Shouldn't the doctors be seeing these symptoms and do tests and know that he was in a substance abuse program stop giving him drugs?

How couldn't people notice this and think that this is not right. Where was his family?

Sometimes it is far to scary to think about seriously so you joke about it. Especially experiencing all of these symptoms alone with no one to help you through and explain what is happening to you.

he is being blinded by the reality of what is going on by doing drugs and trying to return to his "normal life" However he is just fooling himself and putting on a persona for the fans to try and make sense of what is going on in his mind.

It was and still a huge dispute over the concussions and helmet safety in football, however hockey didn't get much publicity like football even though they have smaller helmets, get checked into the boards and get into fights.

Hiding the fact that he had a drug problem from everyone could play a huge role in his overdose because who have to cant just keep it in you have to tell people to be able to let it go. This drug addiction could be why symptoms were missed sine close ones might think it was just that.

All of the other men who committed suicide probably had this as well since the impulsiveness and mood swings could cause them to think this is the best option. Why were these symptoms ever talked about beffore they died? Were they hiding them or was someone hiding them for them because of their fame?

This yet again makes the brain seem not important by relating it to deli meat with all the other brains. When the brain should be very important since it is so complex and works in a million different ways that make us unique.

The way the author breaks down how the brain is being taken transported is very important because it is making the brain just an everyday object like a piece of bread, when in reality it was Boogaard.

He kept it all in, is that what lead to the overdose?

Probably because of all the concussions and finding out the reason behind his "rage" that was really not there based on the next few paragraphs.

As we know, he was very stressed over the fighting because he knew that being the big bad guy was all that he had. He had so much pressure to keep this persona up that he turned to drugs. Also, I know that I would have stress if you were up against all these amazing players and the only reason you were there was because of your mean right hook. Trying to keep up with them must of been hard.

WOW, he wasn't even a good player. Only 3 goals that is terrible and yet he gets payed that much money. Its the name that cost that much.

This is what he was taught. When you are being congratulated for breaking a kids nose you are gonna keep that with you and view that as an acceptable form of dealing with confrontation on the rink.

This threat is probably why the author started off by saying he was scared. Boogard is 6'7" so to be confronted and threatened by someone even bigger would be. It also shows the nature of how physical hockey is. Everyone is always pushing each other and it can get easily out of hand in the heat of the moment, but it really is just apart of the game.

He was probably scared because he saw a big guy on the other team. I can relate when looking at stats and seeing a player in my position taller than me.

In a different article I read, he thought of fighting as a part of the job, since all the fans and teammates encourage it and feed of of it.

From knowledge of hockey I know that Boogard was known for his fighting and powerful punches. He was always spoken about being a big strong scary dude, but the author started by saying that he was scared which was a new word to describe him which would draw the reader in since you want to know how this man could be scared since people are usually scared of him.

Again this is a little of a stretch, but the first game is the actual game of football where they cant play because they don't have any one or any one good to fill the positions. Where as you could say that they are also playing the game of life and how are you suppose to move through life with all the sorrow.

Nicole and I: We were talking about the double meaning of words in class that the author used, and this is kind of a stretch, however when they first found Johnston it was in the way of them getting him on the team and they have been looking for someone to fill the position and they finally have. Where is in the other found, it was a body and it had been missing and this find didn't fill up a need for a person, it was a lose of someone.

Football is the most american sport out there besides baseball. Not only are they trying to connect to there fallen friends by playing a sport that they once did together and loved. But they are also trying to show there love of america and try to show the good that it can bring by just being able to go out and bond over a sport after a horrific time of lose.

Walsh is talking about being there for all the happy memories, although as brothers and as family, that mean that you are there for each other and have their backs, even if it is giving their family the relief and closure of finding a body to bury. You are there for the good times and the bad.

Throughout this article you see the close bond the fire department has. They are one big family that spend the work day together and even play on a football team together. They call each other brothers, and for a little boy who is now understanding the idea of what death really is to loose so many close friends who are considered "uncles"! I couldn't imagine.

They would always pull each other out of the piles in football, but know this is him pulling him out of the pile of ruins and this time Tommy isn't walking off with him.

On the football team they are always together and watching each others backs, helping each other out. However, if you look down Tommy doesn't make it out, and so not on the field, wither it is the football field, or work, they will no longer be together.

These men went into a collapsing building to help rescue people and gave up their life to do so. These are genuine men and you don't get many of those in our wold, and we just lost 21. The author is trying to intertwine them missing a player n the field, but in reality you are missing a amazing civilian who will no longer be on the world with us with all their characteristics.

Traditions are known to be passed down though people and generations, and even though they were so young, while being apart of tradition, one day some of the originals wont be with you anymore, however it is a tradition and you have to continue it to show your respect you have towards what the game means to you

These fire fighters are so keen on playing that even thought they are physically sick, and mentally drained from digging up people for weeks, they will still go ang be apart of a sport to be with "family"

In saying this as a statement with no question about it, it is saying that they will be doing this for their fallen friends. This is something they would always do, and it brought smiles to their faces, and the fallen wouldn't want them to stop enjoying it because of them.

He is know showing the readers that throughout the article he will be connecting the football team to 9/11. It is again almost a front because most people like football, so he is trying to keep the readers mood up by bringing in the distraction and parallelism of football, since it is a team sport just like being a fire fighter puts you in a teas.

The author shows a positive almost humorous tone in the conclusion of the paragraph. Even though we don't know what happened to the 21 people who were once apart of the team, it is almost as he is trying to put up a happy face because of how sad it is going to be.

The twin towers collapsed on September 11, 2001, so this article was written about 6 months after.