Sports

It wasn't a moment, but it happened fast Before the final seconds passed When the truth became the past Eternal facts will always last This can't be real so I deny it A cosmic joke A real riot To myself I'd rather lie Than know the pain I'd rather die And then I seethe in exploding rage The Beast is screaming in his cage My body clenches and thrashes inside Nothing stings like wounded pride I make a plea for simple perspective Seeking solace in the nice life I live A happy past and a hopeful future But the present…

After a dismal start to the Northeast ski season, a storm blew in on Thursday and Friday to drastically improve the situation. Knowing that I was headed to Foxborough for the Patriots-Broncos playoff game on Saturday night, I sacrificed sleep for snow and awoke in 5am darkness to head North and find the fluff. Scouring weather reports and triangulating distances between Brooklyn and Foxborough, I settled on an area I knew little about, but that seemed intriguing: Berkshire East in Charlemont, Mass. was reporting 12-14" of freshies, so I hopped in the car and rolled into the lot at 9:30am,…

Up until 9th grade, hockey was a huge part of my life. I played on various school teams and attended camps dedicated to improving my ice skills. The Bruins of my middle school years were a solid bunch, led by Ray Borque, Cam Neely and Adam Oates and were tantalizingly good but never achieved the dream of winning a Cup and faded into an afterthought through mismanagement and the end of my playing days. For the past 20 years, I have watched the team collapse year after year, losing painfully to the arch-rival Canadiens several times in the playoffs and…

I did a lot of skiing over the past week, in Maine and Vermont, and while the conditions varied considerably from the first day (icy and wind holds on most lifts) to the last day (almost two feet of powder), I always have fun playing on a mountain. That last day, however, also involved one of my best discoveries of all time: Magic Mountain. This place was around back when I first started learning the sport, though I never went, then closed in 1991.  I never heard another word about it until last weekend, when I was informed that it…

Snow! Vermont! Skiing! Three-day weekend! I clicked into my bindings for the first time this season at Okemo and thanks a month of heavy snowfall, the skiing was delicious! Two full days of the most exhilarating activity that I participate in, gliding down a mountain a pair of planks; gaining terminal velocity on steep groomers, bumping into rhythm on moguls or picking a line through a maze of trees in the glades, I am constantly hooting and hollering in gleeful joy. Aside from the possibility of maiming or killing (small odds!) skiing never lets me down. Unlike some other activities…

Football fever! The greatest tournament in the world has returned and my eyes are glued to the TV. I have been watching excessive hockey and basketball playoffs, as well as plenty of baseball recently, but these games seem insignificant compared to the global stage of the quadrennial soccer tournament. The simplicity of the sport makes for great viewing, placing the athleticism of the competitors in focus and the game structure, two uninterrupted halves, limits our exposure to the dreaded corporate advertising that dominates American sports; how glorious to feel like a fan instead of a consumer! The games are being…