My Brier Picks - The Camera Doesn't Lie
I love the watching the Men's Canadian Championship. I don't think I have missed watching the Championship since 1981 when some kids from Manitoba led by Kerry Burtnyk won it all. As a teenager watching in Dauphin, I couldn't help but have a huge crush on Kerry and became his lifetime fan. I have met him casually a few times since and I can tell you that he worth the adoration.
One of the reasons that I love curling is that there is more to the game than just pure skill and strategy. Every curler has the capability to come out and have a world class game. Every world class curler has the potential to come out and have one of their worst games ever. There are so many intangible factors that go into each game. That is why, even though I love the TSN crews, I prefer to watch the game on mute. That way, I can pay attention to those "little things" that can contribute to a team success.
Here is what I've noticed this week:
NT: Unfortunately, I don't think that it is likely that they will ever make the playoffs again. They used to be a favorite for me to watch, but, since they made the playoffs in 2012, they have been less fun to watch. Now, they are putting too much pressure on themselves. They are attempting to make their game more complicated to be competitive and are just not enjoying themselves like they used to.
BC: I like watching Johnny Mo and I like watching his evolution from a hot head to just a guy who likes to throw rocks. They are definitely talented, but something is missing from their team dynamic. The rest of the team still sees Johnny as a mentor and not as a team member. Once they realize, they are equals, they will do better.
AL: Watching Alberta this week is a little like watching an on-line poker player play live for the first time. It is different. Yes, the team has the talent but being at the Big Show for the first time is difficult. They have kept their composure but their disappointment has shown and they haven't been as loose as they should. Having low expectations is a tremendous gift and I would have liked them to show their youth more.
SK: Adam Casey may be the nicest guy ever but he doesn't come across that way. He looks like he has no confidence in his team and barely consults them with strategy. When the team has been together celebrating a shot, the three players from Saskatchewan have been very close while Adam has been standoffish and not really part of it. This is such a contrast with how Ashley Howard embraced Saskatchewan last year and as a result, the province embraced her and now she is working their full-tine in their Curling organization.
MB: They seem to be playing like a team and enjoying themselves. They are not spending too much time debating shots and are just looser. They are keeping cooler and seem to be managing the high and lows or a long week better than they did last year.
NO: Quite frankly, they have evolved into a team that is difficult to watch. Yes, they make amazing shots but the intensity level is a little hard to sustain for a viewer for almost 3 hours. I'm ready for a nap after their games. Also, they believe their own publicity. They believe they are the most physically fit curling team and they also believe that they are the best shot makers in the world. This should come across as confidence, but it comes across as arrogance. They seem to be bored in games as they feel they are only competing against themselves. They make the game more complicated just for the satisfaction of playing the circus shots. It won't work all the time.
ON: Glenn Howard just loves the game and love throwing rocks. One could argue he is one of the best of all times, and he should have retired while he was at the top. He just wanted to fulfill his dream by playing with his son. Not a bad dream for a class act.
/QC: I love this team !! I never know, just by watching, if they are winning or losing, they are always having a good time regardless. They have such a strong team dynamic and bring such joy to the game. Just four nice guys coming together as a team.because they love the game and enjoy playing together. I think they would be tremendous ambassadors from Quebec to any conversations about Canadian unity.
NB; Curling is a gentleman`s game and Mike Kennedy is a gentleman. He shows us that we can still play this game with class and integrity even if we are not competitive. Because, it is just curling.
NS: Seemed like a nice young team, but something was missing for them this week. No real spark. Maybe they had a little chip on their shoulder from having to prove that they belonged by coming through relegation when relegation no longer will be happening in the future.
NL: Their first few games were a little bit difficult to watch. They allowed the crowd to put too much pressure on them. Then, I read an interview with Bob Cole; the elder statesman of HNIC; and a proud NL curler in his own right. He was asked how proud Newfoundland would be if Gushue won the Brier. Bob Cole said the province was already so proud of the team that they couldn`t be any more proud. I think the Gushue team must have read that interview because since then, they are pure joy on the ice. I think Brad has forgotten that he primarily makes his living from curling and is acting like a teenager who just loves the game. You can see that the team is just out there to enjoy.
CA: This is another team that is just tiring to watch. They make incredible shots, but they seem to discuss too many shots and make their game more complicated. Quite frankly, since I have it on mute, I really don`t know what they are discussing. To be, the right shot seems fairly obvious. They eventually chose that shot, but by that time, I am usually yelling at the tv at this point frustrated at them for taking so long. It is hard to be their fan, and when they are discussing the options, they don`t look like much of a team. They seem to be all waiving their brooms at rocks so I guess they are all talking at once and no one is listening.
Bottom line: The four teams that make the playoffs will all have the skill to win. It will come down to which team can show up with those intangible things that the camera catches but may not show up on the game stats. The camera doesn`t lie.
One of the reasons that I love curling is that there is more to the game than just pure skill and strategy. Every curler has the capability to come out and have a world class game. Every world class curler has the potential to come out and have one of their worst games ever. There are so many intangible factors that go into each game. That is why, even though I love the TSN crews, I prefer to watch the game on mute. That way, I can pay attention to those "little things" that can contribute to a team success.
Here is what I've noticed this week:
NT: Unfortunately, I don't think that it is likely that they will ever make the playoffs again. They used to be a favorite for me to watch, but, since they made the playoffs in 2012, they have been less fun to watch. Now, they are putting too much pressure on themselves. They are attempting to make their game more complicated to be competitive and are just not enjoying themselves like they used to.
BC: I like watching Johnny Mo and I like watching his evolution from a hot head to just a guy who likes to throw rocks. They are definitely talented, but something is missing from their team dynamic. The rest of the team still sees Johnny as a mentor and not as a team member. Once they realize, they are equals, they will do better.
AL: Watching Alberta this week is a little like watching an on-line poker player play live for the first time. It is different. Yes, the team has the talent but being at the Big Show for the first time is difficult. They have kept their composure but their disappointment has shown and they haven't been as loose as they should. Having low expectations is a tremendous gift and I would have liked them to show their youth more.
SK: Adam Casey may be the nicest guy ever but he doesn't come across that way. He looks like he has no confidence in his team and barely consults them with strategy. When the team has been together celebrating a shot, the three players from Saskatchewan have been very close while Adam has been standoffish and not really part of it. This is such a contrast with how Ashley Howard embraced Saskatchewan last year and as a result, the province embraced her and now she is working their full-tine in their Curling organization.
MB: They seem to be playing like a team and enjoying themselves. They are not spending too much time debating shots and are just looser. They are keeping cooler and seem to be managing the high and lows or a long week better than they did last year.
NO: Quite frankly, they have evolved into a team that is difficult to watch. Yes, they make amazing shots but the intensity level is a little hard to sustain for a viewer for almost 3 hours. I'm ready for a nap after their games. Also, they believe their own publicity. They believe they are the most physically fit curling team and they also believe that they are the best shot makers in the world. This should come across as confidence, but it comes across as arrogance. They seem to be bored in games as they feel they are only competing against themselves. They make the game more complicated just for the satisfaction of playing the circus shots. It won't work all the time.
ON: Glenn Howard just loves the game and love throwing rocks. One could argue he is one of the best of all times, and he should have retired while he was at the top. He just wanted to fulfill his dream by playing with his son. Not a bad dream for a class act.
/QC: I love this team !! I never know, just by watching, if they are winning or losing, they are always having a good time regardless. They have such a strong team dynamic and bring such joy to the game. Just four nice guys coming together as a team.because they love the game and enjoy playing together. I think they would be tremendous ambassadors from Quebec to any conversations about Canadian unity.
NB; Curling is a gentleman`s game and Mike Kennedy is a gentleman. He shows us that we can still play this game with class and integrity even if we are not competitive. Because, it is just curling.
NS: Seemed like a nice young team, but something was missing for them this week. No real spark. Maybe they had a little chip on their shoulder from having to prove that they belonged by coming through relegation when relegation no longer will be happening in the future.
NL: Their first few games were a little bit difficult to watch. They allowed the crowd to put too much pressure on them. Then, I read an interview with Bob Cole; the elder statesman of HNIC; and a proud NL curler in his own right. He was asked how proud Newfoundland would be if Gushue won the Brier. Bob Cole said the province was already so proud of the team that they couldn`t be any more proud. I think the Gushue team must have read that interview because since then, they are pure joy on the ice. I think Brad has forgotten that he primarily makes his living from curling and is acting like a teenager who just loves the game. You can see that the team is just out there to enjoy.
CA: This is another team that is just tiring to watch. They make incredible shots, but they seem to discuss too many shots and make their game more complicated. Quite frankly, since I have it on mute, I really don`t know what they are discussing. To be, the right shot seems fairly obvious. They eventually chose that shot, but by that time, I am usually yelling at the tv at this point frustrated at them for taking so long. It is hard to be their fan, and when they are discussing the options, they don`t look like much of a team. They seem to be all waiving their brooms at rocks so I guess they are all talking at once and no one is listening.
Bottom line: The four teams that make the playoffs will all have the skill to win. It will come down to which team can show up with those intangible things that the camera catches but may not show up on the game stats. The camera doesn`t lie.
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