The Oppenheimer Report 2/22/10

Last Friday, while I was driving around Buffalo on one of my several trips from the lawyer’s office to the accountant’s, I listened to a little of the discussion on the radio about Tiger Woods’ public apology. There was comprehensive analysis of his body English, much discussion about the fact that he was reading from a script, about the fact that his wife Elin was not there by his side, about whether or not his apology sincere, speculation about whether or not he would rejoin the PGA tour this year, etc. etc. The big question on everybody’s mind … will Tiger have to be gelded? I think this is much ado about nothing. It occurs to me that the latest U.S. offensive in Marjah, Afghanistan is marginally more newsworthy than the sexual indiscretions of an obscenely rich American golf star, but then, what do I know? And who decided that celebrities and professional athletes should be our role models? I’m always pleasantly surprised when I hear one of those bozos speak and they AREN’T misinformed about their own importance. It should have been clear to me by now that in general, we Americans (read I) favor tabloid sensationalism and scandal over anything resembling “hard” or legitimate news.




As always, I’ve enjoyed watching the coverage of the Winter Olympics. Last night’s big hockey game between the U.S. and Canada was quite the upset. I understand that tickets to that game were selling on the streets of Vancouver for upwards of $6000.00 per ticket, and Canada was widely favored to win. Tickets are likely to go for double that figure if Canada does well in the medal rounds. Still, you never can tell who’s going to shine in the Olympics, and the Americans surprised almost everyone, cinching the game with a last minute empty net goal to win 5-3. There was tremendous pressure on the Canadian men’s hockey team to win gold on home ice, and yet the other night they had struggled with the Swiss team, whom they were favored to beat handily, barely winning that one on a shoot out goal by superstar Sydney Crosby. I think all the hype about hockey being “Canada’s Game” might have hurt the Canadian team. Indeed, Canada probably has the better team, at least on paper, but this last game was not another David and Goliath re-enactment of the Lake Placid “Miracle on Ice” … this game really boiled down to the stronger goaltender. Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller was simply better than Canadian goalie Martin Brodeur, in that game. It ain’t over til it’s over and nobody can predict what will happen in the medal rounds, but that game last night is what makes the Olympics so exciting to me. All this nonsense about Canada’s game on Canada’s turf is, from what I’ve observed about the country, in my seventeen years living there, uncharacteristic of Canadians. Canadians are, by enlarge, modest people. And yes, they are patriotic, but not jingoistic about their country. As an ex-patriot, living in Canada, I have cheered on and honestly celebrated many of the Canadian victories. I have quite reluctantly donned the cape of masochism and developed into a huge Leafs fan. I know, I know!! It’s fun to watch anybody win at the Olympics, especially when you think about the sacrifice most athletes make to become Olympians. This past week, dark horses have emerged in every event and from every country (well, maybe not Andorra)… from speed skating to ski jumping. Of course the big countries usually win more medals, but not always. I loved watching Netherlands speed skater Mark Tauter win gold the other night, beating out the American favorite Shani Davis, because he looked so exhilarated and excited. I really didn’t think an American had a chance in Men’s Figure Skating against the indomitable Russian Yevgny Plushenko, but then Evan Lysacek won the gold. I don’t deny that I sometimes grumble when one country seems to dominate a sport. In general, I’m rooting for the underdog, and in the Olympics, that can be anyone. So Canada, I say this to you … you still produce some of the finest hockey players in the world … but the world is a big place. Next game, less hype, more focus! By the way, you’re not out of it yet, and just remember, you’re something like 8-0 in Curling, so that‘s something (hee hee). Final note: answer me this, why are there two different one-man sliding competitions, the skeleton and the luge? Facing forwards or backwards … pick one. I think there should be a competition wherein the competitors go down the track standing on skates.



Final note … a moment of silence for former Secretary of State Alexander Haig who croaked last week at 85. When Reagan was shot he was the guy widely criticized for proclaiming “I’m in charge now!” Apparently he was a little unclear on the chain of command. As we so often say in politics … oops!

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED