Wednesday, March 1:
Even in their wildest dreams, the most diehard fans of the Toronto Raptors couldn't imagine snaring Bryan Colangelo as general manager. This NBA executive of the year is the man who shaped and moulded the Phoenix Suns. Bringing success to the Raptors is a tall order and one that will take patience. Right now, bringing stability to the franchise is the biggest job and Richard Peddie and the people at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment have gone a long way towards doing that with this hire.
Saturday, March 4:
I see that Tom Cheek got overlooked again last month in the voting for the baseball hall of fame's broadcast wing. I can't rip the voters because they doubtless voted in a deserving candidate. But doggone it, Tom Cheek is a deserving candidate, too. So we'll just have to stage another campaign again this year. All fans can do is vote often enough to make sure the late voice of the Toronto Blue Jays is nominated. Then it's out of our hands. But we'll be sure and enclose a link to the voting page as soon as it's up from Cooperstown at season's end.
Monday, March 6:
I love baseball, especially in March and the thought of how it will enhance hot summer afternoons and warm summer evenings. I've even bought mid-April tickets for day games at The Friendly Confines and St. Louis' new Busch Stadium III. But I could not possibly care less about the World Baseball Classic. What kind of baseball "classic" can this be when pitchers can barely go an inning or two, due to the time of year?
Tuesday, March 7:
RIP, Kirby Puckett. There are a handful of players that remain memorable in this old radio reporter's noggin from time spent around the ballparks in the '80's and '90's. And Kirby Puckett was one of baseball's good guys during his hall-of-fame career with the Minnesota Twins. Always willing to chat and always a smile. Admittedly, he had some serious post-career problems, but my vision of Puckett will always be a positive one. A sad day for baseball with his passing.
Thursday, March 9:
Like so many people whose lives he touched, I am shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of sports journalist Jim Hunt. The "Shaky" stories are legendary, like the time at a boxing weigh-in when he asked whether the bodyguards of main-eventers Aaron Prior and Nicky Furlano would be fighting on the undercard. Hilarity aside, he was as fine a person as he was a journalist, and was aces high in both categories. Those of us who had the pleasure to work by his side, however briefly, should have had to pay for the privilege.
Canada 8, United States 6? In baseball?? This is the U.S. version of game one of the Canada-Soviet hockey series in 1972.
Saturday, March 11:
First Kirby Puckett and now "Boom Boom" Geoffrion. Another big loss in the sports world. And a shame the Montreal Canadiens never got around to retiring Geoffrion's number-five long before now. And while we're on the subject: Not that he's any health danger (we don't believe), but this might be a lesson for the Toronto Maple Leafs to get off their rear ends and retire Dave Keon's #14 -- whether he wants to attend or not.
A win over Mexico instead of a lopsided loss might have been a good follow-up for Canada's team at the World Baseball Classic. Now, the impressive upset win over the U.S. is nothing more than a footnote.
Sunday, March 12:
Here it comes, friends -- March Madness, 2006. Impossible to tell whose gonna win this thing, but I'll go out on the strongest limb I can find and suggest Duke. Maybe their regular season finish wasn't the best, but they did play some victorious ACC tournament squeakers, which should bode well for the Big Dance pressure. And they'd love nothing more that to win it all just 12 months after their hated Tobacco Road rivals down the road captured the crown.
What a finish for the Syracuse Orange. Just a couple of weeks ago, they were in a "must win" situation, just to remain "on the bubble" for NCAA tournament consideration. Now they go in as a five-seed, thanks to their shocking run through the Big East tournament. Compare that to the Michigan Wolverines, a safe bet just weeks ago before they spit the bit down the stretch with losses to Indiana at home and Minnesota in round one of the Big-10 tournament. They didn't deserve to make it, and now have to be satisfied with an NIT invitation.
Thursday, March 16:
Let the Madness begin -- and here's hoping for a stunning upset or two along the way!
We're crossing the border tonight to see if the Toronto Maple Leafs can score a rare win in Buffalo. Odds say no, as the Sabres are better, and the Leafs historically have a dreadful time of it along the shores of Lake Erie.
It's one of those days I wish I could clone myself. The local six here in Stouffville, Ontario is up two games to one in their Tier-Two division final against the mighty Aurora Tigers -- and the Spirit can make it 3-1 win a win at home tonight. Odd though -- the visitors have won all three games so far. Maybe that will change this evening!
Friday, March 17:
BUFFALO -- The answer was: no. Toronto could not solve the Buffalo riddle, falling 3-1. And coach Pat Quinn is so right -- you can't pass the puck into the net. Time and time again the Maple Leafs had great scoring chances, only to make one pass too many. It happens to all teams at times, but this is the worst possible time for it to happen to the Leafs.
Stouffville beat Aurora again, and are now just one with away from advancing to the fourth round for the first time in their history. The town is all abuzz!
Happy St. Patty's Day to one and all!
Saturday, March 18:
So near and yet still so far for the Stouffville Spirit. They lost game five in Aurora, 2-1 in overtime, so their best chance is back home Sunday in game six. Naturally, it's an afternoon game, which means I can't go, as I'm working. But I'll be there, in -- pardon the pun -- spirit!
Sunday, March 19:
It's a good thing there are still some games remaining between Toronto, Montreal, Atlanta and the New York Islanders. They've gone a combined 0-and-7 since Thursday against the rest of the NHL (1-and-8, if you include the Thrashers' 4-2 victory over the Islanders Thursday night). And good heavens! Montreal's David Aebischer has allowed 10 goals in his two games with the Canadiens -- many of them ugly, but none uglier than Pittsburgh's 5-4 game-winner last night. Maybe we should let AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins have the final playoff spot in the East. They might be more deserving than these four pretenders!
Monday, March 20:
The whole town's got hockey Spirit! Badly outshot and losing a lead with less than two minutes to play, the Stouffville locals nevertheless scored in double overtime to beat the four-time defending division champion Aurora Tigers 4-3 in game six and win the North Conference crown for the first time. Aurora had a 60-33 edge in shots -- including a 24-7 advantage in the overtime sessions. Once again, Dan McWhinney was at his gum-swallowing best in the Stouffville net. So it's on to the league semifinals against equally the upset-minded Oakville Blades, who disposed of top-ranked Milton in a seven-game thriller in the second of their three series wins.
I actually heard the argument that Michigan should have been picked for the NCAA men's basketball tournament because -- despite their terrible finish -- the Big-10 was such a tough, outstanding conference and the Wolverines shouldn't be penalized for their late-season collapse against conference foes. Today, Big-10 teams make up zero per cent of the Sweet-16. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Iowa -- all worm fodder in the first week. Thanks for coming out. Maybe less Big-10 teams instead of more should have been considered.
Welcome to spring. And it was pretty much a mild winter 'round these parts.
Wednesday, March 22:
OK, I lied. I ended up watching far more of the inaugural World Baseball Classic than I ever expected to. But it's still a lousy time to hold the thing, with pitchers not ready and some players understandably taking a pass to stick with their employers' spring training regiment. How about moving it to early November, after the World Series? No, you couldn't play games in places like Cleveland or Detroit, or even New York, but there are plenty of southern U.S. locales -- to say nothing of the Caribbean -- that would be ideal.
Friday, March 24:
Bye-bye Duke. Never saw that coming, although I thought LSU was a pretty good team. But now I have no idea who is going to win the NCAA's (not that I did before, obviously). Should be fun to watch, though.
Live by O/T, die by O/T. Stouffville lost its home-ice edge with Oakville, falling 5-4 in overtime in their series opener last night. The Spirit have been winning on the road throughout the playoffs -- and now they have to do it again.
We're off to see some OHL playoff action in Brampton tonight. A year ago this evening, the favoured Battalion lost their series opener to Sudbury in overtime and never recovered. But Brampton is the hottest team in the league at exactly the right time, and I can't see them underachieving in this series.
Saturday, March 25:
Kelly Scott’s pocketful of miracles finally came up empty in her women’s world curling semifinal against Debbie McCormick of the U.S. In one sense, Scott was unfortunate in that an American mistake allowed her to steal one in the ninth end for a 7-6 lead. Might have been better to give up the lead and take the hammer, but she had no control over that. Scott did have a measure of control after an early U.S. mistake in the final end, but decided on a guard instead of a peel. I’m no curling expert, but it seems to me that if you’re up one point without the hammer in the final end, the last thing you want to do is junk things up with rocks in play.
Good hockey game in Brampton last night, with the Battalion battling back from 2-0 down to beat Belleville 3-2 in overtime. The Bulls, despite being badly outshot, won most of the battles along the boards and could have easily pulled off the upset.
Sunday, March 26:
It's not so much that the Toronto Maple Leafs are seven points out of a playoff spot after their twin disasters in Montreal. It's that they're not in 9th place anymore -- they're now in 12th. It's not impossible, but it would take a pretty miraculous finish to climb four spots with just a dozen games left. I have no personal affinity for the Leafs, but my take is this: They work hard most nights, but make far too many mental mistakes and in the "new" NHL, they are shockingly slow.
Oh-oh. The Stouffville Spirit lost badly 6-3 in Oakville last night, to go down 2-0 in their Provincial Jr. A semifinal. They had a 3-1 lead, but judging by the shots on goal, the Blades were deserving winners. They had a 42-20 edge, including 21-3 in the second period and 13-5 in the third. That's not going to get it done, Spirit.
Monday, March 27:
Everything I dread about auto racing was sadly exhibited yesterday with the death of Indy Racing League rookie Paul Dana at Miami-Homestead. There are so many questions surrounding this incident. Why, oh why didn't he slow down when the yellow lights came on around the track and inside his car in the seven seconds between Ed Carpenter's contact with the wall and Dana's fatal, almost-full-speed collision with Carpenter's stopped car? Why did he apparently ignore the verbal command in his radio to slow down? So many questions, and so many answers we'll never know. Everything I love about auto racing was also exhibited in the final few laps with some incredible side-by-side racing, but there was no personal enjoyment because of what had happened earlier. Like many gearheads, I endured some snide and pointed remarks after the race from those who abhor auto racing. I was just as blunt when I replied that I enjoy it and have no intention of apologizing for it. Some people think all auto racing fans are only interested in the crashes. Maybe some misguided people are, but that widely-held opinion is 100% pure, unsalted hoss-manure and I'll debate that with anyone, anytime. As for Paul Dana, a former racing journalist who was once a familiar face in the garages at the Bridgestone Racing School at Mosport, his death is a terrible waste. Rest In Peace, Paul.
Tuesday, March 28:
More on the loss of racing’s Paul Dana -- and Dean McNulty’s Toronto Sun column today is a must-read. Perhaps this was a case of a competitor with more talent at acquiring sponsorship money than at racing. It’s one thing to buy a ride in one of open wheel racing’s top continental series -- it’s quite another to have the talent to compete. Failure at this level, in this sport, carries the ultimate price. For those in charge of auto racing, ensuring the highest level of talent is maintained must, must come before dollar signs.
Wednesday, March 29:
Go east, young man, so we will -- to Belleville tonight for the junior playoff between the Bulls and Brampton, and to Montreal tomorrow for the Canadiens' home tilt with Washington. I'm told Belleville is having trouble drawing fans, despite an improving team. Hate to see that. The Yardman Arena (or Quinte Sports Centre, in my day), is one of the most unique arenas in the OHL, with a virtually Olympic-sized ice surface and balcony seats that are second-to-none. Picture updates from this game will be delayed, as we'll be right back on the 401 East after the game ends. As for the Bell Centre, I'm told it's a madhouse these days and I'm looking forward to that.
The Stouffville Spirit always do their best when I'm not around to watch, and their best is now what's required as they host Oakville tomorrow night, down 2-0 in their league semifinal. It's not impossible. They were in much the same boat -- down 2-0 but going on the road to Newmarket -- and won four in a row.
