Greg's Journey - January 19th 2021

 I am overcome by joy that I have been able to relax and reflect on the last few years. It hasn't been easy. At first I struggled to get where I wanted to be. From 2016-2018 I was desperate for a change of paste that I never got for various reasons, I plugged away through drinking a lot of Coke and Pepsi. 

Sports was what got me through the tough times. In fact, in 2017 I started my first sports betting account and by putting $100 in the account every month I decided that this was my way of investing. 

By 2018 I upped that amount to $200. Some months I would put more and other months I would put nothing in at all. I told myself if I ever got to $5,000 I would take it all out and move. Somewhere I could be happy with no distractions. 

It never got to that point. I didn't want help from my parents because something didn't seem right about that. At the same time, I didn't want the pressure of a 9-5 job and all that comes with it. There are pros and cons to both sides. 

Life on here is temporary and when your single, money is looked at differently than when you have a wife and two kids. For me it is even more different. I am on disability so getting a free 1,200 every month is important to me. 

This is where I always had trouble accepting what direction I wanted to go in life. I have so many options that at times it felt overwhelming. This is where the phrase the grass is always greener on the other side comes into play. A lot of people would have loved to have the life I have but for me it felt like I was living a life of unfulfilled potential.  

I can fully say that I have reached where I want to be in life. The turning point was Covid for sure as I now realize how good I had things a few years ago. I am going to try my hardest to give you a daily update on here as much as possible. I love my friends on here and I'm hopeful I can never get upset about little things again. 

Where Do The Canucks Fit in With the Canadian Division?

 Well, I don't remember that much from our win last night. I had five drinks yesterday but enjoyed the win. Today, I watched by myself and felt frustrated throughout most of the game. 

I'm trying my best to not over react but it is worrisome that we don't have a point target that we think will get us into the playoffs. In an 82 game season, that number is 93. 

Let's do the math, 93 X 56 / 82 = 63.5. If my math is correct, the Canucks have to go 31-23-2 to make the playoffs.

We are 1-1 right now but these early games never sit well with me. I mean it sucks to start the year off 2-5 or 3-4 for that matter. I really like how this team is assembled but we didn't play well against Canadian teams last year going 4-10. 

This is the real process of rebuilding a team. We made the playoffs last year which snapped a four year absence. Making the playoffs last year for me gives me some wiggle room as this team continues to progress. Having a playoffs or bust type attitude is an unhealthy fanbase in my opinion which is what we had from 2010 - 2014. 

Canucks fans need some patience. I want to win a Stanley Cup just as much as the other guy but it won't happen over night. When the Sedin twins were 22 years old we relished at the opportunity to win a division title. 2003 was a very exciting year for me as a fan. This organization now is in a very good place and I don't want that to go away.  Enjoy the process! 

Here is what the standings might look like this year:

Toronto        32-20-4

Montreal     30-20-6

Edmonton    30-20-6

Vancouver   28-24-4

Calgary      27-25-4

Winnipeg    26-26-4

Ottawa       23-31-2

Here is how I think the final standings will end. 500. hockey will likely not make the playoffs unless the top two teams run away with the division. Also it is hard to say what the records will be because of how many three point games their will be. 

Four games over 500 should be good enough because 57% of the division will make the playoffs. 

Four games over 500. is very doable for a team that has this much talent on it. 

Suns Are Not a Fluke

 The Phoenix Suns will be gunning for a 7-2 start tomorrow when they play the Detroit Pistons who are going in a completely different direction. 

James Jones the General Manager of the Suns has made the job look extremely easy in his year and a bit on the job. The team is assembled very nicely and don't expect their to be a slow down in the performance. They have beaten projected playoff teams and their seems to be a change in the balance of power in the Western Conference since the Suns 20+ win seasons a few years back. 

For one, Golden State is a 500. team without Klay Thompson. That is one team that the Suns can finish ahead of. Memphis while they have improved, aren't better than the Suns. Minnesota, will be fun to watch but not a playoff team. 

That brings the Suns into the Top 12. OKC is completely rebuilding and will not be a playoff team. The Kings have an unbelievable offense but as we saw in the early season, they struggle defensively and to top it all off, the Houston Rockets are imploding off the court with the James Harden saga. 

That would bring the Suns into the Top nine. From there, the rest of the teams are really good. Out of the other nine, the Suns just have to have a better record than one of them. They have already beat a handful of those teams. Dallas, Utah and Denver all have playoff aspirations. The other part of that is the schedule has been a tough one so far with Phoenix passing with flying colors. 

This front office has finally got it right. Chris Paul isn't the long term answer but he is the ideal Point Guard this year. We shoot well from beyond the arc. 

The NBA's talent gap between the Top four teams and the next tier is so big I can't imagine the roster being any stronger without acquiring a Top 5 player. 

I think Suns fans need to get used to winning. It is here to stay for awhile.