Well it's been almost 40 years since I turned pro and I've seen quite a number of games over the years, but last night was the first time in my life that I've ever been invited to go to a game with a girl...  Sweet!  It came about in a round about way, but it was really pleasant watching the game with Lori Turoff.  She and my Koguma Dojo Daisempai have season tickets to the NJ Devils and last night she originally had a conflict, so Daisempai invited me to go along.  As luck... Read full post

So my friend, Neil Goldman, of Boston, told me last season that his favorite sport is NHL Playoff Hockey... And while it sounds amusing at first blush, it is true that playoffs is 'a sport' in its own right!  Every shift on the ice counts in your success or going home.  My neighbor reminded me yesterday that it will take 16 playoff wins for the 2011/12 Stanley Cup Champions to be crowned.  That is more games than the entire NFL season!  And they come after some 10 pre-season... Read full post

So Ombra and I heard that there is a Tai Chi class taking place at our club and decided to try it out today.  The logic being, if we can perfect the slow motion Tai Chi movements and techniques then our karate movements and techniques will become that much stronger.  Well, having taken the 45 minute class, I can definitely say that we are on target with our thinking.  All of the movements take a lot of focus and balance, which is exactly what we need on the other end of the... Read full post

My Karate Daisempai is a REAL New Jersey Devils fan and he recently sent me a question that many fans probably do not know the answer to, even though it happens quite often during a hockey game.  
He noted: “There was a faceoff in the Devils end.  Before the linesman dropped the puck, the players anticipated the drop and started to move their sticks.  The ref then made the Devils change the player for the faceoff.  My wife, Lori, asked why they had to change, and why... Read full post

So this past Saturday (March 17th, 2012) was the BIG day at Koguma Dojo -- Promotion Class!  It was an exciting day for all of us in the school and our full day ended with a party for our Dojo brothers and sisters at our home to celebrate...  Within all of the things our Daisempai had planned for us (pictures to follow) was breaking boards!  I was the first to jump up for that one, Ombretta soon followed... Check out the video:... Read full post

All this going against him, yet Kermit is still a movie star! ;o)

It's a blessing, man," Rose told ESPN reporters about the deal before the NBA All-Star game this weekend. "Definitely a blessing. They've been with me, they stuck with me from the beginning and I'm happy that I'm a part of them for the rest of my life."
That's the comment from Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls point guard, on the announcement that he signed a "lifetime agreement" with Adidas in an endorsement deal worth as much as $250 million... Just goes to show how much money a sport company can... Read full post

New York Times headline: "Hold the Profanity: Telecast will Capture a Game's Sounds"
I have one comment: BAD IDEA!
The article explains that the first, second and third baseman, the shortstop, the catcher and the center fielder will be wired with microphones, as will be the coaches -- when they step on to the field... Of course, there will be a time delay to bleep out the profanity that is sure to be included in the "game's sounds". But this idea is sheer stupidity for a number of reasons... Read full post

Yesterday's New York Times article on Blocking Shots in NHL was interesting. I was particularly amazed to see the growth in the trend! In the 1997/98 season, the Rangers led the league with 871 blocked shots. This year, the Islanders are on a pace to block 1,430! That's something else... In my era, the equipment was certainly not of a standard as today's; we didn't wear helmets, let alone ones with plastic visors; neither did we use teeth guards... But we nonetheless still blocked a lot of... Read full post

Ass-end into the End Zone?
There has been a lot of talk these days about the Patriot coaching choice to try to give Tom Brady another chance to score a touchdown to steal the game from the Giants, following Bradshaw’s bum-first TD… It seems that players on the Patriots had a hard time swallowing the concept of letting Bradshaw run – unchallenged – into their end zone in the Super Bowl. I can relate! It is extremely hard for long-trained athletes to override his/her... Read full post