NorthGeek

Pro (outdoor) baseball lives in Canada!

UPDATE: I meant to say that pro OUTDOOR baseball lives in Canada -- please forgive me, Jays fans. I’m not forgetting about Toronto’s MLB team, it’s just that this experience really gave me that “now, this is what sports should be like” feeling.

If you haven’t yet, go check out Nat Bailey Stadium for a Vancouver Canadians baseball game. This minor league club, currently at 11-11 and 4 games back of the first place Everett AquaSox, know how to put on a show for their fans. Nat Bailey Stadium, at Main and 30th in Vancouver, is a beautiful and well-maintained outdoor ballpark seating just over 5,500 loyal fans (I think -- although Wikipedia disagrees). Tonight’s game, the third of five home games in a row against the Yakima Bears, was a special “fireworks” evening at the stadium -- with ongoing entertainment following Vancouver’s 10-1 crushing of the Bears. The club didn’t disappoint -- winning big for the first nine innings, and putting on a spectacular pyro show after the game.

Aside from being in a fun and energetic setting among the thousands of fans, in an open-air (packed) stadium, with the sun heating up the perfectly manicured natural grass field, there are plenty of things to keep the whole family entertained. Mascot races, animated beer and hotdog guys roaming the stands, and more -- including a choreographed dance by the club’s grounds crew after the 5th inning at every home game:

I took this next video with my phone to send to my friends back home in Montreal, to show them how magical local baseball is:

Tickets to see the Canadians play are just $12.50 and less -- depending on your student status, age, and whether you buy packaged deals. They also do a great job hosting groups in picnic or BBQ areas, and they even offer corporate boxes. The kids have a blast, too -- even if they’re not into the baseball, there are plenty of activities and areas to keep them entertained.

While at Nat Bailey Stadium, be sure to check out the Canadians Baseball Hall of Fame -- see who has worn the C’s uniform. It’s pretty impressive! Who knew Sammy Sosa once lived in Vancouver to play for the Canadians?? Also, keep your eyes open for General Manager Jason Takefman -- he’s got a pretty amazing story!

Here’s a short clip from the fireworks show after the game:

GO CANADIANS GO!

Why diving in soccer?

I tweeted last week for help to understand diving in soccer. I treasure international sporting competitions like the World Cup, and well, there’s little like the World Cup. But I have a difficult time not finding myself very frustrated during the seemingly wussy behaviour when a player sobs and grits his teeth while rolling on the grass in anguish after a little fall to the ground:

Just Like This
Brazil’s Rivaldo in 2002:

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo in 2006:

What I’ve Learned
I got some useful replies, but basically theatrics are just as important a part of soccer as fighting is a part of hockey, and you just have to get used to it. John Doyle (MisterJohnDoyle on Twitter) wrote a great piece in The Globe and Mail:

The fact is, in some countries, mainly Latin nations, soccer is as much theatre as it is athletic endeavour.
[...]
They are men. They intend to win. By any means necessary.
[...]
The World Cup is the biggest sports event on the plant. Applying our small notions about manliness and sportsmanship is unsophisticated and small. Get over it.

Basically, just get used to it, because it’s an intrinsic part of the sport. And it’s not going to change anytime soon. In most countries, it’s not frowned upon — if you don’t scoff at it, you might even be considered more tolerant of different cultures and ideals. Got it.

But, My Issues

• The number of referees in each game: it looks like there’s only one ref (other than linesmen?) on the field, possibly two. How can they expect this one person to cover the whole match?
• Athletes are simply very, very bad actors: this point doesn’t need much more explanation. They’re good with their feet, and well, that’s about it. Bad actors who are actors just don’t get jobs.
• Ronaldo is not known as a sneaky performer but as someone who always falls down. Does that just make him clumsy?
• And most irksome to me, by diving, you are playing to expect the referee to direct important outcomes of a game through mistakes and not through your own abilities. I have a huge issue with that. I will clearly never fully accept this part of soccer.

One More
Just because it’s so comical to watch, here’s one more exceptional dive from one of the greatest: Rinaldo.

Still the tournament has just begun, and if you can get beyond the non-creative and non-musical drone of the vuvuzelas, the skill of these athletes, the aesthetics of the game, and the rarity of pitting country versus country cannot be matched. I’ll be watching. Very closely.

Afterthought
Ultimately, sports usually fall into the classes of those judged, those raced, and those refereed. You don’t always have the simplicity of a clean race. This is just the inventiveness of sport. What are your thoughts on this?

Best World Cup ads of all time?

We’d love to know what World Cup ads (doesn’t matter if they’re for the actual World Cup or just for some big-spending apparel brand, as long as they hold the World Cup theme) you think are the best of all time. We just posted this one -- which I, Daniel, think is the greatest. EVER.

Let’s hear your voice! To get you started, here are some more that NorthGeek really enjoyed:

Nike writes the future – in time for FIFA World Cup 2010

This is a bold statement, but I’m going to go on record and say this is the single greatest ad I have ever seen -- and just in time for FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Special thanks to my friend Ariel for the heads-up. Wow.

TIMEX Canada Wants to Hear Your Greatest TIMEX Stories

Here at NorthGeek, we get a lot of requests to promote contests and events that would be of interest to Canadians in general, tech geeks, outdoor enthusiasts, and more. We were recently sent this press release from TIMEX Canada – makers of innovative timepieces – and thought that our fellow NorthGeeks would be interested in taking part in this fun contest that comes with a chance to win a trip to either Paris, St. Lucia or Costa Rica. Not too shabby!! The official press release (including full contest details) follows:

Toronto, ON (May 13, 2010) – For the last 150 years, Canadians have collected stories about TIMEX timepieces that have survived bear attacks, thousands of volts of electricity and decades under water. TIMEX Canada, makers of the most durable and fashionable watches, wants to hear about your favourite TIMEX story. From extreme adventurers who constantly attest that their TIMEX takes a licking and keeps on ticking, to those who rely on their favourite timepiece to keep them on schedule – we want to hear your story.

TIMEX is asking Canadians to go to www.TIMEXstories.ca and share your TIMEX story with the rest of Canada. One lucky entrant will win a trip to either Paris, St. Lucia or Costa Rica.

“TIMEX has a long and rich heritage of providing Canadians some of the most dependable and durable timepieces ever created,” said Adam Mintz, Brand Manager for TIMEX Group Canada Inc. “For years now people have been quietly sending us their stories of how their TIMEX kept them on time, helped them find their way home or just wouldn’t stop working. We wanted to create a forum for both long time TIMEX users and new users alike to talk about their adventures and see just how far other Canadians have taken their favourite TIMEX timepiece.”

“TIMEX has been the dependable timepiece that people have insisted on having with them. TIMEX has been with you for birthdays and getaways for your grand adventures and great nights at home and now we want to hear all about it,” continued Mintz.

Canadians can visit www.TIMEXstories.ca to share their stories and an image of their favourite TIMEX timepiece, read stories from others and rate their favourite stories. The overall winner will be chosen by TIMEX Canada based on the Top 10 entries as rated by Canadians. The overall winner will be announced in late June 2010.

How you can win –
There are three of ways that you can be a winner in the TIMEX Stories contest. First, you can throw your hat into the ring by submitting your own TIMEX story and letting the rest of Canada rate your story for your chance to win your choice of one of our three amazing vacations. Secondly, by submitting your TIMEX Story at www.TIMEXstories.ca you are automatically entered for your chance to win one of five random draws for a $200 credit towards the purchase of your next TIMEX timepiece. Finally if you don’t think you have a story that will get you to the top of the charts, don’t worry. When you go to www.TIMEXstories.ca and rate some of the great stories we have received, you will be entered into a secondary draw for one of five $200 TIMEX prize package – so you can start creating your own TIMEX stories.

Habs win game 7 vs Pens, televised at Bell Centre

Our friend Chris took this video tonight at the Bell Centre. In his words: …during the televised Game 7 of the Montreal & Pittsburgh series. Montreal wins the game 5-2 and wins the series in 7 games 4-3. After the game, see footage of fans spilling out of the Bell Centre onto the streets of Montreal and taking over Ste-Catherine. Go Habs Go!

Well done, Chris!

Shut up. You had me at “Steaming platter of spaghetti!”

Who says NASCAR fans aren’t into book-learnin’ ?

Deadspin has a hilarious ongoing series where they post excerpts from NASCAR-themed Harlequin romance novels. Yeah, that’s actually a thing. It’s amazing stuff. The comments are pretty good, too.

http://deadspin.com/5492213/tailpipe-she-looked-as-sexy-as-hell

Dan goes to the Olympics

Our famous writer Dan shares his Olympics experiences here at NorthGeek. Check out his other blog TheWordShow.com!

My Dad invited me to join him for a trip to Vancouver to watch the tail end of the Olympic games. Sure, one might say, that sounds like an amazing opportunity and a splendid father-son trip. Fact is, joining him out West not an easy decision. There was a lot of important work to be done back home in Montreal. Besides my laundry piling up, there was the matter of my hyper-stressful day job, which involves helping rurally located, plus-sized clothing shoppers ensure they are receiving the best possible customer service experience – all I‘m saying is air traffic controllers and hostage negotiators should spend a day in my shoes.

I had also been putting off teaching myself the entire Lynyrd Skynyrd song catalogue on my acoustic guitar, and felt that the time had come to pick up my dusty “axe” and make good on this commitment. Bode Miller might have been lying in agonizing wait for 4 years for his elusive gold medal, but I would not watch him compete until I had mastered the guitar solo on “Free Bird.”

Finally, I had just purchased my first set of cross country skis, and before Pops presented me with the offer to join him in Vancouver, I had every intention of using the days of late February to break in my skis, perfect a decent waxing technique, work on my upper-body form, etc., etc.

Sure, one might argue, cross country skiing is an enjoyable hobby, but it pales in comparison to watching Olympic-level cross country skiers battling out on the world stage. For most people, yeah, I guess so. Not for this guy. So it was with a heavy heart that I begrudgingly accepted the offer to go see the Olympics.

Of course, I’m kidding. The Olympics were incredible. That they were in our home country and in beautiful Vancouver made it a truly unforgettable experience. On top of that, we were invited there as VIP guests of a big Canadian company, who had pulled out all the stops for us, putting us up in a swank hotel, feeding us food and drink at every turn, and affording us special access to meet various athletes, celebrities, luminaries of Canadian business, and, of course, tickets to see the events themselves.

Indeed, what I learned about corporate-sponsored events is this: if viewing a concert given by a c-list Canadian pop star is merely bearable, then viewing said concert whilst downing free cocktails and edible-by-hand lamb chops, all served by pretty waitresses who are forced to banter with you, makes the concert amazing. Really amazing. But more on that later.

The next few days, I’ll be describing to you the highlights of what I saw, who I met, what I ate, and where I went. If at any time you find this dull and not entertaining, feel free to log out and not read anything I write ever again – honestly, I won’t be upset: I saw the Gold medal hockey game and watched Canada win in overtime – I’m not going to be upset about anything for a long, long time.

Stay tuned, amigos.

Not Olympics, but sport: World’s biggest dodgeball game

1,200 students at the University of Alberta competed in a new Guinness World Record-breaking dodgeball game earlier this month. Check this out!

A first look at Panasonic’s new Full HD 3D experience!

NorthGeek was lucky enough to have been invited to the media-only opening of the Panasonic Pavilion at LiveCity Yaletown in Vancouver today for a sneak peak at Panasonic’s new Full HD 3D technology. The awesome new technology is both for large-format theater and home theaters.

The best part of all was that we got to be among an elite group of reporters who enjoyed, first-hand, this new 3D entertainment experience. We started in a theater, similar to a movie theater, only a bit smaller -- then we got to see it in “real-life” in a typical home theater set-up. Both were equally as impressive.

We had a chance to interview Panasonic North America Chief Technology Officer Eisuke Tsuyuzaki -- here’s what he had to say about their exciting new 3D technology (the video will soon become available in HD if it hasn’t yet -- YouTube needs to finish processing):

The first demo (which happened before the above interview) was on an extremely impressive, 103″ Plasma 3D television. I tried to take it home, they didn’t let. It was, as Borat would say, VERY NIIICE!!

Next up, we witnessed what our homes could look like as soon as April 2010 and for (apparently, still not clear) as little as $3,000 -- equipped with a 3D-ready Panasonic TV, Blu-Ray player, 3D Blu-Ray media, and spiffy (battery-powered) 3D glasses.

The demos of 3D content included a bunch of winter Olympic sports, summer Olympic sports, clips from the movie Avatar, and a recently released music video featuring Soprano sensation Sarah Brightman. The sports (especially basketball, track, gymnastics, skiing, and cycling) were, in my opinion, the most impressive in 3D. The music video and movie just don’t look “real” enough for me to truly appreciate, whereas seeing a basketball net in the foreground and fans in the background looked really, really cool.

I should note, that what impressed me as much as anything else, was the lineup of (what I assume were) Viera Neo Plasma TVs, all color and temperature synched with each other, it was true perfection. I’d love to have that guy come to my home and calibrate my TV!

Leaving the venue, we had a chance to appreciate what LiveCity Yaletown actually looks like, without the zillions of international Olympic fans that are soon to cover each and every recently installed fake brick: