At the risk of sounding like an insensitive clod, I have absolutely no sympathy for Toronto Blue Jays fans.
True, the Jays are wrapping up a season that will mark the 17th NFL jerseys straight year of missing the playoffs. But there's no excuse for the embarrassingly low crowd counts at Rogers Centre in September and as the Jays wrap up their home schedule this weekend, there are plenty of good reasons to head to the ballpark one more time before the snow flies and the Leafs begin to break your heart.
1. Friday night, Jays fans who profess their love for Roy Halladay get the chance to see the Doc operate for (where have we heard this before?) what could be the final time at home in a Jays uniform.
I know, I know...that card was already tossed around like an over-ripe salad at the trade deadline. However, a deal for Doc could go down over the winter and if you miss Halladay's start against the Mariners on Friday, you'll be kicking yourself when he reports for spring training in February wearing Cardinals colours...or Red Sox...or White Sox.
You know the drill.
2. With the Mariners in town, Halladay won't be the only future Hall-of-Famer on the field this weekend.
The Mighty Ichiro brings his magical bat to Toronto having just set a Major League record by chalking up 200 hits for the ninth consecutive season; and he's put up those impressive numbers with a highly unorthodox swing.
"If you were teaching a kid how to hit, you'd never ask them to copy Ichiro," said Rogers Sportsnet analyst Pat Tabler. "But he's got the best hand-eye co-ordination of any hitter you're ever going to see."
Like Halladay, unfortunately, Ichiro has had the misfortune of playing for a mediocre ball club over the years. In fact, the only time he's been to the post-season was during his 2001 rookie campaign.
And how did Ichiro do?
He played 10 games and hit a cool .421; just another routine performance for one of the true legends of the game.
3. There was a time when Blue Jays fans believed that Vernon Wells was on his way to becoming a living legend. Then, he put his name on a certain seven-year, $126 -million dollar contract, and the rest (along with his bat) was history.
But just when you thought you'd have one final opportunity this season to bash V-Dub for his big bucks and small production, he goes on a sudden tear and has been the hottest hitter in the majors since September 6th.
So, with that in mind, be prepared to give Vernon his due when you heckle him this weekend.
"You suck, Wells! Except, of course, when the games are meaningless and we're 30 games out of first place!"
4. While you wonder where Wells has been all season, you can also play a rousing rendition of "Where's Waldo?" during the Jays-Mariners series.
For the purposes of this exercise, we'll call it "Where's the Beest?" as people keep their eyes peeled for Jays interim CEO Paul Beeston.
There is a catch, however.
Beeston, you see, is said to be on vacation.
Geesh!
Even the team’s CEO doesn't want to stick around and watch these guys play.
In Beeston's defence, there are reports that he's finally found someone willing to become the fulltime president and let's hope he's spending some of his holiday time finalizing a deal with the poor sap...uh, make that saviour.
Still, interim boss or not, it's a lousy message to skip town for the final home stand of the year while asking fans to come out and support a club going nowhere.
5. Finally, the best reason of all to head to Rogers Centre this weekend.
With the Jays at home for the final time this year, Toronto fans can at least be thankful that they don't have to watch the Argos.
2010年5月15日星期六
2010年5月14日星期五
Injecting some truth
No need to cry, big guy. We’re betting it did not come as a huge surprise to her or anyone else.
Mark McGwire admits to steroid and Human Growth Hormone use.
In other news, fire is hot. NHL jerseys
"I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids," he said in … (wait for it) … a statement to A.P. "I had good years when I didn’t take any and I had bad years when I didn’t take any. I had good years when I took steroids and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn’t have done it and for that I’m truly sorry."
Mark McGwire’s voice "cracked with emotion" when he relayed to respected Associated Press reporter Ronald Blum how he had to tell his wife and family that, yes, he had used steroids.
"It's the first time they’ve ever heard me, you know, talk about this," McGwire said. "I hid it from everybody."
"I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off-season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the nineties, including during the 1998 season."
McGwire’s hope is to undo all the lies that he has lived with since he sat down in front of that U.S. congressional committee in 2005 and refused to admit then what he is admitting to now.
Who among us wouldn’t have bet that McGwire had gone needle for needle with all of those guys from his era: Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, A-Rod, Roger Clemens …?
It was the worst-kept secret in sports. But today, McGwire felt the need to come clean -- with the AP statement, a follow-up interview with Blum, and a further interview set for Monday evening on the player-friendly MLB TV.
"Now that I have become the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, I have the chance to do something that I wish I was able to do five years ago," is how McGwire began his statement -- which in this business is a way to get your version of the news out there without having to face any media scrutiny, or verify any facts.
But is he telling the truth even now? Do you get that big, that powerful by using steroids "on occasion through the nineties?"
Not even close, pal. You get the results that McGwire got by sticking to a rigorous drug program administered by a physician with expertise in the field.
Ben Johnson had Dr. Jamie Astaphan. Bonds had BALCO’s Victor Conte.
And you’re telling us, Mark, that you did it all yourself? "Occasionally" pulling out the steroids and firing up a syringe?
Personally, too many athletes made the steroid "mistake" to carry a grudge. We forgive all of them.
It is the ones like Bonds, Clemens and McGwire who we just do not like. Not because of the steroids, but because of the lies.
Watch McGwire on TV Monday night. We’re betting that, even in his moment of truth and great revelation, he won’t let the facts get in the way of a great apology.
He also goes down that well travelled road, claiming that after a laundry list of injuries that occurred during the mid-90s, McGwire turned to steroids "to help me recover faster." The greater likelihood is that all the steroids he consumed in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s were at the root of all of those injuries.
But, in the end, he has come clean. And we’re all supposed to begin the process of falling over ourselves to commend his courage, and forgive his mistakes.
Mark McGwire admits to steroid and Human Growth Hormone use.
In other news, fire is hot. NHL jerseys
"I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids," he said in … (wait for it) … a statement to A.P. "I had good years when I didn’t take any and I had bad years when I didn’t take any. I had good years when I took steroids and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn’t have done it and for that I’m truly sorry."
Mark McGwire’s voice "cracked with emotion" when he relayed to respected Associated Press reporter Ronald Blum how he had to tell his wife and family that, yes, he had used steroids.
"It's the first time they’ve ever heard me, you know, talk about this," McGwire said. "I hid it from everybody."
"I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off-season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the nineties, including during the 1998 season."
McGwire’s hope is to undo all the lies that he has lived with since he sat down in front of that U.S. congressional committee in 2005 and refused to admit then what he is admitting to now.
Who among us wouldn’t have bet that McGwire had gone needle for needle with all of those guys from his era: Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, A-Rod, Roger Clemens …?
It was the worst-kept secret in sports. But today, McGwire felt the need to come clean -- with the AP statement, a follow-up interview with Blum, and a further interview set for Monday evening on the player-friendly MLB TV.
"Now that I have become the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, I have the chance to do something that I wish I was able to do five years ago," is how McGwire began his statement -- which in this business is a way to get your version of the news out there without having to face any media scrutiny, or verify any facts.
But is he telling the truth even now? Do you get that big, that powerful by using steroids "on occasion through the nineties?"
Not even close, pal. You get the results that McGwire got by sticking to a rigorous drug program administered by a physician with expertise in the field.
Ben Johnson had Dr. Jamie Astaphan. Bonds had BALCO’s Victor Conte.
And you’re telling us, Mark, that you did it all yourself? "Occasionally" pulling out the steroids and firing up a syringe?
Personally, too many athletes made the steroid "mistake" to carry a grudge. We forgive all of them.
It is the ones like Bonds, Clemens and McGwire who we just do not like. Not because of the steroids, but because of the lies.
Watch McGwire on TV Monday night. We’re betting that, even in his moment of truth and great revelation, he won’t let the facts get in the way of a great apology.
He also goes down that well travelled road, claiming that after a laundry list of injuries that occurred during the mid-90s, McGwire turned to steroids "to help me recover faster." The greater likelihood is that all the steroids he consumed in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s were at the root of all of those injuries.
But, in the end, he has come clean. And we’re all supposed to begin the process of falling over ourselves to commend his courage, and forgive his mistakes.
2010年5月11日星期二
The Mendes Diaries
On the surface, a day-trip to Manhattan to rub elbows with the most powerful men in hockey sounds like a glamorous job.
I'll let you be the judge, as I chronicle my trip from Ottawa to New York and back within 19 hours.
4:25am - Wake up fresh as a daisy, after getting four hours of sleep. Would someone remind me why it wise to stay up until midnight watching Seinfeld re-runs I've seen 12 times before? My iPod alarm clock randomly chooses a Wiggles song to wake me up. No matter how cool I might try to seem on the surface, I have "Hot Potato" on my iPod.
5:25am - Check into U.S. customs and try not to laugh when I tell the agent I'm going to Manhattan to sit in a hotel lobby for 8 hours and then I'll be flying back to Ottawa this evening.
8:05am - Roll into the Westin Times Square in Manhattan. One by one, the league execs, team presidents and owners roll in. Given the demographic and combined earnings of these guys walking by, I better make sure this is the NHL board of governors meeting and not a Republican fundraiser.
9:44am - Brian Burke, David Poile and Glen Sather all walk together down the hall and disappear around a corner. This can only mean a three-way trade amongst the clubs is imminent. You heard it here first: Shea Weber-for-Corey Perry-for-Stephen Valiquette. (The No. 1 rule for starting a three-way trade rumour is to make sure one of the teams is totally getting screwed.)
10:02am - The meeting is now underway. I think it would be funny if we had a hidden microphone in the room, so we could hear everything going on inside. I even had the plan all set up. I would hug Flyers majority owner Ed Snider (because he seems so huggable) when he walked into the hotel. I would say, "Come here you big lug, I haven't seen you since Roman Cechmanek melted down." Then, when we were in the middle of an awkward embrace, I would slip the mic inside his jacket pocket. I will definitely try this tactic at the next board of governors meeting I attend.
10:22am - I notice Cam Neely is one of the attendees at the meeting. I wonder how many of the old guard NHL guys know they are sitting at a table with a guy who was in Dumb and Dumber.
11:45am - The lunch carts roll outside the meeting room. I can't tell what they are having for lunch, but until I see the board of governors eating flatbread sammies from Quizno's, I'm going to just assume the league is on solid financial ground and the cap is going up next year.
1:05pm - When you spend the day at an upscale Manhattan hotel, you can expect to rub elbows with some celebrities. Last time I was here, Catherine Zeta-Jones was filming a movie at my hotel. No such luck today with the celebrities. Although I'm pretty sure one of the hotel bellhops is Wesley from Mr. Belvedere.
3:55pm - After spending two hours aimlessly surfing the web (you don't want to know what my Google search engine has in its memory cache now), we get word the meeting is over. But as the doors open to the room, various GMs, owners and presidents transform from stiff office types into swift and graceful athletes as they push past us to the exit. "Sorry - got a plane to catch," is the number one slogan of anyone who doesn't want to speak with the media. I don't think I would win a foot race with Pierre Lacroix if he had a plane to catch.
4:18pm - I give Brian Burke a ton of credit for not making me eat my microphone after I had to ask him his obligatory Leaf-related conspiracy qestion of the day.
4:33pm - I shoot a one-on-one interview with Gary Bettman. But I actually screw up 15 seconds into the interview and have to restart. Bettman grabs the mic and says, "Maybe I should be asking the questions." Now Bettman takes a lot of heat from hockey fans, but I will say this about him: He's the most down-to-earth and approachable commissioner of a major sport in North America. (BTW: There is no sarcastic punch line here. I actually really enjoy dealing with Bettman.)
6:22pm - Pull into Air Canada check-in line at LaGuardia and find out my flight home has been cancelled. I'm advised to book a new flight for the morning and book an overnight hotel. Now I'm generally a lazy person by nature. I struggle to take out the garbage every Sunday night. But for some strange reason, I love a good airport challenge. I don't intend to go quietly tonight.
8:21pm - After convincing them to make me a standby passenger on the last flight out to Toronto, I watch as the plane gets loaded up and they don't call my name. In a last ditch effort, I go up to the counter and ask if there is one more seat open by chance after everyone is on board. And for some bizarre reason - there is one seat left. So I grab my boarding pass and resist the urge to look back at the other 50 standby passengers and do a sneak preview of my Lotto 6/49 dance.
9:55pm - I land in Toronto and have exactly 23 minutes to clear customs, security and make my connection to Ottawa. Suddenly, I'm the one running through a crowded hallway at full speed yelling, "Sorry - got a plane to catch." It really is empowering. You should try it sometime.
11:17pm - Plane safely touches down in Ottawa, thus concluding my 19-hour day. I can't wait for the NHL Draft festivities to start here in Ottawa on Thursday, so I can camp out in a hotel lobby NHL Jerseys
and rub elbows with NHL executives.
I'll let you be the judge, as I chronicle my trip from Ottawa to New York and back within 19 hours.
4:25am - Wake up fresh as a daisy, after getting four hours of sleep. Would someone remind me why it wise to stay up until midnight watching Seinfeld re-runs I've seen 12 times before? My iPod alarm clock randomly chooses a Wiggles song to wake me up. No matter how cool I might try to seem on the surface, I have "Hot Potato" on my iPod.
5:25am - Check into U.S. customs and try not to laugh when I tell the agent I'm going to Manhattan to sit in a hotel lobby for 8 hours and then I'll be flying back to Ottawa this evening.
8:05am - Roll into the Westin Times Square in Manhattan. One by one, the league execs, team presidents and owners roll in. Given the demographic and combined earnings of these guys walking by, I better make sure this is the NHL board of governors meeting and not a Republican fundraiser.
9:44am - Brian Burke, David Poile and Glen Sather all walk together down the hall and disappear around a corner. This can only mean a three-way trade amongst the clubs is imminent. You heard it here first: Shea Weber-for-Corey Perry-for-Stephen Valiquette. (The No. 1 rule for starting a three-way trade rumour is to make sure one of the teams is totally getting screwed.)
10:02am - The meeting is now underway. I think it would be funny if we had a hidden microphone in the room, so we could hear everything going on inside. I even had the plan all set up. I would hug Flyers majority owner Ed Snider (because he seems so huggable) when he walked into the hotel. I would say, "Come here you big lug, I haven't seen you since Roman Cechmanek melted down." Then, when we were in the middle of an awkward embrace, I would slip the mic inside his jacket pocket. I will definitely try this tactic at the next board of governors meeting I attend.
10:22am - I notice Cam Neely is one of the attendees at the meeting. I wonder how many of the old guard NHL guys know they are sitting at a table with a guy who was in Dumb and Dumber.
11:45am - The lunch carts roll outside the meeting room. I can't tell what they are having for lunch, but until I see the board of governors eating flatbread sammies from Quizno's, I'm going to just assume the league is on solid financial ground and the cap is going up next year.
1:05pm - When you spend the day at an upscale Manhattan hotel, you can expect to rub elbows with some celebrities. Last time I was here, Catherine Zeta-Jones was filming a movie at my hotel. No such luck today with the celebrities. Although I'm pretty sure one of the hotel bellhops is Wesley from Mr. Belvedere.
3:55pm - After spending two hours aimlessly surfing the web (you don't want to know what my Google search engine has in its memory cache now), we get word the meeting is over. But as the doors open to the room, various GMs, owners and presidents transform from stiff office types into swift and graceful athletes as they push past us to the exit. "Sorry - got a plane to catch," is the number one slogan of anyone who doesn't want to speak with the media. I don't think I would win a foot race with Pierre Lacroix if he had a plane to catch.
4:18pm - I give Brian Burke a ton of credit for not making me eat my microphone after I had to ask him his obligatory Leaf-related conspiracy qestion of the day.
4:33pm - I shoot a one-on-one interview with Gary Bettman. But I actually screw up 15 seconds into the interview and have to restart. Bettman grabs the mic and says, "Maybe I should be asking the questions." Now Bettman takes a lot of heat from hockey fans, but I will say this about him: He's the most down-to-earth and approachable commissioner of a major sport in North America. (BTW: There is no sarcastic punch line here. I actually really enjoy dealing with Bettman.)
6:22pm - Pull into Air Canada check-in line at LaGuardia and find out my flight home has been cancelled. I'm advised to book a new flight for the morning and book an overnight hotel. Now I'm generally a lazy person by nature. I struggle to take out the garbage every Sunday night. But for some strange reason, I love a good airport challenge. I don't intend to go quietly tonight.
8:21pm - After convincing them to make me a standby passenger on the last flight out to Toronto, I watch as the plane gets loaded up and they don't call my name. In a last ditch effort, I go up to the counter and ask if there is one more seat open by chance after everyone is on board. And for some bizarre reason - there is one seat left. So I grab my boarding pass and resist the urge to look back at the other 50 standby passengers and do a sneak preview of my Lotto 6/49 dance.
9:55pm - I land in Toronto and have exactly 23 minutes to clear customs, security and make my connection to Ottawa. Suddenly, I'm the one running through a crowded hallway at full speed yelling, "Sorry - got a plane to catch." It really is empowering. You should try it sometime.
11:17pm - Plane safely touches down in Ottawa, thus concluding my 19-hour day. I can't wait for the NHL Draft festivities to start here in Ottawa on Thursday, so I can camp out in a hotel lobby NHL Jerseys
and rub elbows with NHL executives.
2010年5月10日星期一
Not my Cup of tea
As I'm on my way to Soccer jerseys San Jose, I was going to write about Dany Heatley. But sitting in the Toronto airport waiting for my connection to the west coast on Sunday night, I was struck by something as I ate my chicken fingers inside the pub: Not a single TV was tuned into the Grey Cup.
All the sets were showing a variety of football games, including everyone's favourite: Tennessee and Arizona. But even as the clock passed 6:30 p.m. ET, not a single person in the bar made a noise to change the channel.
And then it dawned on me: I wouldn't switch an NFL game for the Grey Cup either.
You would think I would be the perfect candidate for the CFL. I'm a huge sports fan inside that coveted 18-34 demographic that makes marketing wizards drool.
But quite frankly, I've never really watched the CFL and I probably never will.
The thing is, there is an alarming number of young men in the same situation as me. They are huge football fans, but have no time for the CFL or the Grey Cup.
Why is that?
I can't speak for everyone else, but here are my top 10 reasons why I don't make an effort to watch the Grey Cup every year.
I've had a hard time writing a blog since I came home from the World Series.
Just a couple of weeks ago, I was talking to Kurt Russell in a room where Derek Jeter was spraying his teammates with champagne.
Coming back to cover the Senators and Devils was a cold slap in the face. But I've now mentally recovered and I'm ready to re-enter the blogosphere.
I've yet to do the hard research or get someone to crunch the numbers, but if your dad wasn't a CFL fan, there is a less than three per cent chance that you will grow up following the game. Factor in that we didn't grow up with any family members in the Prairies and it's pretty much a recipe for a non-CFL household.
I can usually convince my wife to watch some of the Super Bowl by enticing her with the potential for a vast array of witty commercials. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the Grey Cup. In the past, I could at least get worked up and angry about the Canadian Tire guy.
But ever since he's left the picture, the advertising scene in Canada has been relegated to a series of lame commercials about windshield replacements, mixed in with the latest offering from Tim Hortons.
I wonder what the new soup of the month will be - French Onion or Creamy Broccoli? The suspense is killing me.
7 - Wrong network.
The game is on TSN and I'm contractually obliged to not watch anything that airs on that network. In fact, just by mentioning their name in this blog, I now have to do Rogers a favour and upgrade my cable package and subscribe to Chatelaine.
6 - The memory test.
The other day, someone was trying to remember who was in last year's Grey Cup. I said I couldn't remember and they were asking the wrong guy. After a few moments, someone said it was the Stampeders and Alouettes and the game was played in Montreal.
Here's the crazy thing: I COVERED the game and completely forgot about it. The games have no staying power in my mind.
CFL fans will always tell you that the Grey Cup game is closer and more exciting than the Super Bowl. That used to be true when the 49ers were blowing out shady Stan Humphries and the Chargers, but it's not the case any more.
The last six Grey Cups have been decided by an average of eight points. The last six Super Bowls have been even tighter - decided by six points on average. And recent Super Bowls have come down to the last two minutes, making household names out of David Tyree, Santonio Holmes and Adam Viniteri.
CFL fans have lost their top argument as to why the Grey Cup is better than the Super Bowl.
CFL fans will tell you that the greatest Grey Cup game ever played was the 1989 tilt between Hamilton and Saskatchewan. Dave Ridgeway kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to give his team a 43-40 win.
But here's what CFL supporters tend to forget: If Ridgeway misses that kick and puts it thru the end zone, his team still would have won 41-40. And how weird would that celebration have been? One of these years, a Grey Cup will be decided by a single-point missed field goal and all hell will break loose.
Every year, my buddy Sean has a Super Bowl party and it's become pretty much an annual tradition. But I've never been invited to a Grey Cup party in my life. Am I hanging around the wrong people? Are my friends secretly having Grey Cup parties behind my back?
Doubtful on both counts.
Why don't the majority of sports fans my age throw Grey Cup parties?
Somebody please answer.
My most vivid Grey Cup memory involves a beer can being thrown at Rocket Ismail when he was returning a kick for a TD back in 1991. I'm not sure
All the sets were showing a variety of football games, including everyone's favourite: Tennessee and Arizona. But even as the clock passed 6:30 p.m. ET, not a single person in the bar made a noise to change the channel.
And then it dawned on me: I wouldn't switch an NFL game for the Grey Cup either.
You would think I would be the perfect candidate for the CFL. I'm a huge sports fan inside that coveted 18-34 demographic that makes marketing wizards drool.
But quite frankly, I've never really watched the CFL and I probably never will.
The thing is, there is an alarming number of young men in the same situation as me. They are huge football fans, but have no time for the CFL or the Grey Cup.
Why is that?
I can't speak for everyone else, but here are my top 10 reasons why I don't make an effort to watch the Grey Cup every year.
I've had a hard time writing a blog since I came home from the World Series.
Just a couple of weeks ago, I was talking to Kurt Russell in a room where Derek Jeter was spraying his teammates with champagne.
Coming back to cover the Senators and Devils was a cold slap in the face. But I've now mentally recovered and I'm ready to re-enter the blogosphere.
I've yet to do the hard research or get someone to crunch the numbers, but if your dad wasn't a CFL fan, there is a less than three per cent chance that you will grow up following the game. Factor in that we didn't grow up with any family members in the Prairies and it's pretty much a recipe for a non-CFL household.
I can usually convince my wife to watch some of the Super Bowl by enticing her with the potential for a vast array of witty commercials. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the Grey Cup. In the past, I could at least get worked up and angry about the Canadian Tire guy.
But ever since he's left the picture, the advertising scene in Canada has been relegated to a series of lame commercials about windshield replacements, mixed in with the latest offering from Tim Hortons.
I wonder what the new soup of the month will be - French Onion or Creamy Broccoli? The suspense is killing me.
7 - Wrong network.
The game is on TSN and I'm contractually obliged to not watch anything that airs on that network. In fact, just by mentioning their name in this blog, I now have to do Rogers a favour and upgrade my cable package and subscribe to Chatelaine.
6 - The memory test.
The other day, someone was trying to remember who was in last year's Grey Cup. I said I couldn't remember and they were asking the wrong guy. After a few moments, someone said it was the Stampeders and Alouettes and the game was played in Montreal.
Here's the crazy thing: I COVERED the game and completely forgot about it. The games have no staying power in my mind.
CFL fans will always tell you that the Grey Cup game is closer and more exciting than the Super Bowl. That used to be true when the 49ers were blowing out shady Stan Humphries and the Chargers, but it's not the case any more.
The last six Grey Cups have been decided by an average of eight points. The last six Super Bowls have been even tighter - decided by six points on average. And recent Super Bowls have come down to the last two minutes, making household names out of David Tyree, Santonio Holmes and Adam Viniteri.
CFL fans have lost their top argument as to why the Grey Cup is better than the Super Bowl.
CFL fans will tell you that the greatest Grey Cup game ever played was the 1989 tilt between Hamilton and Saskatchewan. Dave Ridgeway kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to give his team a 43-40 win.
But here's what CFL supporters tend to forget: If Ridgeway misses that kick and puts it thru the end zone, his team still would have won 41-40. And how weird would that celebration have been? One of these years, a Grey Cup will be decided by a single-point missed field goal and all hell will break loose.
Every year, my buddy Sean has a Super Bowl party and it's become pretty much an annual tradition. But I've never been invited to a Grey Cup party in my life. Am I hanging around the wrong people? Are my friends secretly having Grey Cup parties behind my back?
Doubtful on both counts.
Why don't the majority of sports fans my age throw Grey Cup parties?
Somebody please answer.
My most vivid Grey Cup memory involves a beer can being thrown at Rocket Ismail when he was returning a kick for a TD back in 1991. I'm not sure
2010年5月9日星期日
Carolina to host 2011 NHL All-Star game
Next year's game originally was to be played in World Cup Soccer Jersey Phoenix, but when the Coyotes filed for bankruptcy, the league re-opened its options. Bettman estimated that 14 teams applied either to host All-Star games from 2011-13 or upcoming NHL drafts.
Telling the other franchises that "your time will come," Bettman said awarding the game to Carolina "is a testimony to the strength of this franchise."
Bettman credited the metropolitan Raleigh area for making the improvements to the infrastructure and taking care of several other questions the league had. He cited a renovated airport terminal, a new 500,000-square-foot convention center that opened in September 2008, and the addition of nearly 800 four- and five-star hotel rooms in the past three years.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The NHL awarded the 2011 All-Star game to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, coming through on a pledge commissioner Gary Bettman once made to the franchise.
"You have all been asking me for years when the All-Star game was coming to Raleigh," Bettman told a crowd of about 1,000 Hurricanes fans who packed the RBC Center's lawn. "I did make a promise a number of years ago. So, today, I will fulfill that promise."
The commissioner also downplayed concerns about the relatively quick turnaround time between the announcement and the game. The area won't have the luxury of a few years of lead time to prepare for the game, which is set for Jan. 30, 2011.
Staging it in Raleigh "was never far from our radar screen, and we didn't have to, if you will, tax ourselves with an All-Star game this past February, for obvious reasons," said Bettman, alluding to the Vancouver Olympics. "We're ready to go. ... It was just a question of lining it up and saying, 'Now's the time.' We think the time was right, the bid was right, the promise needed to be fulfilled."
In their 11 seasons since moving from Hartford, the Hurricanes have been no strangers to some of the league's marquee events.
They played host to the 2004 NHL draft, won the Stanley Cup in 2006, reached the Cup final in 2002 and last year made their third appearance in the Eastern Conference final. The rabid "Caniac" fan base has become famous for staging college football-style tailgate parties before games, then making the arena one of the loudest in the NHL.
"You're known for doing your tailgating, and I'm pleased to give you an excuse to do some more," Bettman said.
"There has never been a time when we didn't need an All-Star game, and I think almost every other sports team owner would tell you the same thing," he said. "It's very important to us to build our season-ticket base, and this will help us do it. But the franchise was doing very well without the All-Star game."
Count three-time All-Star Eric Staal among those hoping to skate along with Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and the rest of the league's best players in a familiar environment.
"I want to make sure I'm having a great start next season so I can be a part of it and get a loud ovation in our building," Staal said.
Scott Dupree, vice president for sports marketing for the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, estimated that the game will have an economic impact of $10 million to $20 million for the area. Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos Jr. expects it to provide a jolt to the franchise's season-ticket numbers.
Carolina plays Montreal on Thursday night in its home finale. Through 40 home games, the Hurricanes are averaging 15,154 fans _ on pace for their worst regular-season average since the lockout _ during a disappointing, injury-riddled season in which the Hurricanes spent a few weeks as the NHL's worst team and have been eliminated from the playoff race.
Telling the other franchises that "your time will come," Bettman said awarding the game to Carolina "is a testimony to the strength of this franchise."
Bettman credited the metropolitan Raleigh area for making the improvements to the infrastructure and taking care of several other questions the league had. He cited a renovated airport terminal, a new 500,000-square-foot convention center that opened in September 2008, and the addition of nearly 800 four- and five-star hotel rooms in the past three years.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The NHL awarded the 2011 All-Star game to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, coming through on a pledge commissioner Gary Bettman once made to the franchise.
"You have all been asking me for years when the All-Star game was coming to Raleigh," Bettman told a crowd of about 1,000 Hurricanes fans who packed the RBC Center's lawn. "I did make a promise a number of years ago. So, today, I will fulfill that promise."
The commissioner also downplayed concerns about the relatively quick turnaround time between the announcement and the game. The area won't have the luxury of a few years of lead time to prepare for the game, which is set for Jan. 30, 2011.
Staging it in Raleigh "was never far from our radar screen, and we didn't have to, if you will, tax ourselves with an All-Star game this past February, for obvious reasons," said Bettman, alluding to the Vancouver Olympics. "We're ready to go. ... It was just a question of lining it up and saying, 'Now's the time.' We think the time was right, the bid was right, the promise needed to be fulfilled."
In their 11 seasons since moving from Hartford, the Hurricanes have been no strangers to some of the league's marquee events.
They played host to the 2004 NHL draft, won the Stanley Cup in 2006, reached the Cup final in 2002 and last year made their third appearance in the Eastern Conference final. The rabid "Caniac" fan base has become famous for staging college football-style tailgate parties before games, then making the arena one of the loudest in the NHL.
"You're known for doing your tailgating, and I'm pleased to give you an excuse to do some more," Bettman said.
"There has never been a time when we didn't need an All-Star game, and I think almost every other sports team owner would tell you the same thing," he said. "It's very important to us to build our season-ticket base, and this will help us do it. But the franchise was doing very well without the All-Star game."
Count three-time All-Star Eric Staal among those hoping to skate along with Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and the rest of the league's best players in a familiar environment.
"I want to make sure I'm having a great start next season so I can be a part of it and get a loud ovation in our building," Staal said.
Scott Dupree, vice president for sports marketing for the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, estimated that the game will have an economic impact of $10 million to $20 million for the area. Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos Jr. expects it to provide a jolt to the franchise's season-ticket numbers.
Carolina plays Montreal on Thursday night in its home finale. Through 40 home games, the Hurricanes are averaging 15,154 fans _ on pace for their worst regular-season average since the lockout _ during a disappointing, injury-riddled season in which the Hurricanes spent a few weeks as the NHL's worst team and have been eliminated from the playoff race.
2010年5月8日星期六
Thrashers fire coach as part of management shakeup
Dudley, who joined the Thrashers as associate general manager last summer, will run the hockey operations, looking to bolster a roster that dealt its top player, Ilya Kovalchuck, at this season's trade deadline when it couldn't come to World Cup Soccer Jersey terms on a new contract.
"We have a lot of important pieces in place, and I look forward to building this organization even further and working closely with Don, the owners and our staff towards achieving our goals," Dudley said in a statement. "I've been in this situation before and we will accomplish our objectives. I appreciate Don and the owners giving me this opportunity to build on Anderson served only two years as the Thrashers' coach after being promoted from the same job with the team's top minor-league affiliate in Chicago. He was 70-75-19 and had a nasty falling-out with one of the team's leading offensive players, Slava Kozlov, who said the team had the talent to make the playoffs but was poorly coached.
The team also fired Anderson's three assistant coaches: Randy Cunneyworth, Todd Nelson and Steve Weeks.
what has already been put in place."
The 61-year-old Dudley served as general manager of the Ottawa Senators in 1998-99 before moving to the same role in Tampa Bay, where he spent three years and was credited with putting together much of the nucleus for a team that won the Stanley Cup in 2004.
Waddell had been the only general manager in Thrashers' history. While responsible for drafting future stars like Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley, he never put together a consistent winner and became the most visible target of fans upset about the Thrashers' direction.
ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Thrashers made a major shakeup Wednesday after again missing the playoffs, firing coach John Anderson and appointing Rick Dudley to replace Don Waddell as the general manager.
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"My role within the company has evolved and grown the last few years, and the owners and I agree that it's the appropriate time to have Rick assume all hockey-related responsibilities while I shift my primary focus to the business side of the Thrashers," Waddell said.
"I will be less involved with the team on a daily basis, but will continue to make myself available to Rick and to lend my experience in any way that allows him to succeed and for us to build this club into a perennial contender."
Waddell was bumped upstairs to team president, where he will responsible mainly for the business aspects of a franchise that has made the postseason only once since entering the NHL in 1999 and ranked near the bottom of the league in attendance.
There have also been numerous reports speculating that the team could leave Atlanta unless the situation improves, both on the ice and at the ga
"We have a lot of important pieces in place, and I look forward to building this organization even further and working closely with Don, the owners and our staff towards achieving our goals," Dudley said in a statement. "I've been in this situation before and we will accomplish our objectives. I appreciate Don and the owners giving me this opportunity to build on Anderson served only two years as the Thrashers' coach after being promoted from the same job with the team's top minor-league affiliate in Chicago. He was 70-75-19 and had a nasty falling-out with one of the team's leading offensive players, Slava Kozlov, who said the team had the talent to make the playoffs but was poorly coached.
The team also fired Anderson's three assistant coaches: Randy Cunneyworth, Todd Nelson and Steve Weeks.
what has already been put in place."
The 61-year-old Dudley served as general manager of the Ottawa Senators in 1998-99 before moving to the same role in Tampa Bay, where he spent three years and was credited with putting together much of the nucleus for a team that won the Stanley Cup in 2004.
Waddell had been the only general manager in Thrashers' history. While responsible for drafting future stars like Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley, he never put together a consistent winner and became the most visible target of fans upset about the Thrashers' direction.
ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Thrashers made a major shakeup Wednesday after again missing the playoffs, firing coach John Anderson and appointing Rick Dudley to replace Don Waddell as the general manager.
te.
"My role within the company has evolved and grown the last few years, and the owners and I agree that it's the appropriate time to have Rick assume all hockey-related responsibilities while I shift my primary focus to the business side of the Thrashers," Waddell said.
"I will be less involved with the team on a daily basis, but will continue to make myself available to Rick and to lend my experience in any way that allows him to succeed and for us to build this club into a perennial contender."
Waddell was bumped upstairs to team president, where he will responsible mainly for the business aspects of a franchise that has made the postseason only once since entering the NHL in 1999 and ranked near the bottom of the league in attendance.
There have also been numerous reports speculating that the team could leave Atlanta unless the situation improves, both on the ice and at the ga
2010年5月7日星期五
Ovechkin scores in return; Caps beat Lightning 3-1
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Alex Ovechkin scored a goal in his return following a two-game NHL suspension and Jose Theodore made 33 saves as the Washington Capitals beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 on Saturday night. soccer jerseys
The two-time defending MVP took a long pass off the boards from Nicklas Backstrom, skated in on a breakaway and easily scored on Antero Niittymaki to give Washington a 2-1 lead.
It was Ovechkin's 45th goal of the season and his NHL-leading 97th point.
Tomas Fleischmann and Alexander Semin also scored for Washington (48-14-10). Vincent Lecavalier had the Lightning's only goal.
Ovechkin was suspended two games for shoving Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell from behind and sending him into the boards last Sunday. Campbell broke his collarbone and ribs, and is expected to miss at least the rest of the regular season.
Fleischmann scored the first goal for the Capitals just 2:40 into the game when he took a pass in the slot from Dan Steckel and caught Niittymaki out of position.
Tampa Bay stormed back when Lecavalier took a feed from Teddy Purcell and pushed a shot past Theodore.
That was all that Theodore would allow. He turned aside several odd-man rushes, including a point-blank shot by Lecavalier midway through the first period. Martin St. Louis was denied during a 2-on-1 rush in the second period.
Semin scored in the third period, scoring off a rebound of Brooks Laich's slap shot.
NOTES: The Lightning lost all four games on their homestand and dropped to 11th in the Eastern Conference Standings, six points behind eighth-place Boston. ... Tampa Bay was 0 for 5 on the power play. ... Washington coach Bruce Boudreau remains undecided on whether Theodore or Semyon Varlamov will be the Capitals' starting goalie in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The two-time defending MVP took a long pass off the boards from Nicklas Backstrom, skated in on a breakaway and easily scored on Antero Niittymaki to give Washington a 2-1 lead.
It was Ovechkin's 45th goal of the season and his NHL-leading 97th point.
Tomas Fleischmann and Alexander Semin also scored for Washington (48-14-10). Vincent Lecavalier had the Lightning's only goal.
Ovechkin was suspended two games for shoving Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell from behind and sending him into the boards last Sunday. Campbell broke his collarbone and ribs, and is expected to miss at least the rest of the regular season.
Fleischmann scored the first goal for the Capitals just 2:40 into the game when he took a pass in the slot from Dan Steckel and caught Niittymaki out of position.
Tampa Bay stormed back when Lecavalier took a feed from Teddy Purcell and pushed a shot past Theodore.
That was all that Theodore would allow. He turned aside several odd-man rushes, including a point-blank shot by Lecavalier midway through the first period. Martin St. Louis was denied during a 2-on-1 rush in the second period.
Semin scored in the third period, scoring off a rebound of Brooks Laich's slap shot.
NOTES: The Lightning lost all four games on their homestand and dropped to 11th in the Eastern Conference Standings, six points behind eighth-place Boston. ... Tampa Bay was 0 for 5 on the power play. ... Washington coach Bruce Boudreau remains undecided on whether Theodore or Semyon Varlamov will be the Capitals' starting goalie in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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