Beards for Africa, An Update

Well, every team in the 2010 World Cup has now played their first game and a few have already played their second so I figured it was time for a couple updates for you guys. First I want to give you a quick update on each of the African teams in the World Cup which I am so closely following, and then I figured a beard update was in order. Since I know some of you just want to see how poorly my beard is coming along, go ahead and scroll to the bottom, take a peak at the picture but then come right back up here to read about the African teams...I'll wait for you.


Alright, did you get your laughs in? Now back to business. Here's a quick blurb on each of the African teams in reverse order, starting with the team that played their first game most recently and so on.

Ivory Coast
The Elephants were possibly the best-looking African side in the first round of games. They played a great game against Portugal and deserved to win but came out with a 0-0 draw. They had the bulk of the chances and looked dangerous in creating opportunities on goal but just couldn't put any of them away. I was happy with the way they played though and have given me confidence that they can advance out of the group stage. Their key game will be when they play Korea DPR. They need to win that game to have any chance of advancing in the tournament.

Cameroon
The Indomitable Lions (one of the best nicknames in the Tournament) ran into a tough and well-prepared Japanese team in their first game and fell 1-0. That being said, Cameroon played quite well and aside from the one short defensive lapse that led to Japan's goal, probably was the better team overall. They are in a tough group though and with games upcoming against Denmark and The Netherlands, it seems to be a long shot for advancement.

Ghana
This is the team I have the biggest connection to. I lived right next to the small country of Ghana for 6.5 years, and lived in it for 6 months. So, naturally I was pretty excited for their opening game against Serbia. I got even more riled up when the pre-game commentators were writing off the Black Stars before the game even started saying that they wouldn't be able to overcome Serbia. You can imagine how proud and happy I was when Ghana pretty much was in control the whole game and scored the winning goal with just a few minutes left to seal a 1-0 victory. With their next game against Australia, who looked pretty bad against Germany, Ghana can all but guarantee their spot in the next round with a victory. The Black Stars are quite possibly Africa's best chance for an African team to go far in the first ever World Cup in Africa.

Algeria
The Desert Foxes have a really cool nickname but are easily the African team I have the least interest in. They lost their first game to Slovenia 1-0 on a really week goal let in by their keeper (not quite as weak as Robert Green's gaff against the U.S. but close) and now are up against it with their two remaining games being against England and the U.S. They may come away with zero points to their name when all is said and done.

Nigeria
Tonight the Super Eagles took one on the chin. In their second game which was against Greece, they scored the opening goal and looked on their way to a crucial victory when soon after one of their players received a red card and was sent off. Being a man short for the rest of the game was too much to handle and they eventually fell 2-1, despite putting up a good fight. Now with 2 losses to open the tournament, they are all but out. They need to win the last game and got a lot of help in order to pull off the miracle.

South Africa
The host team, Bafana Bafana, definitely have their work cut out for them. After an impressive draw with Mexico in their first game, they suffered a defeat in their second game against Uruguay and now need everything to fall just right in order to advance to the next round. Basically they need to beat France and hope that Uruguay lose to Mexico so they have a chance to get through based on goal difference. 




And how about that beard? Well, not sure if that's what you call it but hey, it is what it is, right? It's now the end of Day 7 of the South African World Cup and my beard in support of African football is making progress. I'm almost to the point where it stops becoming annoying and itchy and is just comfortable...at least that's what I keep telling myself.

DAY 7

To Beard or Not To Beard

What better way to get into the World Cup spirit than to bring a little NHL flare into it? I am Canadian after all. One of the most common things to see in the NHL during the months of May and June are the players putting away the shaving gel and razor and letting their faces do the talking, facial hair style. Take a look at some of the fine examples:

This strange and amazingly cool tradition of growing beards in the playoffs was started in the 80's by the New York Islanders. After their run of success ended in the mid-80's the tradition was lost for a while until brought back by the 1995 New Jersey Devils. As time has gone on though, the tradition has been adopted by a few players in the NFL as evidenced by Big Ben and Jake Plummer, and now the fans of the teams often get into the spirit and let the facial locks flow during the post-season. A good evidence of this is my buddy Dave whose beard was unfairly short-lived because his beloved Red Wings were not up to the task in this years playoffs.

By now you are probably wondering what all this has to do with me and the 2010 World Cup. Well, I have decided to take an NHL superstition and bring it to the biggest sporting event in the world. In the hopes of spurring African teams on to victory, I will not allow a blade of any sort to touch my face until the conclusion of the World Cup. Don't get too excited- I'm not incredibly skilled at beard-growing so there won't be much to see, but oh well, that won't stop me from trying. I had a few days head start on the lack of shaving but that's ok because for me the World Cup had pretty much already begun last weekend.

Here's the "beard" on Day 1 of the World Cup:

And if any of you were wondering what reason you would have to cheer for the African teams, let me just say that if an African team makes it all the way to the championship game I will have a special facial hair surprise for you.

The World Cup So Far

Well, 2 days of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa have come and gone so I thought I should take a few moments to summarize and share with you my observations so far. I could present my findings in a nice, formal, professional kind of way that flows and makes sense and is by the book....or, I could just give you some random thoughts. Which do you think I chose??







Best game to watch
Has to be the opener, Mexico vs. South Africa with England vs U.S.A. and Argentina vs. Nigeria a close tie for second.  You just can't top the excitement and atmosphere when the home team plays the first game for an African team in a World Cup on African soil. Plus they played pretty well and were unbelievably close to winning.

Worst game to watch
Uruguay vs. France...by far. I should like France because they have 4 Arsenal players on the roster (3 of which started in the game) but I just can't. They just seem to be primed for a big disappointment. On Wednesday I told a co-worker that I think France will play bad and not make it out of the group stage. Based on their first game, I look like a genius.

Ugliest kit so far
In the world of football, the jersey's they wear are referred to as 'kits'. So far the kits have been pretty good with one exception, the United States. Take a look:

The caption to this photo should read, "I really am not thrilled that I look like a contestant in Miss America." Yeah, I get that this is probably supposed to be a throwback to the vintage 1950 World Cup kit but I think this is a throwback that they should throw back.


Best moment
This is an easy one. It has to be the opening goal by South African midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala. A beautiful build up by Bafana Bafana led to a brilliant strike by Tshabalala. It was the picture perfect opening for the first World Cup on African soil. Check it out:



Best word
Another easy one, it has to be the South African noisemakers called 'vuvuzelas'. These are the horn things that about 75% of the people at the games seem to own. When they are all being blown in unison the sound that is created is like the stadium has just been engulfed by a giant swarm of bees. They might get annoying by the end of the tournament but either way, it's a fun word to say. Go ahead, try it.

Game I'm looking forward to the most right now
That would have to be Ghana vs. Serbia on Sunday morning. Ghana is arguably the best team in Africa and the best chance for an African team to go far in this world cup. Plus I lived in Ghana for 6 months and right beside it for another 6.5 years so I definitely have a strong rooting interest. Go Black Stars!


As always, thanks for reading and please be sure to enjoy yourself some World Cup!

Who Is Your Favourite Handegg Team?

Mine is the San Francisco 49ers. Wait a minute, you say. Even for those that aren't big sports buffs, most people know that the 49ers play in the NFL, aka the National Football League. Those are the same 49ers that I m referring to.

So, there is something that needs to be cleared up right away. The biggest sporting event in the world is set to get underway this Friday; the World Cup, the tournament that decides which nation is the football champion of the world. What this means for me is that I am gearing up for a solid month of early bedtimes so I can wake up for the first match of the day at 5:15 AM local time, as well as avoiding all human contact for the rest of the day so I can go home after work and watch the the other two games of the day that I have taped and hopefully not heard the results for. (This will be a daunting task, but if anyone can pull it off, I believe I am that person.) But the other thing that this means is we need to clear up the debate about what we call this sport and who gets to claim the title of 'football'.

Living in North America we tend to have a very 'America-centric' view of the world. Because of this, when we hear the word 'football' we think of big men wearing body armour and crashing into each other and chasing a funny-shaped brown ball around the field. But for one brief moment let's remember that we live in a very big world, a world in which we are the minority when it comes to this debate. So once and for all, let us set the record straight: there is only one game called football.

Let's all enjoy the great game of football over the next month. And come the fall, I'll be dialed in cheering my 49ers on in another exciting season of handegg action.

Zeke Says Hi

Only in Hawaii will you find a sign like this, eh? Well, I'm back from my little solo vacation to the beautiful island of Maui and I bring greetings from Zeke, the beach, macadamia nuts, and sweet solitude.

There's probably a lot I could say about my trip so I might deliver it to you guys in a few bite-sized chunks. It was definitely a good time, a time which I was very much hoping didn't have to end as soon as it did.  But now it's back to reality, back to work, back to the noise and distraction of everyday. It sure didn't take long to get jolted back to reality as I landed in Calgary on Saturday afternoon and was greeted by sub-zero temperatures (sub 32 for my American friends) and blowing snow. Not a welcome sight, at all. 

So to get a little glimpse into how my week that was was, you need to know one thing: I fell in love while I was in Maui. Don't get too excited, I actually fell in love a few times while I was there. And I'm pretty sure that it was inanimate objects I fell in love with so don't worry, no wedding bells in my near future...or are there? Ok, no really, I'm not getting married, promise. But I did fall in love in Maui. I fell in love with...

...lying in a hammock on the beach. If you have never experienced the relaxation that you get from lying in a hammock in the shade on a beach with a gentle breeze blowing then you are truly missing one of life's better things. In fact, if you ever go to Maui or someplace similar, I strongly recommend you don't go hammock-less.

...having virtually an entire professional-caliber golf course to myself for an afternoon. I broke the bank a bit to get the chance to play a golf course that every January is home to the first PGA Tour event of the year, and quite literally I was all by myself out there. So I relaxed, took my time, and snapped a bunch of pictures.

...going on a 4.5 hour hike through an amazing landscape and once again, having the place to myself. It's going to be super tough to put this experience into words for you but I'll try to in a later post. It was truly unreal.

...macadamia nuts, 'nuff said.

...a local coffee shop called Maui Coffee Roasters that is home to some amazing coffee ($1.50 for an Americano!!!) and free wi-fi. I found my way to this place pretty much everyday, even when it was out of my way.

So there you go, there's a little snapshot into my time away. Some of those things may find their way into other posts later on but for now that gives you a pretty good idea of what my trip entailed.

As always, mahalo for reading. 

Hooked on Phonics Worked for Me

I have a couple minutes to get in a quick post before I leave for paradise. I'm only there for 6 days and 6 nights but I'm hoping that I have ample time to sit back, relax, and read some good books. I thought I'd give you a quick glimpse into some of the books I'm taking along with me for the flights and the beach-side reading.

This is a book that I have heard described along the lines of the most important book for a Christian to read after the Bible.  Can't go wrong with that right?

How is it possible that in my almost 30 years of life I have never read this classic piece of literature? Maybe I read some kids version of it when I was young but I sure don't remember it. I'm interested to read about this pilgrim's journey and see what I can learn from him.

I've heard a lot of really good things about this book and N.T. Wright. He is one of the most well-known New Testament scholars of the day (so I've read anyways) but I admittedly don't know much about him. Not all may be totally on board with him but I will reserve judgement until I've read some of his writing.

I love everything that Ravi does so I'm really stoked to get his take on love, marriage etc. I greatly respect this man and I expect this book will not disappoint.

I have to have one book that is purely fictional for sheer entertainment, right? I have been looking forward to this sci-fi book for a while. One of my favourite bands is Coheed and Cambria who have five concept albums. They are a prog-rock kind of group and their music brings you into an intricate story conceived by lead singer Claudio Sanchez. I have  been listening to them extensively for a couple years now and they just released the first novel in the series to go along with the music.  Finally a great series of novels that has a great soundtrack to go with it.




I know there is no way I can read all these books in one week. That's ok though, just having a week to get away and spend some time in great literature is going to be awesome. I always feel like I should read more often but usually there are too many distractions, well, here's my chance.

Enjoy your week everybody and I'll be sure to swallow a mouthful of ocean water for you.

Push the button...

Well folks, the time has come.  It's time to exit from the norm, the everyday, the mundane, the constant noise. Sometimes don't you wish you could just get away from it all? Shut off the distraction of life for a while and just stop and think, reflect, re-focus? Sounds kind of impossible, eh? I mean, is it realistic to think that one can get away from it all, even for a short time to just get back to basics and reflect? Well, it might not be totally possible but I'm going to give it a go.


I'm calling it my sabbatical.  According to to dictionary.com a sabbatical is "any extended period of leave from one's customary work, esp. for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc." Sounds alright, eh? I don't know if you can call what I'm doing an 'extended period' and I'm not sure about acquiring any new skills or training but it will be good anyways.  So, you might ask what am I doing? Well, I might answer. No, I will answer. I'm going to Maui. Since I work for an airline I'm taking advantage of the perks and heading to paradise for a week. When I got this job the first trip I took was to Maui and I've been wanting to go back ever since, that was 2.5 years ago. 


Next question, who am I going with? Absolutely no one. It wouldn't be a real sabbatical if I was doing everything with a bunch of people would it? I want to have some quality solo time, a true break from he everyday. As much as I love people, there is something to be said for not being around them for a while. 


Another big question, where am I staying? On the beach, in a tent. Again, staying in a fancy, touristy resort doesn't seem like a real sabbatical to me. So I'm taking some chances, trying something new, going out on a limb.  I'm headed to Maui with a tent, a hammock, (thanks Jay) some good books and my ipod. Oh, and my golf clubs. You can't go to Maui and not golf right?


I'm gong to try and get it another post before I leave and let you in on some of the books I'm taking and some of my plans for when I'm there but in the meanwhile, here are a few pictures from my last trip to Maui.