Tuesday, May 1:
It's May Day. And I can't think of May Day without thinking of: "May Day, May Day, May Day, May Day, May Day.....Brad May!" That was Rick Jeanerette's classic call when Brad May scored in overtime for Buffalo to complete a playoff sweep of the Boston Bruins. Two things: It wasn't actually May 1, but April 24 and it was back in 1993, for crying out loud. How can that possibly be 14 years ago?!
We are a bit tardy with our pic of the week. Sorry about that -- just plumb forgot on Sunday.
Wednesday, May 2:
"It was 40 years ago today. Sgt. Pepper taught..."
No wait. That's not right.
It was 40 years ago when the Toronto Maple Leafs last hoisted the Stanley Cup. Hard to believe. And the pressure to end that drought won't get any lighter in this off-season.
Thursday, May 3:
We were all set to tear into the Detroit Red Wings for another lacklustre offensive effort. Late in the second period at San Jose, they trailed 2-0 and were well on their way to trailing the Sharks three-games-to-one. Instead, they score in the dying seconds of the second, tie it in the dying seconds of the third and pull it out in overtime. Now the series is tied heading back to Motown and the Wings have home ice advantage back again.
Well so much for Manchester United making it to the Champions League final. They crashed out of Europe with a 3-0 defeat yesterday at AC Milan. Really though, their fate was sealed last week when they only won the first leg 3-2 at home. By giving up two away goals, it meant that they pretty much had to win by two in Italy. Ah, well. They're still in great shape for the league crown and will play Chelsea in the FA Cup at the new Wembley.
I do work in a newsroom and like to think I'm not completely out of touch. But in doing some web browsing last night, I was shocked to discover that Teresa Wright, one of my favourite actresses from film's Golden Age, had died -- more than two years ago! I thought she was a tremendous talent and to this day remains the only actor to ever be nominated for an Academy Award in her first three films. As a baseball fan, her portrayal of Mrs. Lou Gehrig in "Pride of the Yankees" blew me away, as did her work in other films, including "Mrs. Miniver," the war-time classic that earned her the Oscar (a great film, and so poignant when "Buy War Bonds!" appears onscreen at the movie's end -- a stark reminder that the war was far from won when the movie was released). She was adamant that she not appear in unflattering studio photos and had that written into her contract. Wright's insistence that she maintain that control eventually got her fired and she never had great roles come her away again. If I had been alive in the 1940's (careful with the cheap shots), Teresa Wright would have been my "pin-up girl" (people weren't as politically correct in the '40's). And not just because I'm a sucker for "cute" as opposed to "classic beauty." I much admired her spunk and talent and her desire to live her life her way. RIP, Ms. Wright.
Friday, May 4:
"Where have all the scorers gone? Long time passing."
"Where have all the scorers gone? Long time ago."
Apologies to Pete Seeger, but didn't the NHL take some steps to bring scoring back into the game? It simply doesn't work in playoff hockey where players do everything in their power to block, deflect or get in the way of every shot taken, no matter how many stitches or ankle sprains they suffer. And knowing this, forwards take a pass on simply blasting away and start looking for the perfect play. Add to that the coaches' insistence that defence comes before all else and you get all of these 2-1 overtime games. Already people are clamoring for shootouts in the playoffs.
The Vancouver Canucks in these playoffs: 64 power plays, 4 goals. Nighty-night.
The Shane Doan situation: I am astonished, ashamed and apoplectic. And because of my job, I can say no more.
Sunday, May 6:
So the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout (won on a split decision by Mayweather) was going to save boxing, eh? Too late, at least 'round these parts. Work duties kept me from watching it on television, but I dropped intro the local sports bar for a bite to eat just after midnight -- and maybe 10 minutes after the fight ended -- and noticed the place was far from packed. So, here went the conversation at the bar:
Me: "So, how was the fight?"
Barkeep: "Dunno. We didn't carry it. The manager didn't think it was worth the cost."
Me: "mblvckd?!"
Now this is a place that would carry churchmouse races if they were available. If it's sports, they show it. But boxing appears more and more to be yesterday's game. Potential fighters instead become lightning-quick middle linebackers. Fans today prefer the fury of ultimate fighting, something that absolutely packs this particular establishment to the rafters. The times, they are a-changin'.
Nice Saturday if you're a well-heeled Detroit sports fan. You could have caught the Red Wings' playoff victory along the riverfront in the afternoon, driven to the 'burbs to see the Pistons crush Chicago in game one of their series and been home in time to see the Tigers come from behind and record their sixth straight win on the tube. And of course, the Lions don't play this time of year! Folks who know me know I'd never buy a Ford vehicle as long as the family owns the Lions, and they laugh at me. "But what if Ford made the best cars on earth?", they ask. Well if they ran their company well enough to produce the world's best vehicles, then they'd probably be smart enough to run the Lions properly, or at least sell the franchise to someone who would.
Finally, props to the Toronto Raptors for failing to fold up when the entire world expected it. New Jersey won the series in six as we feared, but the Raps sure made them sweat for it.
Wednesday, May 9:
Oh, to be in Sudbury this week, where the Wolves are chasing their first OHL championship in their 30 years of play in the league! They won in overtime last night at home to take a 2-1 games lead on Plymouth and I can only imagine how much fun it must be to be at the Sudbury Arena to see it live.
So how did we do in round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs? Don't ask. The only one we got right was Buffalo over the Rangers and if New York hadn't coughed up game five in the dying seconds, we might have been 0-for-4. Onward and (hopefully) upward: Anaheim over Detroit in six; Buffalo over Ottawa in seven.
How nice that Manchester United can travel to west London tonight for a game that now means nothing. United captured its ninth Premier League championship in 15 seasons Sunday and can make it a double with an FA Cup win over Chelsea May 19. I suspect tonight's game against the Blues will feature plenty of reserves.
Thursday, May 10:
If you run a baseball team, you can: lose, make lousy trades, engineer poor free agent signings -- and even play some of your games indoors and on carpet and I will (grudgingly) accept it all and buy the occasional ticket. Lie through your teeth as the Toronto Blue Jays (and in particular, general manager J.P. Ricciardi) have done throughout the entire B.J. Ryan caper, and I'm outta here! I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as the club president is a lifetime politician, but to treat the paying public with such disrespect is reprehensible. So, I'll pass by the SkyDome all summer on my way to Triple-A games in Buffalo and major league games in Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore, Boston, etc., and will spend zero dollars on Blue Jay tickets (home OR away). Shame on them.
Rummaging through the basement last night, I discovered two dozen slides from a 30-year-old baseball trip -- one that currently features some scans on this site from games in Minnesota, Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago. Wrigley Field is where I ran out of film, and had to use slide film for the rest of the trip (to Comiskey Park, Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Detroit). I'm slowly scanning the frames and hope to have the pics up soon, but a warning: quality is far from ideal. Still, it's a glimpse into the past and that's part of the reason for this web site.
Sunday, May 13:
Give mom a hug today! And if you already have, give her another!
If you haven't seen Rick Nash's stunning individual-effort insurance goal from today's World Hockey Championship final, get thee over to YouTube with all speed and check it out! It's a classic! Congrats to coach Andy Murray and Team Canada for their 4-2 gold-medal-winning effort against Finland!
Hats off to the Aurora Tigers, who steamrolled through the Ontario Provincial Junior A season and have now made it to the championship game of the RBC Cup, for national Tier-II supremacy. It will be a tall order winning as they face the host Prince George Spruce Kings tonight in front of what will be a jacked-up crowd, pulling for the home side. But the home team might be a little weary. They played the second semifinal yesterday and needed five overtimes to beat Camrose.
The hockey season ends in Sudbury tonight, but fans there can only hope it doesn’t end for the hometown Wolves. They’re down 3-2 in games to Plymouth after falling in overtime Friday night in Michigan.
Monday, May 14:
Congratulations to the Aurora Tigers, national Tier II junior hockey champions! They beat the host Prince George Spruce Kings 3-1 in British Columbia last night to win the big prize. You did the OHL Provincial North Conference (where our local six, the Stouffville Spirit reside) very proud.
Congrats as well to the Plymouth Whalers, OHL champs for 2007. They were truly the class of the league. And special plaudits to the plucky Sudbury Wolves, who took the Whalers to six games, and ended up losing the last two in overtime.
I know the Toronto Blue Jays are suffering injuries to star players, but you still have to have your head in the game, don't you? Yesterday, a pitcher failed to cover first base on what should have been the third out in the ninth, allowing the winning run to score. Last week, a player got picked off first base to end an inning, with the bases loaded, for crying out loud! Save your money. Get your Toronto baseball fix at Christie Pits and cheer on the Intercounty Maple Leafs, who are consistent contenders.
Those who were there on the streets of San Francisco say the real summer of love occurred in 1966 -- not a year later. Nonetheless, we'll be getting a barrage of '67 music this summer on oldies stations that celebrate the summer of love's 40th anniversary. Recently I heard a '67 tune from Aretha Franklin and the radio announcer intoned that the summer of love spread from 'Frisco to the Motor City. A throwaway line, sure, but it simply wasn't true. The Detroit I lived through in 1967 featured a summer of fire, riots, death, fear and loathing. I've never been able to view Motown in the same light since, not even a year later when my beloved Tigers won the World Series. To this day, huge tracts of Detroit remain a post-'67 wasteland, a place to run from, even as your eyes grow wide in astonishment at the rubble and ruins. All the great 1967 vibes and music in the world can't mask that.
Wednesday, May 16:
Thought of the day: Some day I'm going to turn all my shirts inside out before I wash them, just to avoid having to do it later when I go to dry them.
It's that time of year of constant lawn trimming. If you cut the front yard, take a beer break, and then tackle the back, you'll notice the front needs cutting again as you put the lawn mower away. Kind of like the never-ending blizzard when you see the top of the driveway needs shoveling again, just as you finally finish the job. And then here comes that &$#@%! snow plow again!!
Ottawa, up 3-0 on Buffalo?! Detroit with a dominant 5-0 win last night at Anaheim after being outplayed in games one and two at home? Strange days, indeed.
Friday, May 18:
Here it is, kiddeos! The annual lid-lifter to a Canadian summer. The spirit-soarin', beer-drinkin', music-playin', lay-back-and-do-nothin' or cram-in-72-hours-of-everythin' May 2-4 weekend!!! Yahoo! Of course, in my youth, it started a lot earlier than Friday. We'd show up for class Thursday just for the recital call and then we'd be gone, driving up to nab a precious campsite at Ipperwash Park before heading to nearby Grand Bend to strut our stuff. I remember one such trip where we stopped at "The Bend" first to grab beer and just as we were heading out, I spotted an absolute goddess sitting on the ground with her Michigan friends, gorgeous blue eyes and long, long black hair. After making eye contact I barely got out a "hiya" before I was literally dragged to the car by my buds. Had to nail down that campsite! Of course I never saw her again all weekend. Funny the things you remember.
Like when I was even younger, watching the "old burning schoolhouse" on Victoria Day, which wrapped up our neighbourhood fireworks display -- at the schoolyard field, naturally. What made it particularly memorable was Smitty, two doors down, getting all of us to sing:
"Cheer up boys, the school is burning down!
Cheer up boys, it's burning to the ground!
Cheer up boys, it's the only one in town!
There'll be a hot time in the ol' town toniiiiight!!!"
You had to be there.
Pet Peeve: Standing behind two people chatting away in a long line at Tim Horton's and 10 minutes later when it's their turn to be served, having them look at the menu for the first time to contemplate what they'd like to order. Arrrgggh!!
Saturday, May 19:
May is one of those great months in the world of sport, with the Kentucky Derby and the Indianapolis 500 as bookends. But when I was younger, the Derby was simply fun to watch while you viewed the 500 with a little bit of trepidation. It was era that saw race car drivers crash, burn and die with appalling frequency. Today, it's the other way around. Yes, there is still plenty of danger in auto races, but the advances in safety make fatalities and even serious injuries (thankfully) rare. The scare for me now is thoroughbred racing. Time after time, these gorgeous creatures are breaking down on the track. And when I watch the Preakness today, I'll be thinking more of Barbaro's year-old collapse than whether Street Sense can win leg two of the Triple Crown.
Voices, part V: One of my favourites of the (only) 27 tracks I know of that has Beverly Bivens' incredible voice on it, is "High Flying Bird" -- a remarkable vocal effort for someone who was only about 20 when she recorded it. And while I like to think of it as that song's definitive version, it just ain't so. Judy Henske, the legendary Queen of the Beatniks, belted it out a few years earlier and it's simply a great, great track. Best of all, she's still out there recording and touring.
Sunday, May 20:
Sure as God made little green apples, the joke was told in the newsroom as Curlin was thundering his way down down the stretch at the Preakness to catch Street Sense at the wire: "Hurrrryyyy, hurrrryyyy harrrrrrrdd!" Somewhere Russ Howard is smiling. And another year goes by with no Triple Crown.
I wasn't alive in the 20's (OK, whose the wise guy?), so for me, this will be the Ottawa Senators first trip to the Stanley Cup final. And I must confess, I'll have a decision to make if my Red Wings join them. Of course, I'd love to see a fourth Stanley Cup in 11 years for the winged wheelers, but I also lived in Ottawa and spent four of the best years of my life there. Met The Bride there. And I'm impressed as all get out by these Senators (especially captain Dan Alfredsson, whose season ended last year playing the part of an on-ice pylon on a Buffalo shorthanded overtime-and-series winner). And I'd love to see the Sens win it all just to make the Maple Leaf fans' summer even more miserable. Hey, I have to work in miserable Toronto. Seems like a fair trade-off!
Manchester United didn't play well enough to win the FA Cup yesterday, and they didn't, losing 1-0 to Chelsea on an extra time goal. But man oh man, how did Ryan Giggs miss what was a glorious chance late in the second half on a perfect set-up? Yes, the ball ended up in the net and no, there was no foul (by rule, there should have been one or the other), but the referee made the perfect decision. It would have been a tainted goal and Giggs could not have avoided sliding into the keeper.
Monday, May 21:
HAPPY VICTORIA DAY, CANADA! Handle those fireworks with care!
I don't give a fig about fluke goals that go in off a defenceman's stick, ticky-tack calls by Donut Koharski, brutal giveaways in overtime or failing to clear the puck when it's easy to do so. The bottom line is, when you play not to lose as the Detroit Red Wings did yesterday, you're gonna lose. They could have buried Anaheim in game five of their West final but they let the Ducks hang around and finally got burned. Detroit's power-play is out of batteries, the team appears to be out of gas and Ken Holland's acquisition of the invisible Todd Bertuzzi might be the most disappointing trade-deadline day move of his career. We predicted Anaheim in six a couple of weeks ago and we see no reason to change that suggestion. Either way, Ottawa should beat either of these teams in the final.
Tuesday, May 22:
I'm gonna get flamed for this sure as shootin', because he's the captain and he's one of the great players in the NHL and has been for years. And he's also one of my favourites. But what in thunder was Nicklas Lidstrom thinking when he decided to lay his stick along the ice to block a shot with 47 seconds left in Sunday's Anaheim-Detroit game? As a guy who tried to play goal, that would have sent me around the bend. Sure enough, the puck deflected up off Lidstrom's stick, over goalie Dominik Hasek's shoulder and into the net for the tying goal and Anaheim ended up winning in overtime. Yes, it was reflex, but far better to stand back and trust your goalie. Or even better, pay the price and throw your body in front of the shot. I know of one Detroit Red Wings captain who would have done just that. Just goes to show you though, that even the very best -- and in this era, Lidstrom is that -- can make an error.
Wednesday, May 23:
The National Hockey League, in its infinite wisdom, has decided not to start the Stanley Cup final until next Monday. I guess they didn't want to interfere with the Memorial Cup. Oh well, It usually starts in June so I guess this is progress. At the risk of jinxing the Senators (I had them losing in round one), I'm picking them beat Anaheim in six with Ottawa's power-play the big difference. Surely a Canadian team can win a final one of these years!
Speaking of the Memorial Cup, nice to see the Plymouth Whalers finally win one to stay alive in the tournament. It's still wide open at this stage, although host Vancouver is in the driver's seat.
Hard to believe Comerica Park is into its eighth season. We've still never seen a night game there, so we'll fix that tonight as we check out the Tigers and L-A Angels. Maybe Detroit can pay back this Anaheim club for the Red Wings' defeat. Then it's off to either Baltimore or Cincinnati -- depends on our mood and/or the weather forecast. If it's Maryland, then I'll become a liar, as the Orioles are playing the Blue Jays and I swore I wouldn't spend money to see the Jays. But those crabcakes are a powerful draw!
Thursday, May 24:
DETROIT -- It'll be Baltimore. Washington's win at Cincinnati leaves those teams tied for the worst record in the National League. Toronto meanwhile, has recovered nicely after that nine-game losing streak and the Blue Jays are playing pretty inspired baseball these days for such a banged-up bunch.
What a difference a month -- and about a 25-degree boost in temperature (Fahrenheit) -- makes. The Detroit Tigers, who would have swung and missed at a continent in April, are tearing the cover off the ball these days. Eight runs last night, and they needed every one of them as the Angels came back and almost caught the home side. Used to be that Comerica Park was considered a sluggers' graveyard. Last night, seven home runs left the yard.
Friday, May 25:
BALTIMORE -- In time, I'm not sure how much of his first major league baseball game Joshua will remember, but I hope his family can fill in any blanks. Joshua and his kin were sitting right behind me last night at Camden Yards when Blue Jays' leadoff batter Adam Lind fouled a pitch over the screen right back at us. Or more precisely, right back at me. I have a few major league baseballs as souvenirs so I decided that after I make this easy catch, I would hand it to Joshua and make a friend for life. Of course, the "easy catch" went clanging off my left pinkie and the baseball landed behind me. (That's "E-Me", if you're scoring at home). Luckily, a member of Joshua's family retrieved it and gave him the precious souvenir. Whereupon Joshua, doing what any normal three-and-a-half year-old boy would do when you give him a ball, promptly threw it! After much confusion and the impassioned pleas from his family, the ball ended up where it belonged -- back in Joshua's hands. The ballgame ended up in the Orioles' bullpen's hands -- not a particularly safe place these days as Toronto came back from 4-2 down to win in extras.
Saturday, May 26:
Pics from the two ballgames we attended this week will be up later today. First, an early-morning work shift, which is why we didn't post last night when we got home.
Sunday, May 27:
The time has come for Danica Patrick to prove to the world that she is not all flash and no substance. And no, she doesn’t have to win today’s Indy 500 to do that. People are calling for her to finally win some races on the IRL circuit. To me, she can start by getting on the podium. Soon. I was impressed with Patrick when she raced in Champ-Car’s Tier-II series. I was even more impressed two years ago in her rookie year in IRL with her patience on tracks she had never seen before. But now it’s time to step up. She switched teams in the off-season to get in a better car. But unless Patrick starts to show results, that switch will be seen as nothing more than a power-play to receive greater exposure. Many more so-so placings and Danica Patrick will risk becoming the Anna Kournikova of auto racing.
Monday, May 28:
Somewhere up there in heaven's Gasoline Alley, Greg Moore is smiling. Jim Clark, too. Moore's old racing buddy Dario Franchitti won yesterday's wild and wet Indianapolis 500, the first Scotsman to capture the Borg-Warner trophy since Clark's victory in 1965. Jackie Stewart, who came achingly close a year later, is likely sporting a grin as well from Monte Carlo, or wherever he spent his time yesterday. Franchitti is one of those feel-good stories. Always a class act, his 2006 season was rather disappointing but he made the right moves at the right times in yesterday's rain-plagued marathon.
Some random thoughts on racing's biggest day:
1) Having seen the Indy 500 live on 15 occasions from 1978 to 2003, viewing it on TV is often an exercise in "wish-I-was-there"-ism. Not yesterday. The thought of getting drenched at 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. made me glad to be watching it on HD at home.
2) Marco Andretti found out -- again -- that he's not immune from the rotten family luck at the Brickyard. A late pass by Tony Kanaan dropped him to second one lap before the afternoon downpour and it appeared that's where he would finish for a second straight year. But after the track dried and the race resumed, Marco ended up flipping in a frightful crash that sent him down the track upside down. Thank heavens he was OK.
3) Many felt Milka Duno was in over her head at Indy, that she was a danger to other drivers and that she had no business being on the track. Well, she started 29th and gained a position before crashing 65 laps in. Yes, she hit the wall when she lifted off for traffic and lost the rear end. A mistake yes, but one we've seen countless drivers make at Indy over the years. A back-marker? Yes. An embarrassment? No.
4) The embarrassment at Indy was Al Unser Junior. Watching this two-time winner and proud member of one of auto racing's greatest names flounder at the back of the pack all day was similar to watching an aging ex-boxing champion getting his clock cleaned in one-too-many comeback attempts.
5) It didn't happen yesterday but some year they might get burned. Used to be that the 500 started at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, a throwback to the old days when it took all day to run the 200 laps. And they stayed with that tradition to keep a long window of opportunity open in case of rain. Last year Indiana finally went to daylight time but they moved the race start to 1 p.m. instead of 12 noon. That's one less hour of available daylight should the rain last longer than yesterday's one hour mid-afternoon downpour.
6) Monaco: Beautiful scenery, a mad trophy-dash to the first corner and then follow-the-leader for two hours to the checkered flag.
7) Some year, I'm going to check out the Coca-Cola 600 live in Charlotte. At 9:55 p.m., my man Jimmie Johnson was leading the race as I was writing the previous paragraphs. Five minutes later, he was 10th! Unlike Monaco or Indy, trailing a few cars with 10 laps remaining is no cause for concern. Great drama at Lowe's with the late pit splashes and Casey Mears' victory.
Thursday, May 31:
When we suggested Ottawa would defeat Anaheim in six games to win the Stanley Cup, we naturally assumed that Messrs. Alfredsson, Heatley and Spezza would display the same sort of doggedness and ambition that helped propel Ottawa past Buffalo. They're currently invisible, two losses into the final. As this trio goes, so go the Senators. Which is to say, nowhere right now.
I guess it's true -- money doesn't buy class. Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid player in baseball, pulled off the most bush-league act we've ever seen on a major league diamond last night. Some free advice, A-Rod. Next time you bat against the Blue Jays, stay loose!
Speaking of A-Rod, what he does away from the ballpark -- as long as it doesn’t endanger any lives or run counter to the laws of the land -- is none of my business. Publicizing his after-dark activities in Toronto isn’t exactly the media’s finest hour.
