Now you know... deal or no deal?

In today's world where shows are PVRed for your convenience and 24 hour news stations have so saturated the arena that it's hard to know when to listen, sports still provides a vehicle for shared experience. Despite all the leagues and games and plays, there is still, from time to time, a story that will grab everyone's attention and get the water cooler buzzing.

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To make sure you're prepped for such moments, In the game is introducing a new feature called Now you know.... Whenever you see that title you'll know that the post will give you the background you need to join a sports conversation (or better yet, initiate one!).

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So, what's the latest buzz?

This could be you!

The story:

Yesterday, Russian hockey superstar Ilya Kovalchuk signed a record-breaking 17 year, $102 million deal. Just hours later, the powers-that-be at the NHL rejected the deal, rendering it void.

Ilya annouces the deal

The details:

Ilya Kovalchuk has been the most sought after free agent this summer. As a free agent, Kovalchuk is allowed to sign with whatever team he chooses (non-free agents are traded by their teams and don't often have a say in where they have to play).

Hot commodity

He played last year for the New Jersey Devils, and they did not want to lose him. They therefore offered him this lucrative, long term deal, and he accepted.

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The problem, however, is that the deal is a bit...fishy. You see, the NHL has a collective bargaining agreement (or CBA) with the players. One element of this agreement is that there is a hard salary cap in place for all the teams. This means that each team is limited as to how much they can spend on player salaries in any given year. The idea behind this is that it 1) helps keep player salaries from spiralling too out of control because there is a limit to how many dollars can be spent around the league and 2) prevents the richest teams from buying up all the best players and dominating year after year.

By spreading the $102 million over 17 years, however, the Devils essentially found a way to make sure they would be under the salary cap. It's a good deal for Kovalchuk because the money is front-loaded (he'd make only $550,000 in the last 5 years of the deal). This means he gets the majority of the money right away, and since it's extremely unlikely that he will still be playing 17 years from now (he would be 44), he won't really lose if he retires before the contract is fully paid out.

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I...have nothing to say

The NHL, as poorly-run and stupid of an organization as it often seems to be (that's a rant for another day), could still figure out that Kovalchuk and the Devils were trying to pull the wool over their eyes.

The fallout:

1) The NHL's rejection of the deal will be challenged by both the Devils and the Player's Association, so this story could drag on for awhile.

2) In the meantime, the NHL has essentially put Kovalchuk back on the market. It remains to be seen if the Devils can come up with a new deal that will satisfy both the superstar and the league, or if Kovalchuk will take his talents to another team.

3) If the NHL decision stands, it will no doubt have an impact on future contract negotiations around the league. If it doesn't, we will surely see a lot more of these mammoth, super long-term deals in the future.

What you already know about baseball

Did you know that baseball is already a part of your life, even if you've never seen a game? Ever hear of Lou Gehrig's disease, or eat a Baby Ruth bar, or have someone tell you "It ain't over til it's over"?

You probably even use a number of the expressions below, all of which have their roots in the game, on a regular basis.

"He's way off base."

"I'll touch base with you Friday."

"I can't make it; can I give you a rain check?"

"Tom said he got to first base."

"That guy's weird, he's such a screwball."

"She's swinging for the fences with that report."

"You're in the big leagues now."

"That's so bush league."

"That presentation was a grand slam."

"It's a whole new ball game now."

"She wants to play hardball."

"He's a heavy hitter in that organization.'

"What do think of her outfit - hit or miss?"

"He needs to step up to the plate and take responsibility."

"She's on deck if anything goes wrong."

So you see, you already know a lot about baseball!

Our first boy of summer

I know it will be difficult to say goodbye to our soccer Monday Men. And I know baseball will be a tough sell for many of you. So to make the transition easier and to give baseball a fair shot at capturing your attention, I searched long and hard for a baseball player who was as shameless about displaying his bod as the men of the World Cup.

So our first baseball-playing Monday Man is Rich Harden. This 29 year-old Victoria, BC native is a pitcher for the Texas Rangers, but right now he is down in the minor leagues rehabbing from a glute injury (think he needs any help with that?). Hopefully he'll be back up where we can see him before too long.

Remember George Costanza's boss?

The baseball world lost a big name yesterday, one even most of you non-baseball fans will recognize. George Steinbrenner, longtime owner of the New York Yankees and recurring faux Seinfeld guest star, died of a heart attack Tuesday morning at the age of 80.

To jog your memory a bit, Steinbrenner was George Costanza's boss when he worked for the Yankees. The character was voiced by Larry David, and we only ever saw the back of his head.




Like the fictional Seinfeld character, the real Steinbrenner had a reputation for being a bit of a loose cannon. He fired, hired (and occasionally rehired) people constantly; he meddled in on-field decisions; he forced players to trim their hair and shave their beards. He was also fined for illegal contributions to Richard Nixon's presidential campaign, though he was later pardoned by Ronald Regan in one of the final acts of his presidency. And in the early nineties he was banned for life from baseball for hiring someone to dig up dirt on a player who was suing the team in a contract dispute (once again he was "pardoned" - three years later his suspension was lifted).

Under Steinbrenner, the Yankees went from a team in deep decline (at one infamous game they had only 413 fans in the 67,000 seat stadium) to a team that's had a ton of on-field success, that pulls in huge crowds, and that is one of the wealthiest and best-known sports franchises in the world.

Steinbrenner was always larger than life, and was always in the media spotlight. He even managed to steal the show in death: he died just a dozen hours before baseball's All-Star game was played, ensuring that once again, he was at the centre of it all.

Switching gears

The time has come to switch gears at In the game. The World Cup is behind us, and some attention can now be paid to the rest of the wide world of sports.

One sport you'll be hearing a lot about from me in the months to come is baseball. Now, I know a lot of people (especially non-sports fans) think that baseball is slow and boring. I used to be one of those people, so I understand.

But then I met my husband - a baseball fanatic - and realized that I could either try to learn to appreciate (or at least tolerate) America's pastime, or fight about it for the rest of my life. And along the way to tolerance something strange happened - I actually became a big fan of the game myself. I even happily went to 2 baseball games on my honeymoon in California last year.

Baseball is a misunderstood sport. My theory is that because it is so complicated, people have trouble relating to it. Soccer and hockey are easy - take round(ish) object, put in net. But a million things can happen on every play in baseball, and there are more rules and exceptions than most casual fans will ever know.

So I'll be sharing some of the joys of baseball with you throughout the summer - the drama, the history, the oddities and the characters that make the game great. Though you may not discover a love of the game like I did, hopefully you will start to understand why millions of people around the world look forward to seeing the boys of summer return each and every year.

World Cup wrap-up

The World Cup has been great fun - parties have broken out in the streets of cities across the globe, athletes have impressed us with their talents both on and off the pitch, and millions of work hours have been lost worldwide.

It's now time to say goodbye to the tournament. Some awards were handed out in South Africa by the officials in charge (the Golden Boot for most goals went to Germany's Thomas Muller, the Golden Ball for best player was given to Uruguay's Diego Forlan), but I have some other honours to dole out.

Without further ado, may I present the first-ever In the game World Cup awards:

Most heartbreaking play: With the game tied in extra time, a Uruguayan player blocks a sure goal by Ghana with his hands. Ghana ends up losing on penalty kicks as Uruguay advances to the semifinals.

Most heartmelting player: Iker Casillas. This is a tough call, but the Spanish captain won the World Cup, the Golden Glove award for best keeper, and our hearts this tournament.

Most memorable musical moment: Shakira's World Cup song performance? Nah, it's got to be the chorus of thousands of vuvuzelas at every match. Although I guess I'm not sure if that should be counted as 'musical'....

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Most blogged about person, place or thing: Does an octopus count as a person? Paul correctly predicts the outcome of every German game, as well as Spain's eventual victory over the Netherlands.

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Most disappointing exit: In-fighting and pouting abound in the French camp, leading to poor play on the field and an early trip home.

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Most interesting political involvement: Mandela's appearance at the closing ceremonies, just shy of his 92nd birthday? French President Nicholas Sarkozy's comments on his team's behaviour? South African President Jacob Zuma getting caught in Spain's celebrations? None of these compare to the antics of North Korea's Kim Jong-il. From refusing to show the matches in his country unless North Korea won, to shipping in Chinese actors to pose as North Korean fans at the games, to trying to sneak in an extra player disguised as a goalie, he takes the cakes.

So that wraps up another World Cup.

Until next time (Brazil, 2014)....

An embarrassment of riches

In honour of Spain's victory yesterday (and because I simply couldn't choose just one of these guys), today we will have a Monday Men post rather than a Monday Man one.

In preparing this feast for the eyes, I have noticed that these players leave their clothes on a lot more than the Italians. And compared to Christiano Ronaldo (who practically lives in his skivvies), they are positively nunnish. I am hoping that magazines around the world will do a "team in underwear in locker room" photo shoot to celebrate their win, and I will certainly report back here if that happens.

But for now, in no particular order, I give you the newest World Cup heroes:

Raul Albiol
age: 24
height: 6'2" (Julia, this stat's for you)
team: Real Madrid

Sergio Ramos

age: 24

height: 6'0"

team: Real Madrid

Xabi Alonso

age: 28

height: 6'0"

team: Real Madrid (hmm, I'm sensing a trend here)

Pedro Rogriguez

age: 22

height: 5'6 1/2"

team: Barcelona

Javi Martinez

age: 21

height: 6'3"
team: Athletic Bilbao

Fernando Torres

age: 26

height: 6'1"

team: Liverpool

Juan Mata

age: 22

height: 5'7"

team: Valencia CF

Jesus Navas
age: 24

height: 5'7"

team: Sevilla

Iker Casillas (goalkeeper and captain)
age: 29

height: 5'11 1/2"

team: Real Madrid

Cesc Fabregas

age: 23

height: 5'9"

team: Arsenal

There you have it. Anyone up for a trip to Madrid?

And if you can still concentrate on anything after all that - Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby is happening tonight!