Talking In Obscurity, "Sidney Crosby the Rookie Year," by Sidney Crosby

 

Or Download This Episode Here: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/36eei3/Sidney_Crosby_Podcast_Edit6xjkh.mp3

Alright, book fans who also happen to be sports fans, today Steven and I are talking about Sidney Crosby's audible original "Sidney Crosby the Rookie Year." 

"Sidney Crosby The Rookie Year" by Sidney Crosby--Nonfiction Review

Today’s “book” is an audible original on one of the best to play the game of hockey, “Sidney Crosby the Rookie Year.”

What I love about this book:

It’s a short book that gets you right into it; introductions are made, and then—bam—we’re back vicariously living out the day Sidney Crosby was drafted to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

How this program is presented, through some narration by Joe Manganiello and interviews with Sid himself and those closest to him during his rookie year, creates an intimate atmosphere. I found it interesting to see what this moment in time looked like from Crosby’s point of view because to say he was kind of a big deal in the league then and today—is a major understatement.

You get to learn what his life was like, to be one of the best to play the game from the very beginning, and to play with and live under Lemieux’s roof, literally. That mentor dynamic between Crosby and Lemieux is unique because—while I’m not an expert in the subject—how often does a sports phenomenon get to apprentice under one of the last generation’s phenoms?

What I don’t love about this book:

The pressure we put on people like Sidney Crosby to be “on” all the time is shitty and unfair. When he was drafted by the Penguins, he was still a teenager, and many of the city’s sports fans put their hopes and dreams squarely on Crosby’s shoulders. They were all counting all of the Stanley Cup wins before even that first playoff game—and when that did not pan out, Sid got a lot of the blame. As if one player, and one player alone, could change the trajectory of a team’s winning or losing season. That isn’t to knock the influence one player can have; leadership has a tangible effect on performance. I’m merely stating that the group is more important than the individual in a team sport. If the group can’t perform, that extra edge by having a few ringers can’t make up for the deficit.

This is more a thing I don’t like about the game of hockey than this book, and that is how often fights break out and aren’t immediately stopped. Which, I get, is an unusual stance for me to take because of all sports; boxing is probably my favorite. I don’t like it in hockey, though, because it tacitly makes it ok to counter someone skilled at the game, maybe even the best on the ice, like Sid, by just hurting him. I get that there is a difference between a hard hit and a fight. But think about any time anyone hauls off and straight up punches a guy in football, baseball, and basketball. It’s rare, and it isn’t tolerated.

Parting thoughts:

I’m not much of a sports guy—I know, shocking, right? So as exciting as some of this book is, a lot of it is wasted on me. Actually, I’ve been to a lot of hockey games over the years. I’m always excited to go, and I enjoy myself when there, that atmosphere, seeing incredible athletes be effortlessly amazing on the ice, and the concession stand… I might have an unhealthy relationship with food. In any case, of the several dozen games I’ve been to over the years, with one friend or another, I’ve probably only ever “watched” the Penguins game on TV, maybe just as many times over the years as I’ve been to games in person.

Anyway, the point I’m making here is that hockey just isn’t in the orbit of my life regularly. That’s important because I still remember the day Sidney Crosby was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins all these years later. I remember the conversations I had that day in 2005. Pittsburgh is that much of a sports town. It was the only conversation happening before and after it was confirmed that Sidney Crosby was coming to Pittsburgh.

Everyone was saying, “Sid is the next Super Mario,” and nobody was confused about who they meant, and it wasn’t the video game character.

I find it fascinating how the passion for some things, like when this Canadian kid about my age came to town, is so transcendent that it doesn’t matter who you are—you’re aware.

Talking In Obscurity, "The Sandman," by Neil Gaiman And Dirk Maggs

 

Or Download This Episode Here: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/b5fmfr/The_Sandman_Podcast_edit9dcwx.mp3

So during this episode, where Steven and I talk about Neil Gaiman and Dirk Maggs's excellent radio drama version of "The Sandman." I used the word "adjective," where I meant to say "adverb," and the shame will be carried on by my descendants. I have since fallen on my grammar sword, but it was pretty blunt, so it was just mildly inconvenient. 

Anyway, if you're interested in an audio experience about a DC comics character, "The Sandman" is awesome.

Author's Website: https://www.neilgaiman.com/

&

Author's Website: http://www.dirkmaggs.com/

Micro Mention "The Home Front: Life in America During WWII"

World War 2 was an incredibly destructive event, but it was no picnic back on the home front either. In the audible original “The Home Front: Life in America During WWII,” you can get a sense of the heroic and, sadly, some not so heroic American actions during & after the war.

I’ve thought a lot about, talked a lot, and even written a lot about the Second World War on this blog, and I think, more than any other event in the modern era, no event has shaped our world more than it. Certainly, other events before and after helped to shape the present, but it’s almost like there is a clear dividing line in modern history that even World War One didn’t quite define—not like the second one. The world was one way before the war and quite another place after it.

My suspicion is it’s because as we settled into the cold war, we collectively realized as a species that we now had the means to end civilization and extinguish ourselves with nuclear weapons. It’s hard to grasp, to even approach, that we seriously considered suicide for decades—generations—as a species.

Micro Mention "The Science of Sci-Fi"

The Great Courses “The Science of Sci-Fi” is a short course by Erin Macdonald, but it offers a wonderful survey of the technology in Science Fiction and how it relates to actual physics and quantum mechanics at a pop-science intro level. 

If you're ever interested in common science and technology tropes in science fiction stories, and how to think about them, and how they relate to real-world science, then this course is worth a listen. Honestly, any aspiring science fiction writer would be served well by taking the time to listen to this short course.

Micro Mention "Romeo and Juliet A Novel"

I found this reinterpretation of the classic Romeo and Juliet tragedy to be wonderful. David Hewson suffuses Juliet's soul with a bit of steel that we don't get in the original Shakespeare play. He also highlights and underscores what I always thought was Romeo's greatest tragic flaw—his wild, unchecked passion. It's that passion that makes him so destructive to himself, and everyone around him—like fire or a hurricane.

Richard Armitage also gives an amazing performance reading this book. His nurse voice is hysterical. Even when it was a serious moment, I couldn't help but chuckle.

Author's Website: https://davidhewson.com/

Micro Mention "History of Bourbon"

We're friends now, no, really, that was an incantation, and by reading it, we're now friends forever. Anyway, BFF, I feel comfortable telling you about two of my great loves—other than books—whiskey and The Great Courses. So a Great Course about whiskey is a no-brainer. 

Come for the excellent education on whiskey stay for the classic drinking songs. Thank you, Professor Albala, very much for this first-rate course.

Primarily focussed on bourbon, a kind of whiskey, for the non-whiskey drinkers out there, this course is also an interesting look at all whiskeys' history in general.

Author's Website: http://kenalbala.blogspot.com/