Beker Final

The Jari Kurri helmets began the mayhem. Or, I guess, the line of people waiting outside the rink since 2:30 drinking for a 7:30 game began the mayhem. But mayhem there was. Flags, banners, horns, air horns, bells, chants, flares... and it just didn't stop... If you watch soccer games on TV you'll know it never stops... You could barely hear yourself think out there. Half the stadium was Tilburg fans, the other half was Heerveen fans, and the whole game they battled. Everyone battled... Young and old... People don't really 'settle down' here when they get older... in fact, the older they get the crazier they get it seems. As you say... 'you're only as old as you feel.' Or as Jayz says... '40 is the new 20.'

http://player.nos.nl/index.php/media/play/tcmid/tcm:5-344558/

I'm not ashamed to say that the biggest reason for the win was our goalie. But I think we had more chances at the start and after we were up we sat back and tried to 'hold the fort'. We almost lost it in the end because of that. Sometimes things just work out that way. But not today...

http://www.omroepbrabant.nl/mediaplayer.aspx?object=news&id=93031&mode=video

We were rock stars for all of 15 minutes with the 1000 or so Tilburg fans that waited outside the rink for us. The bar was free drinks all night long. A DJ was all set up. And everyone, which was awesome, knew the words to "We Are The Champions." So we started the night off on a great note. Old school Dutch music stole our thunder for the next 2 hours and brought everything back down to earth. But, a late night surge of "Grease: best hits" and some sweet dance moves like throw the dice, shopping cart, cowboy, and the bus driver took it right back over the top... Nothing better to do on a Wednesday night that's for sure. Not since the writer's strike at least.

Snippits..

Yesterday was my neighbor's kid's (Lieke's) 9th birthday. Kids mature so much faster these days than before. Like, she's 9 years old and she can already 'no longer' entertain herself without electronics - "Sniff. Baby girls all growns up." - and therefore: 'Barbie Horse Adventure' (Nintendo DS) was liked a lot better than my 'Party Time' board game gift.

Here is: shortly: things about Europe, Holland, and Tilburgers: Ha, 'burgers': that I learned from the party:

1) Soccer Hooligans: Every team has them: They are no longer allowed in the stadium. New rule: if you touch one foot on the grass you are suspended from soccer games for life. You have to get a soccer card proving who you are before they will sell you a ticket: Soccer cards are a big deal: Hooligans no longer meet in the stadium: Internet makes it easy to meet up: People have died in these fights before: Can't believe we don't have the same thing back in North America: shocked actually. I told them sometimes our parents are pretty crazy in little league games... but maybe because our violence is inherent in the sport it doesn't spill over to the fans... I don't know...

2) English Hooligans are the worst, or best depending who you're asking: If you watched the boxing match in Vegas between Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather you know what I'm talking about:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/12/10/soboxx410.xml

They love to drink and love to fight: They'll go in groups and attack anyone they feel like: Last world cup 1800 English were arrested: Last game in Eindoven was England vs Portugal: There were 3500 cops for 12000 English supporters: They had a fight in a bar and they shot tear gas grenades into it to calm them down: Cops billy clubbed everyone on their way out: Even unsuspecting old men just in the bar for a pint: England is out of the European cup this year and everyone is happy.

3) Naziism is getting big again: My Dad and I saw 150 guys all in a group in Amsterdam a while back doing a demonstration: By demonstration I mean being drunk, throwing beer bottles, and smashing things: The guys said most likely we saw Nazis: Shaved Heads: Blue jeans: White t-shirts: Black leather jackets: Black shoes with white feathers: They greet each other the same way the Nazis did back in WW2: It's coming back I guess all across Europe on account of the increase of immigrants: No such thing as a melting pot here: The immigrants either haven't been allowed or haven't wanted to fit in with the rest of society: Supposedly there's lots of immigrant gangs of 16-30 yr olds that have been denied jobs with nothing to do all day.

4) There are more bikes in Holland than people: Everyone rides: The grandparents where I was go on bike trips of 100 kms or more every now and then: Not unheard of to see a motor bike pull up, tinted visor and all, and take off their helmets off to reveal a grandma and grandpa. don't like your bike? In Amsterdam you just throw it into the canal: It takes a back-hoe to dredge up all the old bikes: Tonnes of 'em: 2 cars a week on average fall in as well.

5) Holland, Germany, and Denmark all have very similar languages all with the same root langauge: Can learn them quite easily in a matter of weeks if they move between them: But Germans can't pronounce the 'SCH-" sound in Dutch so that is how they tell the difference: School, Schuim, Schaap.

6) The reason why water costs money and there are no free refills on pop is cause drinks are the only way restaurants make money: They sell food at cost and make their money on drinks: $2 water: $2.50 non-refill sodas: $2 coffees in cups you could mistake for shot glasses.

7) Kids start learning English and French in grade 6: But usually know it because of cartoons and TV: So they can't write it, only speak it.

TV Junkie... (Spoiler Alert)

I know the writer's strike might be taking its toll on you very shortly. No award shows, no sitcoms... no knowing if Jack's really gonna save the world this time... Most especially it'll really hurt college people or people that fake to work like hockey players or government employees. I've been known to miss a final exam review or two in college on account of a 24 marathon. Just lately Heroes again made me lose a few days... I rated the show about a 3; meaning it took me about 3 days to watch the entire season. 24 was a 2, Lost was a little under a 2, Season 2 of the OC was/is a sideways 8... PPS never ever watch it..
But coming from a conscious partaker I say Strike Schmike... You're really not missing anything... What possibly have you gained from all these shows?... Live in the real world for a change... Can we "know life in every breathe" by sitting on a couch all day?... What a waste... Is it too cliche to use the ultimate time-management quote that "you only live once unless you're a cat, Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, or a WOW character."?
... I can already tell you what's going to happen in the shows you're missing anyways... (Sorry writers strike but)... in the show you're watching, whatever thing that has to get resolved will finally get resolved... and then suddenly something happens that you simply have to figure out that won't get resolved until a few more episodes and by that time some more stuff's happened and somewhere in there Jack's probably killed somebody... Figer it out by now. You're an addict. At least you're into something tho right? At least you rule water cooler conversation right? At least you get to fake to have a real life by living through the characters on TV right? And at least you don't have to work or have real courage like is required in real life right?
And if you readers think you're so 'smart' and above all this cable TV crap (or possibly don't even have cable...) what do you think a book like Da Vinci code is/was? Had to read till that next clue was solved didn't you? Except, it at least sorta taught you things in the book as you went.. and by 'sorta taught' I meant that for every made up fact he included, there was one actual fact just to make you wonder... No worries, you're smart enough to tell the difference between fact and fiction right? Sure... quotes say things best in my opinion: "People are stupid... they believe what they want to believe or what they fear might be true."

Gametime...

So two things about tonights game....
First, remember in the all-star game a couple years ago when Mario Lemieux had a wide open net and hit the post. Then he gave it the old, umm, my bad, and a little pose with his hand all out in a shrug... Ya? maybe...? Well, before that he made one of the sickest plays I've ever seen. 3 on 2 and a guy passed to him in the slot, he fakes to shoot and lets the puck go through him to the wide guy who has a wide open net. The goalie being stuck way out of position because he had to play the shot that should have come from Mario. Problem is, Mario didn't even get an assist on the play cause he didn't touch the puck. He creates the goal and gets nothing for it except maybe a shout out from a few crazy/creepy hockey fans who may or may not have a crush on him and who remember the play... ummm... anyways, the same thing happened to me today in a play, no where near as sick or as planned, but just the same no assist for a goal that I possibly, maybe, sorta definitely helped create...
Second, for all the tourists that are in and out of Amsterdam you would think they would get better crowds of North Americans that want to pregame at a hockey game... A guy on the team, as he's walking out onto the ice makes the comment, "I guess it's dress like a seat night in Amsterdam..." To which all of our Dutch players look around completely lost. So then I give it the old, "Ya, there's a lot of fans dressed up as seats out there." To which they all started laughing. I'm so much funnier than other dude...

We came... We saw... We Conquered...

This is late in coming, but it's us after rocking all the 50% off sales on boxing day...

Style tips for Europe: Scarves, tight jeans, boots, dress sneakers, collars, sweater vests, and snooty looks...

How to survive in Holland

- do not own a truck, for that matter do not own a vehicle larger than a medium sized shrubbery
- do not care about baseball, football, at most times hockey, or anything else American except MTV
- do not use splenda and try to pretend like you have never even heard about it
- do not care if public washrooms are coed
- do remember that they usually cost about 50 cents to use (even at Mcdonalds)
- do be curious about other possible differences washrooms have in Europe
- do not waste money on an expensive house, instead waste it on an expensive couch and on your bmw
- if you are going to drive a cab, you must own a bmw
- do buy a scarf of your favorite football(soccer) team
- do not ever call football soccer
- do not trust hockey teammates to teach you how to say common things in Dutch
- do remember that coffee shops in Holland are not actually for coffee
- workouts must be followed by a nice beer at the gyms bar
- your beer should be accompanied and followed by at least one, if not more than one cigarette
- do not worry about what you'll eat, as long as it's some sort of deep fried cheese product
- do not worry about where you'll live, if homeless a house will be provided
- do worry about what you'll wear and it better have a good name
- do have gel in your hair at all times
- do have beer as your drink of choice at restaurants since it is cheaper than water
- do remember there are no free refills on anything
- do have patience at a restaurant because servers don't get tips and it shows
- do not even bother tipping because servers split it with everyone in the restaurant anyways
- do remember that restaurants are less about the food and more about the company anyways
- do use your 3-4 times as many vacation days as Americans wisely
- do remember that Paris and London are both only 4 hours drive away
- do remember that anywhere in Europe is under $100 roundtrip airfare

What's in a team?

You sacrifice for your team. You hurt your teammate hurts. You hurt someone on your own team you hurt yourself. Someone on your team succeeds the team succeeds. You're in trouble your teammate backs you up. Your teammate's in trouble you back them up.
My man Teddy Roosevelt thought that sports and athletics were designed to teach kids the skills they need in the real world. Just like the English before them (see war and rugby similarities). Ask yourself if that's how things really are right now? It's easy to see... All the different parts hold all the others up... one part falls away, or tries to take advantage, every other part is affected negatively, and in turn, so is the one for taking the advantage (or as we call it in hockey the cancer). You pull your own house down when you pull down your neighbor's.
Apply that thought to a friend of mine talking about their job in New York... "It's cutthroat, but hey, it's Wall Street..." Apply that to the fact that if the nation prints more money to finance say, a war, that money goes straight into already wealthy pockets at the same time making the poor people's money worth less. So all the people that might have the power to influence things see the war as a boon on their pockets and do nothing, while the rest of the country is in shambles.