Some other blogger of renown felt inspired by the demise of the year to put together his list of thirteen music albums released in the course of said year that he deemed worthy enough (and the thirteenth there was... drum roll please... drum roll some more... drum roll a little longer... drum... bah - enough of that already! It was Lily & Madeleine. WHO... you ask? Exactly. But that's another story...)
Oh, what a feeling to finish number 13 - you must be jumping for joy after that, EH?
It got us thinking, though... You know *us* - anything and everything will get us thinking...! It was true in 2013, it was true all those years before that most ominous year *and* it will be true throughout 2014 and beyond; we can assure you of so much!
Thus, why not compile our own lists - right here and right now - regarding 2013's thirteenth places the world over... and beyond, if at all possible, conceivable and, well, interesting, ultimately?!?
For all of them have got plenty to look forward to in 2014: after finishing in such an unlucky position, the only way has got to be up! Lest it is further down? Anyways, the important thing remains to move from there: because nobody wants to remain stuck for long as the dreaded number 13...!
(We all frequent high-rise buildings that have no thirteenth floor, don't we? But that's another story...)
Finishing 13th in the standings of their respective conference (just a fancy word for a division - a bigger division) in the shortened 2012-2013 NHL season, the Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames saw absolutely nothing improve in their fortunes, so far, in the 2013-2014 season, alas, for them both. The former simply bequeathed its coveted spot to one confused Columbus Blue Jackets team, while it moved up one tiny notch (with one measly extra point too!) and the latter remained in the exact same place it's been stuck in for the longest time now. The only difference there is that Calgary used to have two teams below them; now, after the off-season NHL tweaking they called realignment, they have a single foe ranking lower than themselves. However, that single rival will likely remain their arch-rival and cross-province neighbor Edmonton Oilers, mired in the bottom there, despite their touted hot young talents in the line-up and veteran ''Captain 14'' with the great work ethic, Andrew Ference, leading by example to no avail... Thus, 2014 is indeed looking bright for the Flames after all - even though they will get to be only about this high overall...! Plus, as a bonus, in 2014 the odds are good that they will watch on as their former longtime captain, Iggy, goes all the way and captures a first-in-his-career Stanley Cup championship ring with the Boston Bruins - no such luck for any lowly Cane in Carolina or Jacket-feeling-blue in Columbus, Ohio...! Boo-hoo.
Although the rankings by conference mean diddley squat in the mighty NFL, it is again through those, of course, that we can tell that the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings have finished 13th in 2013, respectively in the AFC and NFC. (More telling is the divisional lowdown: both have finished dead last in their respective divisions: the wild wild West for the American conference-bound Raiders and the North-bound Vikings, as well they should be..! But that's another story...) It's a step up for the Raiders, who'd finished 14th therefore, in 2012 - but it is a huge drop for the Vikes as they had been among the elite the previous year (notwithstanding the usual letdown come playoff time) finishing as high as 6th place then... Too bad for both of them, but the future doesn't look so hot for either team in 2014: they're no Patriots! Or Broncos, even... lol
In the NBA, nothing was all that fan-tastic for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings, once again bottom-dwellers, feeders and seeders in their respective divisions (central and pacific) as neither team had any hopes of competing throughout the 2012-2013 season, realistically. Things have not changed all that much in the 2013-2014 season, as we see the Caves' fortunes improve slightly (up to the 10th spot; which means that it was the supposedly revitalized-after-a-blockbuster-trade-with-the-Celtics Brooklyn Nets that have been vying for the 13th spot, along with equally-execrable and awful-on-the-court Philadelphia Sixers...!) while the Kings remain the same - or worse. There will be no crowning these Kings any time soon, that is for sure, as they are mired in mediocrity and rubbing shoulders with the Memphis Grizzlies (still sounds extremely odd; they really should have changed the team monicker when they moved from Vancouver...!) and L.A. Lakers (AT LAST in the bottom of the standings! Well-deserved!) but also with the poor Utah Jazz (singing the blues?) there...
Now, there are only nineteen teams in Major League Soccer; so we get only lucky team in the entire MLS and that is, coincidentally enough, Vancouver indeed...! Again, coincidentally enough too, a Philly team came close to the honor (the Union!) and even that Chicago Fire flirted with the unenvied position; but Vancouver took it officially in the end. The Whitecaps FC have sucked in soccer and will continue to suck because, well, ''soccer'' is just not a Canadian sport! It is not an American sport either, mind you: and the proof is in the pudding! There are only 13 teams indeed in the very-much-minor-leaguish place known as ''American soccer'' down there: hence, finishing 13th is definitely not wanted nor desired for the simple additional reason that it is synonymous with a last place finish! Sort of like what Lily and Maddy felt like, back there, with the honor they received from A Plague...! In 2013, that dubious accomplishment was bestowed upon the Antigua Barracuda too - you gotta love their logo, though:
Surely they'll swim up from those depths... ah... eventually? (Watch out for those fishing nets!)
Now, everybody knows that REAL ''soccer'' is called futebol - and in the League of Champions, the ''sweet 16'' truly mean something, too! Being the 13th out of 16 qualified teams would be quite the dishonor for a good number of the usual contenders in the UEFA - it would be an accomplishment to flaunt back home for clubs such as the SC Braga or the Olympiacos FC, for but two examples hailing from two of our favorite countries1 However, such a finish would be a total and utter disgrace for Manchester United or Paris Saint-Germain - ha. With all that in mind, we won't even mention who exactly finished in the dubious 13th slot at the ''group stage'' in 2013 - you figure it out all by yourselves... And, fans of the club in question: don't go overboard with this, hmm? Let's move on!
Back in August, Saudi Arabia was feeling pretty lucky, though, to have managed 13th place in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. They had just defeated Thailand by the impressive score of 93-80 to edge them out to the coveted position, while the Thais had no choice but to ''settle for 14th'' in the tourney. Never mind that it was their lone victory in the tournament (and that they were light years away from 1st place, held by Iran of all possible basketball powerhouses, which finished 9-0: yeah, they had a perfect tournament! Second-place was the Philippines, 7-2; small, extremely small consolation for them during the year of the devastating typhoon Haiyan...)
Likewise, as we jump to handball now, the 13th place game was the shit at the Men's Junior World Handball Championship (MJWHC - ugh!) this past year (already!) - no, really, it was! Attendance jumped from a mere estimated 50 joes (who attended the 15th place game) to a crowd of 200+ who witnessed the thrilling Danish victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina (darn - wasn't it just easier when it was simply ''Yugoslavia'' - huh?) by the score of... 36-35. Christensen, no relation to Hayden, scored 10 points for Denmark while Gradan, quite ironically, scored one more but for a losing cause. Ah, the cruel ironies of the wild, wild world of sports, sometimes...
Over at the World Special Effects Award show, WBF 2013 (no relation to boxing - duh) meanwhile, in Pörtschach, Austria, Netherlander Richard van der Laan was pretty damn happy with his 13th place finish... They were making quite a deal about it back home, anyhow; and no one was fussing over the fact that 2nd place had gone to a local Austrian girl, third place to a Russian and the coveted top honors of the competition had been awarded to a Belgian named Houyam (hmm... Now, that's *not* a typical Belgian name, eh?)
Netherlands Rich, there, must have had that same glazed-over look on his face when the honors were announced: the same as Nick Arciniaga, who also finished 13th but at the US National Road Racing Championships 2013. One look at his freeze-framed face here and you will understand what we are screaming...! Lest it is the sound of the wind as we run, hmm? Take it all in stride, Nick! Or, perhaps, take it as a sign of better things to come; yeah, that's the ticket, Nicky Boy...
Just like these last two guys, Michele Letendre was pretty darn happy too of her 13th sot finish - in her case, at the 2013 CrossFit Games. Here's an interview of her post-games self, as she readies herself to celebrate that in style, we are sure (for she is so Fit, after all...?) Brought to you by Altrient C!
(We could carry on with individual sports: NASCAR racing, tennis, golf and so on... So many jinxed athletes and assorted individuals who gravitate around each one of those, right there...! But there's just something that says ''team spirit'' about a 13th place; don't you think? Hence..)
Back to team competition we go: there was something in the air, back on November 26 (hey - 13 times two!) when the 57th match in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers took place... It pitted Uganda up against Bermuda and everyone could sense the tension in the air as it got underway; sort of like when your boat or plane is about to disappear in that famous triangle, perhaps... However, in the end, Uganda won the 13th place play-off match by... 11 runs, not 13 - what gives?!? Oh well; it was a close game and all, by cricket standards anyhow, it was...!
And if you still cannot ''feel it'' (them fires of competitive spirit fueled by the most daunting prospect of grasping the 13th spot...!) nor can you quite simply ''get it'' - well, here is a little something that exemplifies it all quite succinctly (if not excitingly - at all) right here, available for your viewing, scrutinizing and analyzing pleasure: that is, if you have got in excess of two hours to waste, of course... Hereby, very nearly LIVE from Brno & Ostrava, Czech Republic, here are the 9th Women's World Floorball Championships - the grudge match for the 13th spot, opposing Canada and Hungary (two nations used to such positions, verily; but that's another story too...)
Cross-starred lesbian lovers of the 70s
or cross-eyed cloned sisters of the new millennium?
We don't wanna know...
Oh, what a feeling to finish number 13 - you must be jumping for joy after that, EH?
It got us thinking, though... You know *us* - anything and everything will get us thinking...! It was true in 2013, it was true all those years before that most ominous year *and* it will be true throughout 2014 and beyond; we can assure you of so much!
Thus, why not compile our own lists - right here and right now - regarding 2013's thirteenth places the world over... and beyond, if at all possible, conceivable and, well, interesting, ultimately?!?
For all of them have got plenty to look forward to in 2014: after finishing in such an unlucky position, the only way has got to be up! Lest it is further down? Anyways, the important thing remains to move from there: because nobody wants to remain stuck for long as the dreaded number 13...!
(We all frequent high-rise buildings that have no thirteenth floor, don't we? But that's another story...)
Finishing 13th in the standings of their respective conference (just a fancy word for a division - a bigger division) in the shortened 2012-2013 NHL season, the Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames saw absolutely nothing improve in their fortunes, so far, in the 2013-2014 season, alas, for them both. The former simply bequeathed its coveted spot to one confused Columbus Blue Jackets team, while it moved up one tiny notch (with one measly extra point too!) and the latter remained in the exact same place it's been stuck in for the longest time now. The only difference there is that Calgary used to have two teams below them; now, after the off-season NHL tweaking they called realignment, they have a single foe ranking lower than themselves. However, that single rival will likely remain their arch-rival and cross-province neighbor Edmonton Oilers, mired in the bottom there, despite their touted hot young talents in the line-up and veteran ''Captain 14'' with the great work ethic, Andrew Ference, leading by example to no avail... Thus, 2014 is indeed looking bright for the Flames after all - even though they will get to be only about this high overall...! Plus, as a bonus, in 2014 the odds are good that they will watch on as their former longtime captain, Iggy, goes all the way and captures a first-in-his-career Stanley Cup championship ring with the Boston Bruins - no such luck for any lowly Cane in Carolina or Jacket-feeling-blue in Columbus, Ohio...! Boo-hoo.
Although the rankings by conference mean diddley squat in the mighty NFL, it is again through those, of course, that we can tell that the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings have finished 13th in 2013, respectively in the AFC and NFC. (More telling is the divisional lowdown: both have finished dead last in their respective divisions: the wild wild West for the American conference-bound Raiders and the North-bound Vikings, as well they should be..! But that's another story...) It's a step up for the Raiders, who'd finished 14th therefore, in 2012 - but it is a huge drop for the Vikes as they had been among the elite the previous year (notwithstanding the usual letdown come playoff time) finishing as high as 6th place then... Too bad for both of them, but the future doesn't look so hot for either team in 2014: they're no Patriots! Or Broncos, even... lol
In the NBA, nothing was all that fan-tastic for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings, once again bottom-dwellers, feeders and seeders in their respective divisions (central and pacific) as neither team had any hopes of competing throughout the 2012-2013 season, realistically. Things have not changed all that much in the 2013-2014 season, as we see the Caves' fortunes improve slightly (up to the 10th spot; which means that it was the supposedly revitalized-after-a-blockbuster-trade-with-the-Celtics Brooklyn Nets that have been vying for the 13th spot, along with equally-execrable and awful-on-the-court Philadelphia Sixers...!) while the Kings remain the same - or worse. There will be no crowning these Kings any time soon, that is for sure, as they are mired in mediocrity and rubbing shoulders with the Memphis Grizzlies (still sounds extremely odd; they really should have changed the team monicker when they moved from Vancouver...!) and L.A. Lakers (AT LAST in the bottom of the standings! Well-deserved!) but also with the poor Utah Jazz (singing the blues?) there...
Now, there are only nineteen teams in Major League Soccer; so we get only lucky team in the entire MLS and that is, coincidentally enough, Vancouver indeed...! Again, coincidentally enough too, a Philly team came close to the honor (the Union!) and even that Chicago Fire flirted with the unenvied position; but Vancouver took it officially in the end. The Whitecaps FC have sucked in soccer and will continue to suck because, well, ''soccer'' is just not a Canadian sport! It is not an American sport either, mind you: and the proof is in the pudding! There are only 13 teams indeed in the very-much-minor-leaguish place known as ''American soccer'' down there: hence, finishing 13th is definitely not wanted nor desired for the simple additional reason that it is synonymous with a last place finish! Sort of like what Lily and Maddy felt like, back there, with the honor they received from A Plague...! In 2013, that dubious accomplishment was bestowed upon the Antigua Barracuda too - you gotta love their logo, though:
Shades of Aquamusings...!
In-joke; carry on...!
Surely they'll swim up from those depths... ah... eventually? (Watch out for those fishing nets!)
Now, everybody knows that REAL ''soccer'' is called futebol - and in the League of Champions, the ''sweet 16'' truly mean something, too! Being the 13th out of 16 qualified teams would be quite the dishonor for a good number of the usual contenders in the UEFA - it would be an accomplishment to flaunt back home for clubs such as the SC Braga or the Olympiacos FC, for but two examples hailing from two of our favorite countries1 However, such a finish would be a total and utter disgrace for Manchester United or Paris Saint-Germain - ha. With all that in mind, we won't even mention who exactly finished in the dubious 13th slot at the ''group stage'' in 2013 - you figure it out all by yourselves... And, fans of the club in question: don't go overboard with this, hmm? Let's move on!
Back in August, Saudi Arabia was feeling pretty lucky, though, to have managed 13th place in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. They had just defeated Thailand by the impressive score of 93-80 to edge them out to the coveted position, while the Thais had no choice but to ''settle for 14th'' in the tourney. Never mind that it was their lone victory in the tournament (and that they were light years away from 1st place, held by Iran of all possible basketball powerhouses, which finished 9-0: yeah, they had a perfect tournament! Second-place was the Philippines, 7-2; small, extremely small consolation for them during the year of the devastating typhoon Haiyan...)
Likewise, as we jump to handball now, the 13th place game was the shit at the Men's Junior World Handball Championship (MJWHC - ugh!) this past year (already!) - no, really, it was! Attendance jumped from a mere estimated 50 joes (who attended the 15th place game) to a crowd of 200+ who witnessed the thrilling Danish victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina (darn - wasn't it just easier when it was simply ''Yugoslavia'' - huh?) by the score of... 36-35. Christensen, no relation to Hayden, scored 10 points for Denmark while Gradan, quite ironically, scored one more but for a losing cause. Ah, the cruel ironies of the wild, wild world of sports, sometimes...
Over at the World Special Effects Award show, WBF 2013 (no relation to boxing - duh) meanwhile, in Pörtschach, Austria, Netherlander Richard van der Laan was pretty damn happy with his 13th place finish... They were making quite a deal about it back home, anyhow; and no one was fussing over the fact that 2nd place had gone to a local Austrian girl, third place to a Russian and the coveted top honors of the competition had been awarded to a Belgian named Houyam (hmm... Now, that's *not* a typical Belgian name, eh?)
Netherlands Rich, there, must have had that same glazed-over look on his face when the honors were announced: the same as Nick Arciniaga, who also finished 13th but at the US National Road Racing Championships 2013. One look at his freeze-framed face here and you will understand what we are screaming...! Lest it is the sound of the wind as we run, hmm? Take it all in stride, Nick! Or, perhaps, take it as a sign of better things to come; yeah, that's the ticket, Nicky Boy...
Just like these last two guys, Michele Letendre was pretty darn happy too of her 13th sot finish - in her case, at the 2013 CrossFit Games. Here's an interview of her post-games self, as she readies herself to celebrate that in style, we are sure (for she is so Fit, after all...?) Brought to you by Altrient C!
(We could carry on with individual sports: NASCAR racing, tennis, golf and so on... So many jinxed athletes and assorted individuals who gravitate around each one of those, right there...! But there's just something that says ''team spirit'' about a 13th place; don't you think? Hence..)
Back to team competition we go: there was something in the air, back on November 26 (hey - 13 times two!) when the 57th match in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers took place... It pitted Uganda up against Bermuda and everyone could sense the tension in the air as it got underway; sort of like when your boat or plane is about to disappear in that famous triangle, perhaps... However, in the end, Uganda won the 13th place play-off match by... 11 runs, not 13 - what gives?!? Oh well; it was a close game and all, by cricket standards anyhow, it was...!
And if you still cannot ''feel it'' (them fires of competitive spirit fueled by the most daunting prospect of grasping the 13th spot...!) nor can you quite simply ''get it'' - well, here is a little something that exemplifies it all quite succinctly (if not excitingly - at all) right here, available for your viewing, scrutinizing and analyzing pleasure: that is, if you have got in excess of two hours to waste, of course... Hereby, very nearly LIVE from Brno & Ostrava, Czech Republic, here are the 9th Women's World Floorball Championships - the grudge match for the 13th spot, opposing Canada and Hungary (two nations used to such positions, verily; but that's another story too...)
Enjoy!
;-)
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