"Unfriend"

Not too long ago I was treated to something that would likely never happen to me in real life, I was unfriended. Thanks to Facebook someone was able to say to me in one simple click of the mouse: I don't want to be your friend anymore. The feeling was mutual so I wasn't upset that this person did what they did but it made me think. We are all raised by our parents to accept people for who they are no matter how much we dislike them or disagree with what they believe; to tell someone to their face that you don't want anything to do with them is socially unacceptable. I have to admit I did do such a thing once upon a time, it was in my first year of high school and I told this guy who was unbelievably annoying that I didn't want to be his friend anymore. I don't regret doing it but in hindsight it was altogether unnecessary, he didn't deserve it and I'm sure he felt like shit afterwards. Now here we are today and Facebook has taken the same principle and put it in the aptly named "unfriend" button. Theoretically I could've stayed friends with that guy in high school, waited until Facebook came along, added him to my "friends" and then shortly after clicked that "unfriend" button. Simple, painless and effective.

Ultimately I suppose the question is, when do people start using this "unfriend" technique more rampantly in real life? It's a byproduct of this day and age for us to use popular internet ideas in our everyday actions and speech (OMG for instance) so it doesn't seem unreasonable to believe that eventually "unfriend" could be the next craze. Facebook is an ironic kind of thing in that we add and add to this "friend" total yet don't ever have anything to do with a vast majority of these people. We've already diluted the meaning of the word friend so why not further adulterate it by introducing "unfriend"?

Why hate the Canucks?

I came across an article from the Globe & Mail concerning this year's participants in the Stanley Cup final, the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. It's entitled "Canucks Have Become NHL’s Most-hated Team" and it's all about how players from around the league have come out and expressed their distaste for the Canucks. Dave Bolland - who was integral in the Chicago Blackhawks' comeback in the first round against Vancouver - summed it up for me with this: "It does get pretty painful watching and seeing that team in it..." Diving, filthy hits, boring play and unsportsmanlike comments from douchebags like Kesler, Burrows and Lapierre all contribute to this pain. Putting the rivalry between the Flames and Canucks aside I still find it impossible to get behind a team that plays with no heart or passion. Their fans and players believe this is their year because of some coincidental year after the Olympics success in the past by other Canadian teams (Flames in '89 for instance). A sense of entitlement that is completely unfounded by an annoying fan base is never a good thing.

Ryan Whitney who plays for the Edmonton Oilers stated that "90 per cent of the guys in the league want nothing to do with seeing them win.” Obviously this is a bit of a stretch but still, has there ever been a year in the entire history of the NHL in which the fans AND players have hated a team so passionately? Let's take a look at the Canucks' roster: Raffi Torres; dirty hits in every round with an extra filthy one against Brent Seabrook of Chicago. Aaron Rome; another dirty checker who took out Nathan Horton just a few games ago. Alex Burrows; bow and arrow celebrations abound, watch your fingers he may bite them off. Henrik and Daniel Sedin; these two should participate in the next Summer Olympics on Sweden's synchronized diving team. Roberto Luongo; big clumsy greasy overrated goalie who deserves none of the accolades he has ever received. Maxim Lapierre; just look at his face, it will make your blood boil. Last but not least is Ryan Kesler; smug and classless player who will potentially win the Conn Smythe for most valuable player and forever taint the trophy's meaning.
I'm not asking anyone to join the hate parade but I do think it's important for other fans of the game that I love to think before so carelessly throwing their support behind "Canada's last hope". Lord Stanley's cup can stay in the States at least until someone more deserving up here can earn it.

Anecdote

Writing is something that I have a lot of difficulty doing. Bottom line, I stink. Nonetheless I've decided I want to start getting better at it and this anecdote is my first attempt at something decent. It's been edited heavily by someone much more capable than I.

"COULD I HAVE YOUR NUMBER?"

The other day I was watching TV with a friend when a beer commercial came on that showed a girl giving her phone number to a guy she just met. She wrote it on a napkin rather than give it orally for the guy to punch into his phone. My friend said, “Putting it in the phone is so much easier than just writing it down.” I said, “What if he didn’t have a cellphone?” This was not the first time my friend and I had disputes. Oftentimes we’d argue for so long we’d forget what topic we started with. “It’s impractical,” he said. “My grandpa is the only person I know who still carries around a pad and pen and that’s because he’s too senile to operate a cell.”
So I said, "Once I was at a bar when I spotted a beautiful girl across the room. Working up the nerve I went over to talk to her. Fifteen minutes, one drink and a couple successful jokes later she said she needed to head out but asked if I wanted to get together again sometime. Obviously I said yes, and using my cellphone I got her number and she left. A bit later, when I was walking drunkenly down the stairs outside I missed the last step and my phone dropped to the street and it smashed upon impact. I could've been sitting here today in a long-term relationship with whats-her-face if I had just written her number down on a piece of paper or napkin.”
I sat back and folded my arms.
"OK, but what if it was raining?” he said. “You could be walking outside with that napkin or paper in hand and it could fall in a puddle, smudging the ink beyond recognition. Did you ever think of that?"
“Look – the chances of you actually remembering the number are a lot greater after both seeing it and hearing it. Obviously that would be the most dependable route to go."
"Whatever," my friend responded, "you and I both know you've never successfully chatted up an attractive girl.”
I sat back again, this time with something important to think about.

The High Five

After watching the basketball game tonight I saw an interesting segment on the news about the sporting advantage of the high five. Over three games in the series with high fives, hugs, chest bumps and butt taps all taken into account the Dallas Mavericks' total came to 250 and the Miami Heat's 134. The Mavericks were also 82 percent more likely to high five. Could a simple hand slapping act have any possible advantage in the outcome of a game? Researchers at the University of California studied games in the 2008-09 NBA season and found that teams were more likely to win if they were more "hands-on". I then got to thinking about other instances in which a high five might occur. Fans celebrating at sporting events will more often than not do so through a high five; just the other night I found myself exchanging hand slaps whilst watching the hockey game. The greatest of all high fives I've ever experienced occurred a few years ago at a concert; the energy and sound that came off these two guys' slap was almost palpable.

Perhaps it's some sort swapping of energy that makes the act so significant. They theorized in the broadcast that players are more capable of making tough shots when they "touch" teammates in the final minutes of a game. Quite often in an NBA game you'll see players high five and butt tap when they are shooting free throws. It's a pretty outlandish notion but nonetheless it's something to think about next time you watch a game. Hockey players don't do it quite so much, only when they score goals. It would be interesting to see players high fiving and tapping each other with their sticks at any given moment in a game. High sticking penalty? High five! Faceoff? High Five! Icing? High Five! Offside? High five! Period over? High five! I think you get the picture...

Link to article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304392704576373641168929846.html

Link to website all about high fives:
http://www.highFive.me.uk/