ODDS AND ENDS

One day before Saskatchewan Hockey Association announces plans for a province wide Bantam 'AA' Hockey League, the Manitoba Hockey Association says they are putting less emphasis on competition for kids under the age of 12. It's come to the point that we are sheltering kids so much so that when they reach adulthood and get into the real world, they are met with such a huge shock, many will be unable to cope.  The competitive spirit of kids should be nurtured.  It's okay to hate losing at a young age.  Almost anyone will tell you that winning is more fun than losing, even if the individual doesn't play as well during a team win as he may play during a team loss.  Anyone who feels differently isn't really a team player.  You play the game for fun, fun is winning.  That's real life.  Young athletes, especially kids, become better at their craft because of their desire to succeed...IE-Win.  Manitoba Hockey has it wrong.  SHA continues to get it right.

Have you seen the You Tube video of a deer getting inside Melville Comp?  Apparently, it was being chased by a couple of dogs and it busted through a window, setting off the alarm.  Eventually, a staff member was able to usher it back out.  I see the video has since been removed from the You Tube site.  So, I'm unable to post the link.  The deer was slipping and sliding on the nicely waxed floor.  It, truly, looked like Bambi.

From the 'How Drunk Were You' file:  A Saskatoon man was hit by a train, but somehow survived.  He, not only, lived, but doesn't remember being hit.  A witness saw the train hit the guy, but police say he did not seem to realize what hit him.  He did, however, indicate he had pain in several parts of his body.

In California, a man is dead after being stabbed by a rooster while attending a cock fight.  You can't make this up.  The bird had a knife attached to one of its limbs.  The sport is illegal in the United States.  Specially bred roosters are put into a ring and encouraged to fight until one is incapacitated or killed.  Deputies arrived to break this event up and people started fleeing.  One of the roosters jumped at the decedent, inflicting some type of injury (to his calf) that caused his death.