MLB lockout leaves more time for curling

I can’t speak for everybody, but from my perspective, if Major League Baseball was indeed hellbent on locking out the players upon the expiration of the current CBA, this particular winter was the best possible time to do it.

Over here, we have the kid who’s two days older than the work stoppage. Were spring training able to proceed as schedule, I’d have to be figuring out how to juggle Cactus League games with feedings, diaper changes and crying jags for reasons unrelated to those. Instead, I can divide my attention both neatly and properly.

It also happened to be an Olympic winter, which, when combined with multiple Canadian championships around it, means there’s a solid month and a half of televised curling.

So there you go: If you’re a new parent and love curling, the lockout is gliding by.

I can’t help you with the former, but if you want to get into the latter, the Tim Hortons Brier (Canadian men’s championship) is a great follow-up to the Olympics. It started on Friday and runs through March 13, so it’s a good lead-up to March Madness, which will provide a welcome distraction during the back half of the month. The Brier’s field is basically as deep as an Olympic competition, and since ESPN 3 carries TSN’s broadcast, it’s a dedicated broadcasting crew that doesn’t cut away in the middle of ends like NBC’s coverage did.

And if you have the ability to try the sport, I’d recommend doing so, because I found it a lot easier to connect with games on TV after gaining an understanding of mechanics, even if their strategy and shot-making remains out of reach.

Curling isn’t the easiest thing to find in a lot of areas, and I never sought it out myself. I only got into curling because of a coworker who invited me to an open house at Albany’s club. It was free to try and cheap to join for a half-season, which ended right before Opening Day, and I felt enough progress to try a league. This video on GQ’s YouTube channel is the best representation I’ve seen for how quickly one can start getting a general idea of how to slide and throw.

And then I kept curling, because the sport fit me perfectly. The season ran from mid-October through late March, so the White Sox never overlapped. The level of competition scratched an itch for physical achievement, but in a fashion that’s more laid-back than pick-up basketball, and more reliable fun than golf. I figured I was done playing in tournaments after high school, so it’s cool to find a sport that’s forgiving enough to pick up in adulthood, but organized enough to take teams on the road to bonspiels throughout the year, including ones that livestream the games and openly second-guess me.

It’s also how I met my wife. The aforementioned child? He literally would not exist without curling.

So while MLB is sidelining itself for months on end, I’m directing a lot of my bandwidth back into curling. A bar with three sheets opened in Nashville this past fall, so I picked up part-time work as an instructor, then joined a league as soon as they were established. If the lockout drags on, I’ll have additional hours to redirect. Would I prefer the White Sox to be playing meaningless games on webstreams right now? To quote Hawk Harrelson, “Yes. Hell yes.” But as long as MLB owners are content to spite faces, it’s nice to be able to transfer love to another sport that actually gives something in return.

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As Cirensica

Ha! Very nice posts and videos. I learned a few new things about curling. I told you I would read your curling posts and enjoy them 😋. I actually enjoy watching curling. I think it is very entertaining. Since moving to Canada 12 years ago, curling achieved something hockey never did. It caught my interest.

Maybe I find curling more interesting than hockey because of my affinity with bowling which is a hobby/sport I am very fond of. I have also tried golfing, and I love the scenery, but I am hopelessly terrible at golf, while I am still improving my bowling (every year my average creeps up) even now after I am in my early 50s while my golf just keeps getting worse.

Last edited 2 years ago by As Cirensica
awkwardsilence

I’m a big fan. I’ve met a ton of great people curling. We don’t have dedicated ice so we are on hockey ice and our spring season starts tomorrow. It is something you can start at any point in time and play until you decide to stop. The winner buys the first round too. I’ve heard good things about the new curling center in Nashville. Might have to go down to a spiel there.

awkwardsilence

I’ve done a few summer spiels and it is strange walking outside to 90 degree temps. Even you lazy skips don’t need a jacket on the ice.

Lurker Laura

I always think I’m going to do a summer spiel, but then summer comes around, and I think, “Why on earth would I want to be inside a 40-degree facility right now?”

ParisSox

Pétanque on ice! is how I describe curling here to those who don’t know what it is.

Great article. considering the previous winter olympic miracle and the lockout and your talk about it, i’m slowly getting into it more (like a slow moving rock down the “sheet”?) and may actually physically try it one of these days.

Thanks for the post!

Shingos Cheeseburgers

I’m apparently cheering for Wild Card 1 this year in the Brier but not being your province’s representative because you were too busy doing the Olympics is decent excuse for relegation to the wild card.

Jim do you know John Cullen in any capacity beyond Twitter following? This is one of those weird internet crossover moments where my favorite blog is interacting with the host from one of my favorite podcasts

craigws

Last week, my brain randomly decided it was time to try and figure out what some old building in Scotland was. Turns out it was a curling house. There are still plenty of them around, though it generally doesn’t get cold enough the last century (can’t imagine why) for the lochs/ponds they are next to to freeze over.
I have played a couple of times, both over here as opposed to back home, and agree that it is really good simple fun. Took me pretty much every stone both times to figure out the under/over-throwing.

Lurker Laura

in addition to the Brier:

Men’s world championships are in Vegas this year, first week of April, so a chance to see high-level teams live if you’re in the area.

Women’s are in Canada and start March 19.

Both will be available streaming.