Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss Michael Jordan at 50, Anaheim Ducks goalie Victor Fasth's impressive start, the Blue Jackets' hiring of Jarmo Kekalainen, and Jaromir Jagr's fans in Calgary.
Bruce Arthur, National Post: My thumb is up to Michael Jordan. Not because it is his 50th birthday; not because he is widely acclaimed to be the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. It is because in an interview with ESPN this week, he basically gave us a window into what it was like to be Michael Jordan, in a way that he'd never done before. He said, ‘you ask for this special power to give you the ability to do these things' and he's talking about his competitive drive. And he talked about how his competitive drive now drives him crazy. He said 'I wish I could give it back but I can't. If I could, then I could breathe.' To me, the fascinating thing about Michael Jordan is him finally admitting that he's human.
Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is up to Viktor Fasth, who before this hockey season nobody knew. This guy has come in with the Anaheim Ducks - he wasn't expected to play, he wasn't expected to start – and he's now 8-0. Nobody has done this. You have to go back to the 1920s and 30s, George Hainsworth and Bill Durnan were the first and only guys to start 8-0 before. For Fasth to do this, with that hockey team, is unbelievable.
Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is up to John Davidson and the Columbus Blue Jackets for hiring the first European GM. Jarmo Kekalainen, the new general manager of the beleaguered Blue Jackets, has a big task ahead of him. But it's great to see that this last barrier in sports has fallen.
Dave Hodge, TSN: My thumb is up to the fans in the stands at the Calgary Saddledome on Wednesday night. They dressed up as Jaromir Jagr in each of the different uniforms he has worn, saluting Jagr and getting a big laugh in return from the NHL's eighth-leading scorer of all time. It is great fun when it's fun like this, so good for those fans to enjoy themselves. I'll bet if he could Jagr would pick something like that for his Hall of Fame induction which you know is coming. Now that was a tribute, hooray for them.