Recent Comments by maudlin

Who's rooting for Danica tomorrow?

Damn. Just a little more fuel and she might have made it. A stall, a spinout and damage to her nose cone -- and then she came back to lead for almost twenty laps. So.Kick.Ass.

posted by maudlin at 03:21 PM on May 29, 2005

Canada wins the Gold in Ice hockey, 5-2

Iginla was the standout for me today. Don't get to see many Calgary games here in Toronto, so I was glad to see him during the games.

posted by maudlin at 04:50 PM on February 24, 2002

Russia threatens to pull out of the Olympics

What's this with "Russian skater robbed"? She was one of my favourites, I was rooting for her -- and she turned in a stiff, awkward and technically compromised performance. She didn't have as many complex jumps at the American gold medallist, she almost fell on one jump, and her presentation was stiff and awkward. The other American skater was hands-down the best tonight. There was no robbery.

posted by maudlin at 10:55 PM on February 21, 2002

Canadian women defeat Americans in Ice Hockey

There were a lot of bad calls tonight. I was watching (and cheering!) on the CBC, as even our commentators pointed out that the Americans got a couple of unjustified penalties. But most people I hear from, including some Americans, thought Canada got some bogus calls. I expected rougher play tonight: gold medal game between bitter rivals? Damn straight things were going to be a little more intense. Referee calls in the kind of full-contact play you get in Europe and the NHL are going to be somewhat subjective even under the best circumstances. The no-contact rule in women's hockey makes things worse as this leaves even more leeway for some subconscious bias. These players are so obviously not made of spun sugar: let them play freely. Anyway, props to the American team. They're a fierce bunch and they didn't give up -- I was *not* breathing easily in the final minutes -- and from what I hear, a lot of them were sick with the flu this week and had even been on IV fluids. On to the next match!

posted by maudlin at 08:56 PM on February 21, 2002