Thursday, March 1:
When, oh when is the NHL going to do something about its outdated and very dangerous icing rule? Don Cherry and Pierre McGuire have been rightfully harping on this issue for awhile. Another needless injury last night in the Carolina-Ottawa game. The NHL must take a page from the juniors' book and implement no-touch icing before someone suffers a life-threatening injury.
Wow! Two nights after suffering what I feared was a signature loss -- a lopsided road defeat against one of the NBA's very best in the San Antonio Spurs -- the Toronto Raptors go into Houston and wallop the Rockets by 16. Certainly, it's a signature win against a franchise the Raptors had only ever beaten twice. I keep waiting for the regular season bubble to burst for these young Raptors. Maybe it's not going to.
Friday, March 2:
Global warming, my asterisk. Global change? Yeah, I can buy it. A month ago today that wretched rodent up Wiarton way predicted an early spring. We hadn't even had winter then, for crying out loud. Ever since, we've been slammed with snow -- the kind you expect in January. Oh I know, winter March storms are common in this neck of the woods. But it seems the seasons are about a month off these past few years -- late springs, late summers, late autumns and -- the worst of all -- late winters. March had better go out like a lamb!
The weather was so bad in Toronto yesterday that they rightfully postponed the Oshawa-St. Mike's OHL game. I had planned on attending and posting the latest page of pics. Now the game is next Tuesday, which I'll have to miss as I'm on an evening work shift. What is odd, is that the Tier-II playoff game here in Stouffville went on as scheduled against Collingwood from deep in the snow belt. The Spirit romped 7-3 to take a 3-0 series lead. I don't imagine it was a fun ride home for the visiting Blues. Oh, and Newmarket beat top-ranked Aurora again last night in double overtime to square that series 2-2. Maybe they'll go seven gruelling games and the winner won't have anything left for the next round, assuming Stouffville beats Collingwood. Well, we can dream, can't we?
Sunday, March 4:
Yep, today is March 4. Says so right on my trusty wall calendar. That still didn't stop me from running out to a couple of book stores, hoping the latest Stephen White hardcover thriller would be on sale two days early. It wasn't. There are about half-a-dozen unread paperbacks waiting for my attention but I didn't want to start into one and then have to abandon it when Dr. White's book comes out. I have plenty of favourite authors -- Robert K. Tanenbaum, Stephen Frey, Stephen Coonts, William Bernhardt, David Hagberg -- but Stephen White is at the top of the list.
This just may be Manchester United's year. For the second straight week and for the umpteenth time this season, they won a game they had no business winning, scoring in injury time yesterday to silence the Kop and escape Anfield with a 1-0 win. Liverpool controlled the balance of play and had the best chances but had nothing to show for it.
Another day, another snow-filled driveway to empty. Hard to believe that I'll be cutting grass in another seven or eight weeks. I will, won't I? Please??
Monday, March 5:
As it turns out, Aurora and Newmarket only went six games before the favoured Tigers prevailed. But all six were squeakers and with any luck Aurora will be a little tired when they open up against the local side this week in round three of the Tier II playoffs. Of course, they'll have revenge on their mind as Stouffville upset them last year in the post-season (the locals did complete a sweep of Collingwood Friday night). Still, the Spirit has played Aurora tough this year. We'll see.
As a border boy, I'm usually ambivalent over accidental snubs by Americans when they mention foreign countries and somehow omit Canada. Happened again today on a well-known U.S. talk show when a staffer proudly listed the many nations the show was televised in. No mention of Canada. It usually doesn't bother me but this time it did. We are a different country, much as our cultures are somewhat similar. But I welcome the difference just as much as I welcome the similarity.
Wednesday, March 7:
Well, poop! I tried two (2) bookstores yesterday looking for the latest Stephen White hardcover thriller that was -- according to the author's own web site -- out today in the U.S. and Canada. Neither had it in stock, including the World's Biggest Bookstore in downtown Toronto, which has everything. And here's the odd part: Both stores listed February 22 as the release date in Canada and yet they haven't seen a sniff of it.
Glad I missed the Oshawa-St. Mike's make-up game last night, due to work. The Generals romped 13-3. The Majors' captain jumped an Oshawa player 37 seconds into the game and received a minor, major and misconduct. Bright. When St. Mike's returned to full strength they were down 3-0.
Thursday, March 8:
Persistence pays. A copy of Stephen White's "Dry Ice" is finally in my hot little hands. You'll excuse me for the next few days whilst I dive head-first into it. Thankee!
Saturday, March 10:
A few days? Well, a day. I've never devoured a book this quickly in my life. I've followed Stephen White's "Alan Gregory" series since it started and that helped, as this particular book includes just about all of the main characters -- and I feel I've "known" them for 16 years. Reading this book cold without benefit of previous ones in the series might be tough, but for long-time readers, it was a treat. Now of course, I can't wait for the next one, 364 days away.
Whilst at the bookstore yesterday, I briefly thumbed through "Hurry Hard," Bob Weeks' biography on curler Russ Howard. I had to smile at one chapter where Howard described his world championship in Geneva in 1993. I covered that tournament, and I started grinning when Howard mentioned his early Thursday morning game played in front of about 18 people, of which I was one -- with dark glasses on and cups of thick black coffee at my side. The night before, Richard Harding and his fellow pals in the Scottish media got me absolutely demolished on good scotch, knowing that they could sleep it off, as both the men's and women's teams from Scotland had a morning bye. I got them back the night before the Canada-Scotland final, but that Thursday was one of the longest days of my life!
Well, it started out so well for the Stouffville Spirit last night in their series opener at mighty Aurora. A 2-0 lead, only to have that evaporate in the final two minutes of the first period. Then a 3-2 lead but that died too, and when it was all said and done, the Tigers romped 8-4. Game two goes tonight at home.
Don't forget to turn the clock ahead an hour tonight, unless you live in Saskatchewan, Arizona, Hawaii or other small pockets of North American that don't implement Daylight Saving Time.
Sunday, March 11:
Why does my clock suggest it's later than the day than the setting sun would have me believe? Oh, yeah.
Ugh -- this could be a short series. Aurora 6, Stouffville 0 last night, putting the locals down 2-0 in games. Well, they were in worse scrapes a year ago and survived. I won't write these guys off yet.
We haven't journeyed to Guelph for a hockey game in three years, but we'll take care of that oversight today. I suspect the Storm might be the playoff sleepers in the west. They'll get a good test from the best Saginaw team to date.
Speaking of Saginaw, could the OHL could be bound for North Bay -- the city that was left high and dry when the Centennials moved to Michigan? The league has to do something soon with the IceDogs-Majors mess after Niagara Falls bowed out. Much as I'd hate to see a team within easy driving distance disappear, the fans in North Bay deserve an OHL team. But what a mess! Fans in Mississauga would see their own team head north, and receive St. Michael's -- a team they've grown to dislike -- move in.
Tuesday, March 13:
I don't understand the argument some people are offering, saying Chris Simon's 25-game suspension is too harsh because he didn't cause a great of damage to Ryan Hollweg's mug with his two-hander. Excuse me? The man took aim with his stick and tried to belt Hollweg's face over the glass and into the stands for a home run. The fact that Hollweg amazingly escaped serious damage is beside the point. You can't skate around playing Babe Ruth with your hockey stick. And the fact Simon was groggy from a questionable hit doesn't excuse his behaviour either. Maurice Richard responded to what he felt was a cheap shot by busting his lumber over a guy's back late in the 1955 season. He too, was suspended for the rest of the season plus playoffs. Without the Rocket, the Canadiens lost the Cup final to Detroit in seven games. Yet his suspension was just, as is Simon's.
Wednesday, March 14:
Five teams, two spots. Oh, what a joyous and tense stretch run this is gonna be for fans of teams in the NHL's Eastern Conference. Here's how it shakes out right now:
7. NY Islanders - 78 points; 8. Carolina -- 78 points; 9. Toronto -- 77 points; 10. NY Rangers - 76 points; 11. Montreal, 76 points.
Of Toronto's final dozen games, two are against Montreal with one each against the Islanders, Rangers and Carolina. Fun times. Of course, my team's in the West and coming off a big 5-2 win at Nashville last night. A repeat this evening in Motown and Detroit takes over sole possession of the league lead, with a game in hand. Mind you, the Red Wings' way of celebrating Presidents' Trophies is generally to lose their playoff opener and toss away the one advantage they gain by finishing first overall.
Speaking of finishing, the Stouffville Spirit are all but finished. A 5-1 loss last night in Aurora puts the locals down 3-0 in their third-round series. Even in last season's miracle playoff run, they never had to overcome an obstacle like that.
Great to hear the Pittsburgh Penguins are staying put. Fans there deserve to see this exciting team grow into fruition.
Thursday, March 15:
Allow me to paraphrase please, from Blue Magic's '70's hit, "Sideshow":
"...so let the Madness begin, hurry, hurry. Step right on in..."
Thanks for the advice -- I won't quit my day job. But here's some advice in return: get those brackets filled out NOW. By afternoon, it will be too late. Funny, but in the mid-70's, "March Madness" was no big thing, really. The NCAA men's basketball tournament was fun, but not the huge event it currently is. That all changed in 1979 with the Michigan State-Indiana State final -- Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird. There was also a weekend day around the same time that NBC (which then had the rights) hopped around to the finish of about four games in 10 minutes, all with amazing buzzer-beater attempts and/or successes. It was compelling television and very new technology for the time and suddenly, a major sporting event was born. The next four days will be great fun and by the time the championship game rolls around, it will be April. I'll never forget championship Monday in 1988. After doing an early morning radio sports shift, I raced home to watch George Bell slam three homers in the Blue Jays' opener at Kansas City, zipped out to the airport to do an interview with Canada's Olympic sweetheart of the day, Elizabeth Manley, who was returning from the world figure skating championships, and then darted back home again to watch Kansas upset Oklahoma in the hoops final. Can the Jayhawks do it again this year? Not sayin'! Make your own picks!! :)
Friday, March 16:
Well, that's impressive. Down three games to none -- all by somewhat lopsided scores -- and down 3-2 after two periods in game four, how easy would it have been to fold up the tent? Nope. The local six doesn't die easily. The Stouffville Spirit tied it in the third and won it 4-3 in overtime against the Aurora Tigers. Even if they bow out tonight in game five at Aurora, they made the town proud with their gutsy effort last night.
I almost never cheer for the Duke Blue Devils -- I'm more of a North Carolina fan when it comes to college basketball teams on Tobacco Road. But of course, I picked Duke to win a couple of games in the NCAA tournament. I figured they'd want to salvage something of a wretched season, and I've seen Mike Krzyzewski's teams do some pretty impressive things over the years. Of course even Coach-K couldn't save them yesterday. Their upset loss put a nasty crimp into my bracket.
As for my true faves -- Michigan -- they couldn't even get into the Big Dance for the umpteenth time in a row and last night bowed out of the NIT in round two. How sad that their top men's athletic teams are now completely overshadowed and dominated by Ohio State. It's not a rivalry if there aren't two to tango.
Saturday, March 17:
Irish eyes might be smilin' today, but they weren't yesterday. Notre Dame was one-and-done at the NCAA basketball tournament -- the second painful loss in my bracket as it will affect round two. I almost picked Winthrop, too. Serves me right.
It's also over-and-out for the Stouffville Spirit, 6-0 losers in Aurora last night. The pre-series experts were bang-on as they predicted the Tigers would win it in five. So no magic to match last season, but a fine year nonetheless with three playoff rounds -- and an outstanding second half of the season after a rocky start.
Happy St. Patty's Day to one and all!
Monday, March 19:
I have a request for the guys running the NCAA pool I'm in. Can we just judge scores from the south bracket? Pleeeeeze?? I'm dead-solid perfect in the south. The others (especially the mid-west)? Not so much. All of my final four teams are still alive but so are everyone else's and right now I'm firmly entrenched in what baseball used to call the "second division."
If yesterday's game was the final OHL contest at St. Michael's College Arena, it was a good one to bring the curtain down on. St. Mike's and Belleville engaged in a high-tempo, back and forth game that featured 91 shots on goal. It may have been "pond hockey," but performed on such a small patch of ice, it was intriguing to watch. The only way it could have been better was if the home team had emerged victorious, but the Bulls were the ones who nailed the overtime winner in the 6-5 thriller.
More snow today -- I'm growing weary of this. But they're promising three straight days of 50+ degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures, starting Thursday. And I start a three-week vacation Thursday at 6:10 p.m. Yahoo!
Wednesday, March 21:
It's here -- at long last. Of course, it's still mighty cold outside for the first day of spring, but we're told that within hours the temperature will soar and that heavy rain will wash away the white stuff. Already there are wispy clouds outside my window, promising a change in the weather. And they're calling for mild temperatures well into next week, as well as a warmer-and-drier-than-average spring, Yahoo! The Stanley Cup playoffs are mere weeks away and the start of the major league baseball season is 11 days away. And we're gonna get outta Dodge that first week of the baseball season and try and catch some games in the U-S midwest.
Friday, March 23:
It's not a full moon (I checked). But please explain these things to me, if you can.
1) The Montreal Canadiens score four goals in just four shots in the third period last night in Boston?!
2) How can you hold a women's world curling championship without Norway's Dordi Nordby? ...and...
3) Why is it the Ford dealership in my town cannot sell hybrid cars (not that I'd buy a Ford) because it's classified as a rural dealership? So what? 'Sup with that?!
A few observations to boot as we head into vacation mode:
The Toronto Maple Leafs may live to rue that sloppy 5-1 loss in Washington this past week as they're now in 11th place after last night's games. Every team the Leafs needed to lose last night won instead.
I'm dead in the water in the NCAA basketball pool. I had Texas A&M going to the Final Four. Oops!
And my OHL first-round upset special has Owen Sound beating mighty London in seven games. My home town may never invite me back. Now that plans for a Montreal trip have been postponed, I'll sneak into town tonight to catch the series opener.
Saturday, March 24:
OK, so it was four goals on five shots for Montreal in the third period Thursday night. Still...
Driving home from London, I listened to the Toronto Maple Leafs self-destruct in Buffalo, blowing a 4-1 third period lead and losing 5-4. Very costly, but somehow I think this team rebounds and gets the split of the home-and-home series tonight.
The Owen Sound Attack played the perfect road game last night in London, and still lost 6-3 to open their playoff series (it was 3-3 halfway through the third and 4-3 with two minutes remaining). They outshot the Knights 48-24 yet came away with a loss. But I still stay it's the upset special of the first round -- Owen Sound in seven.
Sunday, March 25:
Somehow, my favourite (by far) female vocalist turns 65 years old today. Many happy returns, Aretha Franklin. Your music will never grow old to these ears.
Tuesday, March 27:
Fighting in hockey: Of all the opinions I've heard lately (including Don Cherry's, who seems to think that a man's take on this issue is somehow linked to his sexual preference), the one I agree with the most is the FAN's Bob McCown. If a fight breaks out in the heat of battle, fine. Kick the combatants out of the game, levy a one-game suspension (or more, on an accelerated scale) and get back to business. It's the preconceived fights that bug me, the ones where teams "send a message" or the ones where someone is handing out a payback for a previous transgression. It's all part of the "code," you see. I think it's time for the code to be re-written or shelved in the garbage. And these aren't middleweights we're talking about, either. Think about the great Jimmy Dean hit song, "Big John":
"Ev'ry mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive. He stood six-foot-six and weighed 245..."
Hockey players today are more like "Big Bad John" than ever before.
"...and a crashin' blow from a huge right hand sent a Louisiana fella to the promised land, Big John."
Hopefully that will never happen, but the sport is flirting with danger.
Wednesday, March 28:
Lots of pride in our town over a couple of its hockey teams. Last year, the Stouffville Spirit had the town abuzz -- so much so that the Stouffville District High School's OFSAA-winning girls' hockey team was overlooked. Not this year. The girls won the provincial championship again and to double the pleasure, so did the boys. It's the first time in history that one school has captured both crowns in the same year. Well done, Spartans!
As for the Spirit, no they weren't able to repeat last season's thrill-a-minute five-round playoff success, but they still swept two straight series before falling to Aurora, the top-ranked team in Canada for much of the season. In fact, the only guys to beat Stouffville from Christmas on, were the mighty Tigers. So another excellent season, and what do they do to mark the achievement? Why they fire the coach, of course. Chowderheads. No doubt Dan West will be snapped up quickly, and if some major junior team is looking for an outstanding assistant coach, he'd fill the bill quite nicely. On top of that, general manager Ken Burrows -- a 10-year fixture with the club -- won't be back, either. Something smells here, and it ain't the clam chowder.
Thursday, March 29:
Holy cats! If you're looking for inspiration in sports, look no further than Toronto's two winter pro clubs. Last Friday, the Toronto Maple Leafs blew a 4-1 third period lead in Buffalo and lost a critical game in their fight to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs. Many teams would have gone into a season-ending funk. The Leafs responded by whipping the Sabres one night later in the rematch and then romping past Carolina on Tuesday, a club they need to pass to have a shot at the post-season. Since the Buffalo meltdown, the Leafs have outscored the opposition 10-1. Lord knows I'm no fan of the Maple Leafs, but this is inspiring.
So is what the Toronto Raptors did last night. Coming off an ugly loss to the woeful Celtics in Boston, the Raps returned home knowing Andrea Bargnani was out of the line-up after an emergency appendectomy and knowing Jorge Garbajosa was gone for the year after left ankle surgery in one of the worst-looking basketball injuries in memory. So what do they do? Whip the defending champion Miami Heat 96-83 to move into third place in the Eastern Conference. Nothing these guys do surprises me anymore. Not only will they almost certainly make the playoffs, they may even get home-court advantage in round one for the first time ever. Great stuff!
Saturday, March 31:
Here it is -- the eve of baseball season! Sodas, hot dogs, beer and "Play Ball!" Can't wait. The Toronto Blue Jays should score a ton of runs but will go only as far as their pitching takes them. My Tigers will miss Kenny Rogers for half-a-season and that could prove fatal. My early World Series prediction: Red Sox vs. Mets with New York taking it in seven -- just like 1986.
The Toronto Raptors moved even closer to an advantageous playoff berth with last night's miracle finish in Washington. Morris Peterson makes a desperation, off-balance, game-tying trey at the buzzer and then Chris Bosh takes over in overtime. What a season this club is having!
