In what has (happily) become an almost yearly ritual, we are heading to Kentville, Nova Scotia tomorrow to defend the Caledonia Cup. 9 years ago next week my generation of rugby Loyalists won our first Cup after a 20 year drought at the club. It was an incredible day in 1999 but after tasting alot of success since then, and winning the Cup 5 more times since then, what gets me the most is how much all of the boys still care about this game, this trophy. It means as much now as it did 10 or 15 years ago when we hadn't won it yet.
Every year we bring in a host of new players and we preach to them about how hard we worked to become the best team around here. And then if we do the work to get to this game all of the old boys come out of the wood work and send out inspirational messages that really hammer the message of how much this means into all of us. It gives me chills reading them and it's great for all those young guys to know what we are playing for. Besides, it's a pretty simple formula to this game; win and you get a happy off-season, lose and your pissed off all winter. It's really in everyone's best interest if we win.
I have to (somewhat guiltily) admit that I have been watching the election race south of the border with more interest than I had for the one up here. What can I say? It's like a yearlong reality tv show with some incredible characters. Not to mention all those flashy lights the news networks have. AND ALL THE YELLING! Plus there is the fact that, you know, there is a real possibility that this election will shape the world's view of America for a generation.
So, as all this is going on it's easy to forget just what we will be losing when the next president takes Over. The president that I would most like to have a beer with and challenge to a chug and sprint contest. I found this site of some of the many reasons why he will be missed today. For the record, he would win the chug but I would catch him in the last 10 meters of the 50m sprint.
We retained our provincial title on Saturday in a very tight match versus the much improved Trojans. The full recap can be found here.
We were humbled a few weeks back in St. John's so this game gave us our shot a salvaging our season. It was a very close match and will go down as a memorable one for me for a variety of reasons. You can probably see some relief on my face. Mostly, though, I'm just happy we get to play another week and get a shot to be a slightly bigger fish in a slightly bigger pond.
So yesterday was the big day and it went off without a hitch. To complete the story in the haphazard way in which I completed the degree I had to pay off a final fee on Wednesday to actually be able to cross the stage and pick up my diploma. I did so and was able to do just that, although my name did not appear in the program. The irony was not lost on the family.
And thankfully there was much family there. Mom and Sam, Granny and Grampy, Sarah, Margie and the whole MacAfee clan made it to the ceremony. They tell me they cheered as my name was announced and I walked acoss the stage but I didn't hear a thing. I spent 16 years trying to get the degree done and the time for savouring was over, just give me the damn piece of paper. I raced off to practice to get a serious, and enjoyable, ribbing from the boys.
I then went over and met the family and others at the Blue Door for dinner and had a wonderful dinner. It was a fantastic day and a fantastic evening.
The next day before dropping off my gown I wanted to give a nod to the family name because it was probably the reason the felt the need to give me the degree anyways. I went in to the chapel in the Old Arts Building and had my graduation caddy Sarah Wilby snap this photo of my grandfather Desmond and I:That's for you dad.
Thanks to everyone for seeing this through with me and to everyone who made the whole day so memorable.
So back in 1992, looking something like this, I gradgeeated from FHS and thanks to a rough second semester only had options to go to UNB, STU and ST.FX. For some reason I decided to stay at home and play rugby with the boys rather than heading to Antigonish. I'm comfortable with my decision. I had a great few years in Freddy and at UNB before heading to Victoria for 6 years and leaving my acedemic aspirations at home.
16 years later, after picking away for the past few years, I am set to complete the degree I started way back when. I am graduating with my BA in History on Thursday at UNB's fall convocation. I was joking over the weekend with the boys about UNB giving me a courtesy degree and generally being pretty glib about it. But in all honesty I am very happy that I have gotten it done and will proudly accept my diploma on stage on Thursday.
Tay Creek and the greater Fredericton region are all ecstatic about Matt Stairs and Philadelphia Phillies making it to the World Series. We are even more ecstatic about the role that Matt played in getting them there with his two-run homer heroics from Game 4. Stairs came on as a pinch-hitter in a tie ball game and swung for the fences, connecting for the winning runs. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Stone Cold Stairs will go down as one of the best ballplayers this country has ever produced. And now the world knows his first love is hockey.
So with his heroics that have put his team one step closer to baseball heaven the Hammerin' Hoser has had increased media attention which lead to him uttering what is being called the MLB quote of the year, with good reason. Of his reception at the dugout Stairs said - “When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you’re getting your ass hammered by guys — there’s no better feeling than to have that done.”. I says pardon?
Regardless of that little gaffe I love that this guy is getting the attention he deserves. It gives me goosebumps when the announcers say where he's from. "That's where I'm from!"
Here's a message from his coach for Flashback Friday:
Well it went as most predicted, with Harper's Conservatives getting a slightly stronger majority. They will still be hamstrung by their numbers and their leader's inability or refusal to broker for consensus. Harper gambled that the electorate would believe that it was the Liberals that forced this election that nobody wanted but not enough people believed him. Now we get stuck with more schoolyard posturing instead of any sort of effective government.
All indications are pointing to another Conservative minority which will mean another couple of ineffectual years of childish nattering in Ottawa. I don't like Harper much but I'm not a huge fan of Dion's either so this might just be the year that I throw my vote to the Orange or the Green. And seeing as I feel I need to wash after listening to Jack Layton speak, maybe Green it is. At least it will give them some more green.
This weekend is the first annual Bill Thorpe Memorial game. His son, and my good friend, Matt arrived home on Tuesday to take part in the game and also a brief ceremony at the club prior to the game. We’ve had a couple of good nights of fun since he arrived, laughing at the club, and remembering exactly why we play the game that his dad introduced to so many. It’s a good lesson after how we were feeling after last weekend.
Tomorrow’s game is against a UNB select team made up of alumni who are home for their reunion. It was the perfect time to play this first installment. UNB is our most traditional rival and we now enjoy are good relationship with them. Having said that, when game time comes there will no doubt be lots of animosity and probably even some barbs thrown back and forth. We are Loyalists and they are Squirrels, that’s just the way it goes. The story goes that Bill named the club the Loyalists but I have no idea who thought of calling the Ironmen squirrels but it’s said to be because after the game the go up the hill and play with their nuts. So with that in mind, here’s Friday’s Flashback:
We've all done it at one time or another...picked up the phone and called someone when we probably shouldn't have. Typically it's pretty harmless and sometimes it turned out to be completely worthwhile. Sometimes though, like the time one of the boys stole my phone and sent a text message to an ex-girlfriend asking to get back together, they aren't so funny (at least at the time, to her boyfriend). Specifically for such cases, I've thought that a drunk dial detector would be a great idea on a cell phone. I'm still not sure how to make it work on a phone but it looks like Google came up with an idea to keep you from tipsy typing on gmail. I would say that this feature is another factor in my considering a move to gmail. If I could only trust that they aren't selling my internet habits to marketers.
When I started playing rugby with the Loyalists I was 17. Most of the guys I played with were a year or 2 or 3 older. For the first few years that young squad got our asses kicked all over the province. It was tough but it was experience and the core of our current squad still goes to that well to remind ourselves what it was like to lose. We may have needed a reminder after ripping off 36 straight wins in the last 3 seasons and on Saturday we got it…with interest.
We got a bit of a lesson in running rugby and lost 62-0 to the Swilers in St. John’s. I never expected that mostly because I didn’t think this team could lose like that. We did, and now some of the new crew of young guys get to tuck that experience away for use at a later date. I know those monumental losses in the early 90’s kept us running for a long while…and maybe still do.
Speaking of running, yesterday was the annual Run for the Cure. I don’t like missing the Run for the Cure or the Relay for Life, maybe for some morbid comfort knowing that so many other people have been floored at one time or another by cancer, but more likely to feel good knowing that there are this many people that have been affected and are trying to do something about it. Now those are losses….and they keep you running.
Diane keeps me running and I can’t here this song without thinking of her and how much she would have liked it, so here’s my future ex-wife:
The club is off to the Rock this weekend for a game against the Swilers that will decide who can claim Atlantic rugby bragging rights for another year. We’ve won it 3 years running but no team traveling to St. John’s should ever feel like anything but the underdog. The weather is looking good for tomorrow but it is a rock in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean so that could change in the blink of an eye. No matter what, we should expect our toughest test of the season thus far…so that’s something right there.
It should also be noted that any trip to the Granite Planet contains a good time quotient. In honour of that here is this week’s flashback:
I’m a bit late on this but I guess I had my head up my ass for most of the last week.
Paul Newman died last week. At 83 he is obviously not of my generation but he is, however, a role model that men of any age could do well to emulate. He mapped out the way to grow old gracefully and, seemingly, happily. It doesn’t hurt that he was blessed from the beginning with good looks and eyes that they write songs about. But (way) beyond the swooning that we’d all like to elicit, Paul used his charm and looks for good as a philanthropist of the highest order. I urge you to take a look at this clip from Letterman:
For most Canadian guys, Newman is most famous for his role as Reggie Dunlop in Slapshot. And it’s this role that I get the biggest kick out of…he was a scoundrel but he was a scoundrel trying to do the right thing. I don’t think I’m a scoundrel nor am I a player/coach but I do play and I do coach so I like to think there is a little Reggie Dunlop in me. Whatever it takes to make the girls swoon. I guess the philanthropy should follow, right Paul?RIP – Pace out.
In what has (happily) become an almost yearly ritual, we are heading to Kentville, Nova Scotia tomorrow to defend the Caledonia Cup. 9 years ago next week my generation of rugby Loyalists won our first Cup after a 20 year drought at the club. It was an incredible day in 1999 but after tasting alot of success since then, and winning the Cup 5 more times since then, what gets me the most is how much all of the boys still care about this game, this trophy. It means as much now as it did 10 or 15 years ago when we hadn't won it yet. 
