my Yaktraks but I was able to run. I'm excited to make it a regular exercise program. It was actually pretty exhilarating to be out in the cold air running, like when I was a kid. And I didn't worry about falling.

My other thing is that I've started pricing snowshoes. I want to trek out into the woods and I like the idea of using snowshoes. So far most of them have been in the $50 to $100 range but I'm going to keep looking a bit. I need to learn more about the difference. I'm excited that I'm starting to get out into the winter weather. Perhaps these months won't be quite so wasted after all.

Poetry Friday

Tonight I'm heading out for the first baseball game of the season. I can't believe that more than a month of season has gone by before I've gotten to a game. I used to go all the time. So in honor of the ballpark and the great game of baseball, today's poem is the classic Casey at the Bat. It's a long poem but one of the ones that has been a favorite since childhood.

Casey At the Bat
by Ernest Lawrence Thayer

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to the hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, "If only Casey could but get a whack at that--
We'd put up even money now, with Casey at the bat."

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey getting to the bat.

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despisèd, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile lit Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt;
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance flashed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped--
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one!" the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore;
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew;
But Casey still ignored it and the umpire said, "Strike two!"

"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered "Fraud!"
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate,
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate;
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,
But there is no joy in Mudville--mighty Casey has struck out.

Coed Sports

First things first, I have to say a few words about my poor husband. Poor Jeff has been sick and suffering for the last two weeks. He's been coughing, wheezing, and in pain. What started as a cold has been getting worse and worse. This morning we finally decided that he should go to the doctor's office. And not surprisingly he came home with a diagnosis of bronchitis. I've had bronchitis enough times in my life to know exactly how miserable it is. The constant coughing, the chest pain, the shortness of breath. So I have to say, considering all of this, he's been a real trooper. Hopefully the meds he got will help. Until then at least they will help him breathe.

Because of his illness, we decided to take last night easy and stay home. I caught up on some writing, helped him with a paper, did my exercises, and watched the women's basketball final. For those of you who missed it, UConn won, not surprisingly. Although early in the game that was a bit in doubt. Halfway through the game Jeff said something that got me thinking. He wondered how UConn (the women's winning team) would do against Duke's men's team. How would the best women's team in the country do against the best men's team? It's a game I would happily watch for no other reason than to see what happens. I know that men and women tend to play different styles of basketball but I would be interested what would happen. How would the scoring go? I would bet that many others in the country would be willing to watch a game like that as well (Hint, hint NCAA!!).

That question got me thinking about a conversation that Jeff and I have occasionally: Why are some sports or activities still sex segregated? Particularly sports where strength doesn't matter. Like bowling. Or darts. Or archery. I know that physiologically there is a strength difference between men and women. But I think that many women have become just as strong if not stronger than some men. A Sport Science episode compared the hit rating for a male and female boxer. The punches were identical in terms of force. But even for sports where strength isn't involved as much, there is little competition between the sexes. We are finally starting to see a more coed approach to racing (auto racing that is) but even that is unusual. I would love to see how some of the women golfers would do against the men golfers. So I'm asking, is it just that it would be hard for a man to be beaten by a woman? Is it still the old mistaken stereotype that women can't compete with men? What do you think?

The Con is On

Billboard on the way to work this morning that I've somehow not noticed: Remember green grass? Opening Day April 8th. Of course that is just for a our little minor league team. The big boys start a little earlier. Most of you guys may not know this but I'm a huge baseball fan. I love going to the games. I love watching them on TV. I love the fields and the atmosphere and more than anything, the Series. Heck I got engaged at a baseball game. It was how Jeff and I spent most of our dating years. The only sport that I love more is cricket and that's a bit tougher to catch. So I'm so excited for the season to start. Not much longer now. I just loved the billboard and had to share it.


My real post is not about baseball although it does touch on a different sport. I'll leave the baseball post until opening day. Instead this is about my favorite con movie ever produced. No, it's not The Sting although that comes close. Or The Usual Suspects although that's another fantastic one. This one is about an much more unlikely topic: boxing.



I had dinner last night with a friend I hadn't seen in a while and it turned into a 3 1/2 hour talkfest. I didn't get home until almost 10. We had a great time. When I got home I went upstairs where Jeff was hiding out. He has a bad cold so he's spending more time in bed. As I started up the stairs he called for me to hurry. Diggstown was on. Now I love a good con film but in my mind this one trumps them all. James Woods and Oliver Platt play a pair of con men who come into a small town with the plan to con some money from the corrupt town millionare (Bruce Dern). He happens to own the entire town after betting the townspeople's money on a boxing match that he fixed. The con is simple, their boxer (played by Louis Gossett Jr.) can fight and beat any 10 men in the city of Diggstown in one day.



There is small town intrigue, side bets, and some pretty fantastic boxing. Bruce Dern is perfect as the slimy millionaire that you love to hate. Oliver Platt plays his role of bumbling doofus well and Louis Gossett Jr. is both inspiring and comical. But it's James Woods who steals the show in this movie. Alternating between smooth and witty and caring his character is played pitch perfect. The fight dialogue between him and Gossett is hilarious but the movie never loses its grittiness and tension. And then of course there is the ending which will leave you shocked and laughing. One of the absolute best con movies out there. Even if you're not a boxing fan, this movie still deserves a watching for the great dialogue and incredible heart.

Olympics

The one good thing about this winter (and there has been very little) is that it is an Olympics year. I may not enjoy the season of winter but I am a die-hard winter Olympics fan. Then again I'm a huge summer Olympics fan too. For the entire two weeks of the Olympic games I sit in front of the TV and watch as much coverage as I possibly can. I am completely obsessed. Poor Jeff won't see the remote for the next two weeks as I jump between the stations carrying the games. I'm not sure where this passion for the Olympics came from. But I know that I've been fascinated for years now.

And I don't just watch the typical sports. If anything, figure skating interests me the least. I'm passionate about luge, skeleton, biathlon, curling, ski-jumping, and speed skating. A couple years ago I became obsessed with ice dancing although I'm not sure why. Like the summer games, where I watch at odd hours for the fencing, I will go out of my way to catch the more unusual sports. But I'm not picky. If it's Olympic coverage, I'll watch. That said, I feel I should clarify. I watch the events, not the other coverage. I don't even keep track of the medals standings mostly because I don't really root for any one country. I just love to watch the best athletes in the world compete.

In 2002, Jeff and I made the trip to Salt Lake to watch the games in person. We took Amtrak out to Utah and fell in love with the atmosphere. In fact the whole trip was incredible. We had purchased tickets to biathlon, downhill skiing, ski-jumping, and luge. We managed to get some last minute tickets to see a curling match. And at every event we were completely blown away by the atmosphere. At the biathlon we were completely surrounded by Norwegians and Swedes and the place was a constant party. There were flags everywhere and cowbells and horns. It was fantastic. The ski-jump was early morning and somewhat more somber. Than again there was far more risk involved. Luge was at night and was filled with picture attempts and amazing speed. When you watch luge on TV they slow it down quite a bit. Actual luge is too fast to even comprehend. It's like standing on the side of the interstate trying to catch details on the cars speeding past you at 80 mph. Tickets for curling were hard to come by and the arena was electric. It's like a chess match on ice and even the most subtle move can change the entire match.

So tonight my plan is to camp out in front of the TV, eat dinner, and watch the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympics. I haven't missed an opening ceremonies in the last eight sessions of the games. I love the pageantry of it. I love watching all the competing nations walk into the arena. I love seeing the uniforms. I love seeing how they light the torch. And I love the pride that seems to shine from the athletes' faces. It is a spectacle of the highest order and I don't intend to miss it. As always I'm sure I'll get choked up and cry. I'm sure I'll be swept up in the drama of the whole thing. And I'm sure I'll love every moment. If you've never seen an opening ceremonies I would highly recommend it. NBC tonight at 6:30. And if nothing else, make sure to check out some of the games.

The Ashes

I'm one of those odd Americans who not only enjoys cricket but understands it as well. When Jeff started playing a couple years ago I went to every game and learned a ton about the sport. I still "watch" regularly. I put the watch in quotes because there are simply no television channels that broadcast cricket. So instead, I fire up the computer, head to Cricinfo and listen to the play by play. I can't see the game but I can imagine it. Cricinfo has some of my favorite commentators with Will Luke being my hands-down favorite. He has been covering this week's event since it's in England, and I'm in heaven.

And there is no greater time for me to watch cricket then now, during the Ashes. The Ashes is one of the greatest rivalries in the sport, between England and Australia. The national teams from both countries play a full test cricket series (5 matches, 2 innings per match) for the right to hold the Ashes. The event will last all week. The competition has been held every other year since 1882. Australia won two years ago but I have my hopes up that England can pull it off this time. I make it no big secret that I'm a huge Anglophile. So as much as I loved Australia when I was there, I'm an England fan.

The name is in reference to a comment made back in 1882 after a particularly brutal match between the two countries. At the end of the matches one of the commentators said that English cricket was dead, would be cremated, and the ashes taken to Australia. Supposedly one of the fans decided to create an urn, burned a set of bails, (the pieces of wood placed on top of the wickets) and presented them as a trophy. After that year, the competition has been for the right to hold the ashes.

Imagine if the US battled against Canada every two years in hockey. Imagine that these are the best players in the sport playing for a national title. Now imagine that it had happened every other year for 120 years. You can imagine the rivalry that would build up. The excitement and the patriotism. This is what the Ashes represent. So today, as I go about my work, I'll keep a close eye on the innings and wickets taken. And I'll cheer my team on. Here's to great rivalries and an English victory.