And They Say We're Evil...

The Grim Reaper doesn't look so bad.

This post is a little dark.

I came across a fact that claims that 2,500 lefties die each year as a result of using right-handed products.

My first thought was, “Is this a joke?”  Maybe.  But my second thought was “What are they doing?”

I know that there are certain types of guns that if used improperly can kill you.  But when I hear the phrase “right-handed products,” I don’t think of weapons.  I think of scissors and IPhones (if confused see the IPhone post from a few weeks ago), which I guess can be dangerous in their own ways.  

I mean I guess you could stab yourself with the scissors.  Or the phone could make you so frustrated or stressed that you have a heart attack or something.  But I think you would have to be really struggling for something like that to happen.

I guess this is where the idea that the life expectancy of a left-hander is, on average, 9 years shorter than that of a right-hander.  I say this is pure BS.

Regardless, to all you lefties out there, be careful around those evil right-handed products.  

Left-Footedness?

While I’m not an extreme sports enthusiast myself (I don’t have the coordination or the athletic ability), but I do like to watch the X-Games on ESPN in the summer and winter.  So when I came across the following fact on GrammarManComic.com, I had to find out how many pro skaters, snowboarders, and surfers were left-footed (since they don’t use their hands).

“In skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding, a left-footed stance is called goofy foot.”

The only "goofy footed" skater I’ve ever watched compete before is Nyjah Huston.  (I also love his dreads.)

Feel Good Post

According to CoolQuiz.com, in Chinese tradition yin (right) and yang (left) live in harmony.  Neither one is dominant over the other.

I just like the
 black and yellow
Since they are both equal, neither one can be considered good or evil.  This is a contrast to the beliefs of many ancient cultures and western religions.

Lefty Hockey Players

It’s a hockey night in Pittsburgh.  (Well, the Penguins are in Toronto, but still.)  I will admit that I wasn’t that interested in hockey until guys like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin started making the Penguins a relevant team again.  This probably disappoints my die-hard-Pens-fan uncle.  

Anyway, the game got me thinking about left-handed hockey players.  According to HockeyStickExpert.com, when holding a hockey stick, the more coordinated, or dominant, hand should be on top. 

According to Ranker.com, this is who the “Top 5 Left-handed Hockey Players” are:

1. Cam Neely

2. Phil Esposito

3. Roman Turek

4. Terry Sawchuk

5. Tom Barrasso

While I am familiar with most of these names, I am biased since I like Barrasso because he was the goalie for the early 90s Stanley Cup Penguins teams.  That being said, I wouldn’t say he was better than Sawchuk or Esposito.  However, if I put the list together, I would probably have Esposito at the top.

The other thing is, maybe the list would be better if it was split by position, since 3 of the 5 players on this list are goalies.

What are your thoughts? 

Left-Handed Video Game Characters

Today’s post is sort of a follow-up to yesterday’s.  When I saw that lefties tend to be better gamers, I wondered how many video game characters are left-handed.

Most are obscure names I’m not familiar with.  I tend to stick with old-school Nintendo games.  However, Link from “The Legend of Zelda” series is left-handed.

According to Wikipedia (I know great source), Link holds his shield with his right hand, while holding his sword with his left.

Do you know of any other left-handed video game characters?

Lefty Vs. Righty Gamers

Research suggests that lefties can handle large amounts of stimuli better than righties.  That being said, it is believed that lefties are better video gamers.  

Lefties have better hand-eye coordination and quicker reaction times.  These facts found at Buzzle.com, are very conducive to gaming.  

This is not to say that righties aren’t just as good at playing video games.  If you spend enough time in front of a screen playing video games, it doesn’t matter which hand is your dominant one, you’re going to play well. 

Spanish ABCs

Lefties are less able to roll their tongues.  This fact was found under the Bizarre Lefty Tidbits section of the “25 Amazing Facts About Left Handed People” on Leftyfretz.com.  I think this one may be true.

I took 5 years of Spanish in junior high and high school.  I couldn’t roll my “Rs” and that’s a problem when speaking Spanish.

In Spanish there is a double-R letter in the alphabet (Rr).  You are supposed to roll your tongue when saying words with the double-R in them.  However, I could not and I think at some point my teachers just gave up on me ever having a perfect pronunciation.

Another Spanish alphabet fun fact, there are no “Ks” or “Ws” in Spanish words even though they are in the alphabet.  They are only used in spanish words that are translated from other languages.    

That being said, my last name must not have a true Spanish translation.  Does anyone know if there is one?   

World Baseball Classic Lefties and Thoughts

Sorry this post is a few days late.  I watched the World Baseball Classic on Sunday to see current and future Pirates pitchers throw on Sunday.  This is relevant to my blog because two of the starting pitchers in the games were left-handers. 

Team Canada's Jameson Taillon

On Sunday in Phoenix, AZ, Canada and the U.S. faced off in the World Baseball Classic to decide who would move on to Round 2 in Miami and who would go home.  The Canadian starting pitcher was Pittsburgh Pirates #2 prospect, right-hander Jameson Taillon, whose parents are Canadian even though he is from Texas.  Team USA’s starter was Texas Ranger’s lefty Derek Holland.

Team USA's Derek Holland

The Canadian batting lineup was loaded with left-handed batters.  However, the only threats in the lineup were Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto, Minnesota Twins’ first baseman/designated hitter Justin Morneau, and Seattle Mariners’ outfielder Michael Saunders.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Team USA won the game.  Despite Canada’s loss, Pirates fans can be pleased that Taillon held his own against players like the Milwaukee Brewers’ outfielder Ryan Braun and Cincinnati Reds’ second baseman Brandon Phillips (both division rivals).

Later that night, Pirates left-handed pitcher Wandy Rodriguez started for the Dominican Republic against Puerto Rico in San Juan, PR.  Rodriguez went 3 1/3 innings allowing one run on three hits, while striking out two batters as the Dominicans defeated Puerto Rico 4-2.

The Dominican Republic's
Wandy Rodriguez

Some would wonder why Rodriguez would be taken out of the game before even finishing four innings when he seemed to be pitching so well.  In the first round of the WBC, there is a 65 pitch limit set for pitchers.  This is to make sure that every participant gets a chance to play for his country.  

This is fair especially when you take into consideration that many teams such as the U.S. and Dominican Republic have bolstered their rosters with MLB superstars.  Even the teams that don’t have as many (if any) MLB players have guys that play in an MLB team’s organization, and each team wants to make sure its players get to play when they are missing the club’s Spring Training camp for it.