The Miniature Georges Laraque Kept Getting Into Fights Though

Nerds and geeks (unless you are one of our readers, then you are all finely-tuned athletes) now have one more "sport" in which they can "compete": Table Hockey.

Spirited hockey ��� without ice (Telegram & Gazette)

The bare bones gymnasium at Framingham State College served as an unassuming and unpretentious setting for some of the best table hockey players in the world on Saturday in the fifth annual Boston Challenge.

How the Hell do they know that they're the best? Is there a ranking system or something? Why am I always amazed at stories like this?

They came from as far as Sweden, Montreal, and Edmonton, Alberta, and from as near as Framingham, Lowell and Worcester. There were international superstars such as Pontus Eriksson of Sweden and Worcester���s own Kenny J. Dubois, the number-one ranked player by the United States Table Hockey Association.

Asked and answered.

Can you imagine flying in from Sweden to play table hockey?

Mr. Boisvert grew up playing ���an old Coleco��� version with his father. A few years ago he rediscovered the game and asked his wife to buy him the tournament-standard Stiga model for Christmas. Since then he has practiced and entered tournaments, often asking his wife to play against him.

How is this guy married? Did we mention that he is a 34-year-old computer programmer? Insert tech geek joke here: _________________________.

Table hockey is huge in Europe, Mr. Eriksson said, especially in Russia where some matches are televised.

I guess I'd rather watch that than Dancing With the Stars. It also makes me nostalgic for the days when ESPN showed nothing but Australian Rules Football.