Thursday, June 1:
No question, May is one of the great months for sports, with the Stanley Cup playoffs, NBA playoffs, FA Cup and Champions League final all sandwiched between the Kentucky Derby and the Indy 500. But June is pretty fair too, with the Stanley Cup and NBA finals, golf's U-S Open, the end of the French Open and the start of Wimbledon in tennis -- to say nothing of seeing how potential pennant races might start to shape up in baseball. And this year, a special bonus -- the World Cup of soccer, a global sporting spectacular second only to the summer Olympics, and arguably at that.
Again, the Blue Jays can't complete a sweep when they have the chance. Looked good with Ted Lilly against a pitcher making his major league debut, but it wasn't to be. And the Detroit Tigers have now lost four in a row, twice getting shutout and being held to a single run last night.
Speaking of Detroit, it seems almost impossible to put away the Pistons when their backs are against the wall. They won yet another do-or-die game last night. But we'll see how they do in game six at Miami, where they've been blown out twice. I think the end is at hand.
Saturday, June 3:
LOS ANGELES -- Travel time from Buffalo to Los Angeles yesterday: eight hours with one stop in Washington. Of that, time spent waiting on the tarmac for a) fog to lift and b) lavs to be repaired: two hours and five minutes. This included a needless five-minute sprint for my connector flight at Dulles that left me looking like the wicked witch of the west after receiving the bucket of water. Good thing I'm in such pristine condition -- not!
Dodger Stadium is still a gem of a ballpark after 44 years of operation. It's all Pacific pastel, which works in SoCal, especially at night when the colours match the early evening skies. And guaranteed -- a beach ball will come your way at least once a game. Don't let it drop to a deck below, or you'll feel the wrath of the fans. One thing that didn't fit: a pier-six brawl a few sections over that would have made Yankee Stadium's bleacher patrons blush. It raged on for five minutes before security finally intervened. Another Dodger Stadium rarity: Usually laid-back fans going nuts -- I mean absolutely crazy -- for closer Eric Gagne's long-awaited return last night. One inning, no runs, but the Dodgers still lost, 8-6 to Philadelphia.
Monday, June 5:
ALAMEDA, California -- The only thing that kept yesterday from a being perfect baseball day in Oakland was football. In particular, the enormous bleachers they erected at McAfee Coliseum to bring the Raiders back years ago. Don't get me wrong. The Raiders are perfect for Oakland: brash, tough and proud. But those bleachers took away one of the best views in baseball -- the Eastern hills above the city. That minor quibble aside, it was an ideal day for the grand old game -- not a cloud in the sky, not too hot and a nice breeze. And a 5-1 win by the home side over Minnesota. The scoreboard at the Coliseum gave a UV warning yesterday. It was 10 -- in the extreme range. One blond woman a few seats down from me played it safe. With obviously very fair complexion, she wore a hat, long sleeves, jeans and socks. Thankfully, it wasn't too hot for her.
Petaluma, California is a good 45 minutes-to-an-hour drive from San Francisco. So why go, aside from the fact that Petaluma is where most of "America Graffiti" was filmed? Merely for the finest steaks this side of heaven, at Cattlemen's, a superb chain here in the west. And the small loaf of hot, delicious sourdough bread didn't last long! Once again, I was too full for dessert. I may never eat again (or at least until later today, whichever comes first).
Wednesday, June 7:
RENO, Nevada -- They went home happy from AT&T Park Monday night. Not that the game was riveting, being a 14-2 Giants blowout over Florida, but because Barry Bonds hit a home run. Such missiles have been missing for much of the season from lovable #25. It was also bearable weather for a June night game in San Francisco. Such things can be absolutely bone-chilling as my wife and I found out one year at Candlestick Park. But the wind was blowing out, so a light jacket was sufficient last night.
I could never live in San Francisco, much as I absolutely adore the city. a) I'm not a millionaire and b) the weather would drive me bonkers. While the east bay is often sunny and warm, with temperatures in the '80's Fahrenheit, San Fran will be shrouded in 65 degree fog. The city's best months, in my opinion, are September and October. If I lived out here, I'd take Berkeley as a home base any day. It was a great day to take in the city, though. Nothing quite like driving those steep streets in a Mustang convertible. And yes, homage was paid to Haight-Ashbury -- still a thriving region, 40 years after the unofficial Summer of Love (even though 1967 gets the "official" title. Those who were there say it was all starting to unwind by then). How sad that Toronto erased its own version of the psychedelic '60's by burying any and all traces of it from Yorkville.
Leaf Nation lives: Travelling into 'Frisco (oh, how the locals hate that term) from Palo Alto Monday, I drove behind an obvious proud American (license plate: THE USA) with a Toronto Maple Leafs logo sticker on his back bumper. Reminded me of a Sunday ballgame I saw once in San Diego's cavernous Jack Murphy Stadium. There were only about 10-thousand in the stands, and along about the seventh inning, this lonely voice cut through the quiet, hollering, "Arrrrgoooooooooooos."
Thursday, June 8:
PHOENIX -- The Stanley Cup final? Nothing more than a rumour out here in the U-S West. I've heard the Oilers have lost games one and two and their starting goalie. This might be over by the time I get home next week.
I almost always take a drive along the California coastal highway when I'm out here, but made a last-minute decision to skip it this time. It's "Graffiti" month in Modesto, the city George Lucas wanted to film his 1973 classic in, only to be (as the story goes) snubbed by the city fathers. But the unnamed town in the movie was based on Modesto, so an annual festival is set for each June. The town also has a gem of a collectibles record store in Sally's, and the only thing that kept me from staying all day was knowing I was driving to Arizona today and I had to keep moving. Also skipped Las Vegas and made a side trip to Reno, cause I'd never been. (No, I didn't shoot anyone, just to watch him die). Fun town with great scenery at Lake Tahoe, and/but it ain't Vegas (depending on your point of view).
They're calling for a "cooler" day in Phoenix today -- "only" 101 degrees. But y'know, it's a dry heat.
The Detroit Tigers are starting to come unglued. Same thing happened 'way back in 1978. They were on top until about Memorial Day weekend when they were swept in Boston and the Red Sox and Yankees then stole the show right until the final day when Bucky Dent homered to beat the Bosox in a one-game playoff at the Fens.
Friday, June 9:
SANTA ANA, California -- Normally, I go out of my way to avoid indoor baseball, but I was glad they kept the lid on at Chase Field in Phoenix last night. It was 105 degrees as I was driving to the ballpark. The couple seated next to me were transplanted New Yorkers who have lived in Arizona for more than a decade. When I asked them if they were going to open the roof, they said, "only if you want to see a riot in the streets." They also solved the mystery of the early evening starts here (6:40 pm). The summer heat is so intense that everyone starts work very early in the morning before the temperature hits triple digits. The early game times allow people to get home and into bed by about 10 o'clock. A gem last night from the New York Mets' Orlando Hernandez in a 7-1 romp against the team that dealt him less than a month ago. "El Duque" tossed a three-hitter, his first complete game in six years.
Sunday, June 11:
SAN DIEGO -- Only the greatest bride in the world would have let me zip away on a California vacation that overrides our anniversary. Happy 23rd, hon -- I'll be home soon. And thanks.
Monday, June 12:
SAN DIEGO -- Wow! I've seen lots of baseball, but it's been a long time since I've seen a Pete Rose-Ray Fosse-like collision at the plate. But Mike Cameron of the Padres bowled over Florida catcher Miguel Olivo in much the same way yesterday in the first inning. Check out the pics in the "What's New?" section and follow the links. Not that it helped the Padres much in their 7-3 loss.
Friday night in Orange County, I took in a game at Angel Stadium for the first time in a decade. It's changed greatly, with most of the football bleachers now gone. Not that the beyond-the-outfield view is great, but it does feature an OC staple -- a freeway. The Angels' bats were all but silent in a 4-1 loss to Seattle.
Charlie Steiner on Dodgers radio Saturday, describing a hapless baserunner on a failed suicide squeeze: "He's deader than Julius Caesar!"
All good things have to come to an end, they say. It's homeward-bound today from the U-S West. And it's also true what they say about this region: California isn't just a state; it's a state of mind.
Tuesday, June 13:
Oops. Gremlins were at work on my final day in California, preventing a full update. And the pics from the Marlins-Padres game wouldn't load. Quick Ma, the Flit! I'll have that fixed by tomorrow morning.
Used to be that all you needed to cross into Mexico were your own two feet. But on Saturday, two Mexican inspectors boarded the Tijuana-bound shuttle bus I was on and probed packages. A not unwelcome development in this day and age.
Wednesday, June 14:
The gremlins are gone -- the pics promised from the Marlins-Padres game Sunday are up and all's well with the world.
What a difference 25 months make. When I first attended Petco Park in San Diego, the ballpark area in south downtown was kind of barren. Now some new buildings have already been erected and no less than six structures around the ballpark are in various stages of construction. W.P. Kinsella was right. If you build it, they will come.
Maybe soccer is finally making key inroads in the U-S. The sports bars at LAX Monday were all showing World Cup games and patrons were following the play with rapture. And the tournament is getting some major league coverage in the papers and on the airwaves. Nice to see.
I must be a jinx to the fine folks at United Airlines. After the problems experienced on the way to California, there were more in store for the trip back. After boarding a Los Angeles-to-Chicago Boeing 777 Monday, they informed us the front wheels needed replacing. Another hour on the tarmac and another mad dash to catch a connector. But y'know, that's fine. I'll take safety delays anytime.
Friday, June 16:
The incomparable Keith Jackson used to wax philosophic about how the Saturday night moon would rise over the Tennessee River hours after another Alabama-Tennessee football classic. And he says that if the Volunteers had won that day at Neyland Stadium, the moon would came up Tennessee orange. And if the Crimson Tide had prevailed, the moon would be 'Bama red when it first appeared on the horizon. Well, I've seen lots of orange full moons in my time, but I doubted the presence of red ones until this past week. Flying over the U-S plains at 37-thousand feet, I saw what looked like a giant red dome off in the distance. Seconds later, it had grown to a complete -- and oval-shaped -- red full moon. Very cool, and of course my camera was not within reach.
Ewing Kauffman, one of baseball's class acts during his lifetime, must be spinning in his grave. Not only are the Kansas City Royals a disaster on the field, they're even worse off it. The Royals have decided to yank the credentials of two reporters, not for asking negative questions about these baseball masqueraders, but because of the tone of their questions. Sorry folks, when you're 17-48, no one is sugar-coating queries in a Doris Day-like saccharine pitch tone. That would be as phony as selling the Royals as major league entertainment.
Pet Peeve of the day: Restaurants that list their closing time as 1:00 am and then have their doors shut tight by 12:30. Especially chains that advertise the fact that they're open late. Boston Pizza, Markham: Shame on you.
Saturday, June 17:
I so much want to sit back and enjoy the hockey game tonight, but I'm afraid my interest in the national sport has melted with the weather. It's supposed to be 30+ degrees Celsius today in Toronto and environs and that's just not hockey weather. Heck, the C.F.L. regular season started last night (not that I can interested in that for awhile either!) I will watch as much of the hockey game as I can before leaving for the ol' graveyard shift, but my passion for hockey died with the season change.
Sunday, June 18:
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DADS! Enjoy the garish ties and socks. Oh, and enjoy the final round of the U-S Open and/or whatever else Mom and the kids let you get away with today in front of the tube!
Well, I lied. I watched as much of the Hurricanes-Oilers game as I could last night (before leaving for work) and enjoyed every minute of it. And yes, I will be watching Monday. Go Oilers! Unlike Vancouver in 1994 and Calgary in 2004, maybe this time the Canadian side will win.
The Detroit Tigers may be the real deal after all. They’ve won eight of 10 since I buried them. They can’t beat the big boys -- Yanks, Red Sox, White Sox -- but they’re dynamite against the rest of baseball. I see they're finally going to tear down Tiger Stadium in Detroit. They'll tear down part of my youth when they do.
As an ancient fossil and an oldies music fan, why is it I can’t get that format on FM radio? Anyone with the CRTC have an even semi-intelligent answer for that? It was a treat zipping around L-A listening to K-Earth 101 last week. I will say kudos to the oldies stations around Toronto for gradually expanding their playlists. Over the years, some of my favourites, like Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”, Dion’s “Runaround Sue” and the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” have been ruined for me with overexposure. When I hear them, I now just reach for a preset button and change the station. (I would add “You Were On My Mind” by We Five to that list, but I can’t. Seeing as there are only 24 tracks featuring Bev Bivens known to mankind, nothing can ruin that song for me.)
Tuesday, June 20:
I remember the great debate over the 1999 Stanley Cup final after Dallas won it on a disputed overtime goal in game six at Buffalo. The prevailing wisdom was that if the Sabres had won that game, they would have been a shoo-in back in Dallas for game seven, because the Stars were physically and emotionally spent. Obviously, we'll never know, but I've never really bought that theory and last night was a good example why. No team looked more physically and emotionally spent after a game six than the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night. But they were the ones with the jump when it counted last night, scoring early and never trailing, putting all the pressure on the visitors. Edmonton gave a valiant effort but the 'Canes were the ones who appeared to have the most in the tank at the outset, contrary to what many expected.
Why can't days in January and February fly by the way they do in June when the weather is great? Not fair!
Wednesday, June 21:
Well, the Dallas Mavericks can whine from now 'til St. Swithin's Day (July 15th, in case you're wondering) but they blew the NBA final all by themselves with their croak job in game three. All they had to do was hang onto a HUGE lead to take a 3-0 series edge, and not even Miami is coming back from that. I honestly didn't care which team won, but I take no joy in seeing Alonzo Mourning get a ring after the way he stiffed the Toronto Raptors.
It's summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime (which is my favourite summer song, a long-ago foot-tappin' singalong by The Jamies). Enjoy the weather, and let's hope it doesn't pour on the aforementioned St. Swithin's Day, or we'll be hit by (as legend has it) 40 days and 40 nights of rain.
Friday, June 23:
So, Regina's Taylor Field is no more. Oh, the stadium is still in use, but like so many other places, the name is being sacrificed for the almighty loonie. The Mosiac Company has bought the naming rights and it will now be called Mosiac Stadium. Fair enough. I hate the practice, but if it provides the Riders with some much-needed capital, then fine. If folks in Saskatcheawan are OK with it, then I have no right moaning. They pay the freight. But what irks me is the comment from a company vice-president. Norm Beug: "Mosaic wanted to give back to the people of this province who have been so welcoming and supportive of our industry." Pony patties. This is advertising, pure and simple. Just say so.
!! UPCHUCK ALERT !! Beware, in case you're reading this over breakfast, lunch or dinner: Scorepics accepts no responsibility for keyboard damage: Check out the 2006 University of Oregon football uniforms. Nausea-Inducing Klothing Emporium strikes again!
http://static.flickr.com/67/171277505_38ad397e95_b.jpg
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Saturday, June 24:
Shocked that yesterday was Friday the 23rd, not the 13th. One of those days. Took me an hour, 45 minutes to get to work for an evening shift, against the rush-hour traffic (it's usually 35 minutes). Couldn't take public transit, of course. The last bus home from downtown leaves five minutes before my shift ends. Let's see, what else? Spilled a coffee down my shirt, broke a cable connector on one of the workplace TV sets. Knocked over everything that was on TOP of the TV in an effort to fix it. Mama said.
People always ask me why I'm so glad to see Toronto in my rear-view mirror every day. Mainly because it's North America's most screwed-up city for traffic/transit thanks to decades of the dumbest, most out-of-touch politicians who ever snorted at a piggy trough -- present bunch included. T-O once had a choice to be pro-highway or pro-transit and it chose neither, leave both options woefully inadequate. I have driven or been transported in each and every major city in Canada and the U-S and Toronto is the worst, hands down. Vancouver's close, but small enough (comparatively speaking) to make it bearable. And how can anyone get worked up with that city's beautiful scenery?
Sunday, June 25:
Tres cool! Two oldies stations playing the same song at exactly the same time -- but by different artists. I was driving home after work, singing along to "Walk Away Renee" by The Four Tops on 1050 CHUM and by The Left Banke on 1150 CKOC -- right down to the exact note, so you could sing along, switch stations and not miss a drum beat!
Monday, June 26:
Due to the Mayberry theory on "the secret of life" (time speeds up the older you get), the 12 straight losing seasons the Detroit Tigers have experienced have been little more than a blur. By way of comparison, the six-plus years between seeing my first live baseball game (Tiger Stadium, June 22, 1962, Tigers 7 Yankees 5 -- just two days before their 22 inning classic) and October 10, 1968 when the Tiges climbed the highest mountain, seemed like an eternity. This 2006 edition may win nothing, but they've given Tiger fans more thrills in three months than in the past dozen seasons. And Terry Foster of the Detroit News captures the return of meaningful Motown baseball perfectly in his weekend column:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060625/SPORTS08/606250360/1004
Wednesday, June 28:
Was Andrea Bargnani was the best choice in the NBA draft? The Toronto Raptors obviously think so. They didn't trade down, despite rumours to the contrary, and selected the Italian forward with the first overall pick. Right choice? Wrong choice? Only time will tell, but I trust general manager Bryan Colangelo's basketball pedigree.
Nothing says summer like a side trip to your nearest Kawartha Dairy store for their outstanding ice cream! That's Uxbridge, for us. It's a "car-car ride" for Mandy, the Wonder Pooch (she likes butter pecan), and this evening's excursion was also highlighted with a dandy thunderstorm and subsequent rainbow. My favourite flavour? Banana. Honest. That stems from cottage summers in the '60's when Mrs. Bailey at the general store only ordered it once a season. I swear she did it just as a special treat for me, because no one else would eat it!
Thursday, June 29:
It was fun to watch the expression on young faces in town today -- the day they had waited for for months was finally at hand. School was out for summer and the children were not shy in squealing with delight. And a pox on the houses of those summertime Grinches who push for schools to be open year-round. They obviously have no recollections of their own youth. Summer vacation is as much a learning experience, with friendships bonded at camps, cottages and just around the neighbourhood, as anything taught in the classrooms. Taking that away would be depriving kids of critical memories that remain decades down the road.
Friday, June 30:
PLEASE HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE CANADA DAY AND INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND!
In Stouffville tomorrow, Main Street will be shut down to vehicular traffic for the biggest day of the annual Strawberry Festival. The town may be exploding with development, but as long as the Saturday of the July 1st long weekend remains as it is, Stouffville will maintain its small-town cool. It's a great day to meet and greet, and if you have a similar festival in your burg, go out and take advantage of it.
