.it's been a while.

Wow. My last blog post was ages ago! It's been so long, I highly doubt anyone is even reading this! If you are, then THANK YOU for stopping by! Also, I definitely owe you an explanation regarding my absence from this blog. You see, I've been debating back and forth on if I should start a new blog from scratch. Because of my indecisiveness, I've neglected writing in this blog which is kind of sad. I am sorry. In any case, I've had so many thoughts this past year about the various sports I watch - most especially football and basketball. 

But, first and foremost, the LA Kings just defeated the NJ Devils to win the Stanley Cup. I still can't believe it took them 45 years! What an accomplishment. :) Personally, I very much appreciate hockey because I've been to watch games live and I truly understand how tough those guys have to be, let alone full of stamina, strength, and endurance. They really do make it look easy out there on the ice but, it's not! If you've never watched a hockey game live, do yourself a favor and make it a point to go to a game next season. It doesn't matter who is playing, just go. You'll leave with such an appreciation of the game and respect for the guys that play.

This past weekend, I witnessed a boxing match that really got to me. It got to me because I've always known professional boxing to be prestigious, classy, and most especially - REAL. The Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley bout was disappointing to say the least. By now, you know who won the fight in the ring (Manny) and who won the fight on the judges score cards (Timothy). When the results were announced, I started at the television in awe for a couple of seconds before the voice of others in the room echoed in my ear. "What just happened?" I heard. "What?!" said someone else. I was thinking the exact same thing however, I took to Twitter to unleash my disgust at the unfairness and imbalanced judging that just took place. I found I wasn't alone. Celebs and athletes also took to Twitter to share their thoughts, 99% of had the same thoughts as I did. Even Lady Gaga tweeted about Manny, saying he's still the best fighter in the world. The true colors of Manny Pacquiao came out that evening after the fight and at the press conference afterwards. THIS to me, was the highlight of the event. Manny remained calm and flashed his usual smile. He never once looked angry or upset. He actually made it a point to express that he respected the judges and their decision despite the fact he felt 100% in his heart that he won. He also gave it all up to the Lord. What an amazing  person! Makes me proud to be Filipino. :)

Lastly, I heard today that Chad OchoCinco was signed by the Miami Dolphins after being released by the New England Patriots. I'm happy for the guy. I feel like still had the ability to be a playmaker if given the chance to thrive in the right environment. Good luck Chad!

Love,
Peace,
& Sports,
-C

.la coupe stanley.

I’m not worthy of such a trophy. What I mean is; I didn’t even feel worthy seeing it, let alone having my photo snapped with it. If you don’t know the history of the Stanley Cup, it may be difficult to understand its significance, importance, and popularity. First off, the magnitude of it is much more than you can imagine.

Let me explain.

Established in 1893, the Stanley Cup (La Coupe Stanley) is a Hockey Championship trophy awarded annually to the NHL Championship Team. It is commonly referred to as The Cup, The Holy Grail, or (by sportswriters) as Lord Stanley's Mug. The Stanley Cup is surrounded by numerous legends and traditions, the oldest of which is the celebratory drinking of champagne out of the cup by the winning team. Unlike the trophies awarded by the other 3 major professional sports leagues: NBA, NFL, and MLB; a new Stanley Cup is not made each year. The Cup winners keep it until a new champion is crowned. It is the only trophy in the professional sports world that has the name of the winning players, coaches, management, and club staff engraved on its chalice. The original bowl was made of silver and has a dimension of 7.28 inches in height and 11.42 inches in diameter. Today, it has a height of 35.25 inches and weighs 34.5 lbs as more names have been added throughout the years. The Stanley Cup is the oldest professional Sports trophy in North America.

Here’s something that could possibly be just as amazing as The Cup itself:

To prevent The Cup from being dented and damaged too badly, the NHL hired a full-time bodyguard in 1995. “We don't play for a bunch of flags like they do in baseball, and you can't drink out of the Lombardi Trophy," says Mike Bolt, 39, the Keeper of the Cup, also known as the "Cup Cop". "It's dry until it's won, and then it goes off the wagon in a hurry". The Stanley Cup is the only trophy in all of sport that is passed along from player to player (of the winning team), each for a 24-hour period. It's the only trophy in all of sport that has 24-hour supervision and is accompanied by a full-time bodyguard (aka “Cup Cop”).

The Stanley Cup is a chalice made of silver and nickel alloy. It travels 300 days a year and in the past eight years, it has logged more than 750,000 miles in trips to Russia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, Japan, Austria, Germany, England, the Bahamas and the deserts of Afghanistan. "The Cup opens a lot of doors, and I get to ride its coattails." said Mr. Bolt. The Cup, said to be insured for $75,000, travels in its own case. It can be belted into a seat on a private jet, but it has ridden as baggage ever since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and more than one Transportation Safety Administration official has ogled it after asking that the case be opened. Mr. Bolt always wears white gloves when he handles the Stanley Cup.

When a player gets his 24 hours with it, Mr. Bolt is right there with it. "The Cup and the keeper are one and the same." he said. That means sleeping in the same house, or trailer, with Brian Trottier (a Cup winner with the Islanders and the Penguins) in Saskatchewan. Going along as The Cup went jet skiing with the Detroit Red Wings' Steve Yzerman. Riding in a car behind it as The Cup was harnessed to the back of the Avalanche's Scott Parker's Harley. Going along in the helicopter Scott Niedermayer (a Cup winner with the New Jersey Devils and the Anaheim Ducks) hired to fly The Cup to the summit of Fisher Peak in British Columbia, about 9,300 feet above sea level. Or accompanying the Avalanche's Peter Forsberg in 1996 when The Cup flew to Europe for the first time. The roughhousing with The Cup has diminished with the bodyguard along. A request to take it sky diving, for example was denied. But reasonable creativity is allowed. "My job is to make sure The Cup is safe and secure, but we want the players to enjoy their moment with it." Mr. Bolt said. Incidentally, Mr. Bolt has never raised The Cup over his head. He reserves that right to those who have won it.

So, is that amazing or what? I almost feel like The Cup and Cup Cop should have a reality show. Wouldn’t that be cool to follow them around after a Championship, just to see what adventures they find? Well, I hope after this post you learned something new and give this trophy the respect is deserves!

I was lucky enough to see The Stanley Cup and Mr. Bolt with my very own eyes while I was in Montreal. I even had the pleasure of getting my photo taken with it before anyone in line that day. I was escorted to The Cup right after the unveiling ceremony to get my very own photo with what I feel is the coolest, most sacred, and stunning trophy ever.

Thank you NHL! -c

.montreal, quebec.

Ok, ok. So, my plan to keep you posted while I was on my trip to Canada failed. I thought I could make time to sit in front of my laptop each and every night before I went to bed to update you all didn’t go exactly as planned. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, I still managed an extremely busy and tiring schedule which resulted in my need for sleep the moment I’d step foot back in my hotel room. I know that isn’t a good excuse but, here I am trying to make it up by giving you my own personal “Top 5 memories from Montreal, Quebec” in no particular order.

#1 – Lay’s Ketchup Chips
I had never heard of it prior to my visit to Montreal. In all honesty, I was kind of perplexed at the idea of the flavor. Why hadn’t I heard of it before? Why had I never seen them in California? I learned quickly that it was a local favorite along with “Lay’s Dill Pickle Chips” (which I didn’t try but will the next time I visit). Apparently they are only available in Canada which also perplexes me now that I’ve tried them. Funny thing is that when I saw the bag, my mouth started to water. I kid you not; and when I opened the bag they looked so good. After I ate my first Lay’s Ketchup chip, it was so deliciously tasty I wished every one of my friends and family were there to try it too. It was that good! Here's a photo of the bag before I ate its contents. :)


#2 – Hockey
Here at home, when I turn on my TV and click over to ESPN; it would be typical to see highlights and reports on most every sport—from the NFL, NBA, MLB, Tennis, Boxing, NASCAR, and even MMA. But what we seldom see is much reporting on the NHL. I’ll admit that I’ve been guilty for turning my attention back to my mirror to finish my make-up in the mornings the moment Hockey highlights took its turn. Watching Hockey on TV was never appealing to me and the fighting… well it was down right wrong in my eyes. I never thought I’d say this but after my trip to Montreal, I now have a new found respect for the sport of Hockey. The Canadians are nothing short of “die-hard” for their Hockey. It’s on TV—pretty much ALL THE TIME. Every Dive Bar, Sports Bar, and Restaurant with a working television had them set on the Versus Network (which is mostly hockey all-day-every-day). And yes, I do truly feel it is a sport because it takes a ton of physical ability and stamina to get through an entire game. I seriously had no idea what a cool sport Hockey really was, not to mention how great the NHL is. The league is fantastic and very professional which earns them a nod here on my list. They hosted an amazing All-Star Weekend which coincided with the centennial anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens—what a way to celebrate the sport!


#3 – French Fries Vending Machine
It’s true and no I didn’t try it. I think I was more intrigued than grossed out. They had all sorts of toppings too like cheese, gravy, and ketchup. You place your cash in the dispenser, press a few buttons, and out comes your order. The kicker was that this machine was inside a restaurant. This resulted in me NOT ordering fries since I couldn’t be sure they didn’t have a French Fries Vending Machine in the kitchen reserved for all of the French Fry orders. Ok, now I think I’m grossed out. :o/


#4 – Meeting Gordon "Gordie" Howe
Gordie is often referred to as Mr. Hockey, and is known as one of the Greatest Hockey Players of all time. Being most famous for his scoring prowess, physical strength, and the longevity of his career; he's quite a legend. He is the only player to have competed in the NHL in five different decades. It was an honor and a pleasure to meet someone so respected. I can go on and on about him but I probably couldn’t do him justice so you’d be better off googling him. He happened to be staying at my hotel so I got to chat with him for a few. I even met his best friend Felix who was such a sweet man. I hear they've been pals for over 60 years. This picture is definitely worth a thousand words.

#5 – My flight from Montreal to Dulles
Leaving the Montreal airport wasn’t an experience that I’ll try hard to remember. It was mostly terrible because of the customs lines, the long walk with my baggage, and the impersonal customs agents. But, I will remember my short flight to Dulles (where I was connecting to my flight home) upon leaving Montreal. Being on a little commuter plane isn’t my favorite but in this instance, it wasn’t so bad. I so happened to board the plan with the last group since I had an aisle seat. As I dug through my purse for my passport in case the airport attendants needed to take one last look at it prior to me boarding; I found myself just about last. Next to me was a nice gentleman who was kind enough to small talk with me for the 15 minutes as we waited to board the plane. We chatted about where he lives and he asked what brought me to Montreal. Since I knew who he was, I asked him if he ever got tired of people asking him for autographs or photos—and politely he said no. Super nice guy and I’m glad I had the opportunity to chat with him. Interestingly it was Mark "The Moose" Messier. Messier is widely considered as one of the Best NHL Players of all time and, is regarded as one of the Greatest Leaders in the NHL history. He is second on the all-time career lists for regular season points (1887), playoff points (295) and regular season games played (1756). He won five Stanley Cups with the Oilers and one with the Rangers, and is the only professional athlete to captain two different teams to Championships. In 2007, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Wow!

A final thought. The fact that everyone in the city of Montreal spoke French was so cool. I kept pulling out my “bonjour” everywhere I went. As the week progressed, I got brave and added “comment sont vous” and I learned that “bonsoir” was appropriate in the evenings. I SO wish I was bilingual in French. Even with 2 years of high school courses in French, my most complicated sentence was “je m'appelle Christine”. One day…

Peace,
Love, &
Ketchup Lays~
-C