Monday, September 1:
Oh, how I've hated this day over the years. You can call it Labo(u)r Day but to me, it's End-Of-Summer Day. Yes, I know that officially we have three more weeks on the summer calendar but the day before kids return to school is emotionally and symbolically, the season's end. I was lucky in that I only had one September 1st Labour Day during my public and high school years (the start of Grade 11 in 1969). Leap years took care of the two other times it could have happened. But it didn't matter much to me whether Labour Day fell on the 1st or the 7th or any time in between, it was always -- and still is today -- melancholy.
I hit the hay last night concerned and worried about the fine folks we encountered in New Orleans -- from the great staff at Le Richelieu Hotel in the French Quarter to the wonderful Cajun Pride tour guides. All we can do is hope for the best in regards to hurricane Gustav.
Tuesday, September 2:
It looks as if New Orleans dodged a bullet in regards to hurricane Gustav, which came ashore as a Category 2 storm, packing less punch than feared, especially in regards to its potential to move water. The levees were tested, but appear to have held and that's wonderful news.
Share and share alike, The Bride says. To that end, she's shared with me her wicked summer cold. So yesterday afternoon, in the midst of an earth-moving sneeze, I twisted my out-of-shape body slightly -- and felt this sledge-hammer pain in my side. Nothing more serious than a pulled muscle, thankfully. And it only hurts when I sneeze. Or cough. Or laugh. Or move. Or breathe (you get the idea).
Beware behind the wheel today as kids head back to school following their summer vacation. It's all new again for them -- and for us drivers.
Wednesday, September 3:
Down in Cajun-land a couple of weeks ago, we actually got fairly close to a lazy alligator down in the swamp while we were waiting for a plantation tour to start. Not close enough for danger (thank you, zoom lenses) but as close as I ever want to get. And what went through my mind at the time was Jerry Reed's old classic song about one-armed gator-trapper Amos Moses ("dat's all he got left, 'cause d'alligatah bit it! Left ahm gone clean up t' th' elboooow.") And yesterday came the news that we lost Jerry Reed over the weekend. 71. Far too young. Not only was he Burt Reynolds' truck-drivin' pard in the "Smokey" movies, Reed was one of the very best pickers who ever clawed at a gee-tar. One of my all-time faves. RIP, Jerry.
Friday, September 5:
I love the U-S-of-A and couldn't imagine better global neighbours. And we have some great friends south of the border. But sometimes I get royally peeved at being taken for granted. Today, I received a ha-ha e-mail from a pal in Boston. He didn't write it, but forwarded it along to friends so we could all share in the chuckle. Basically it was a "what if" e-mail from a future President to the countries of the world, basically telling the nations of the non-Iraq alliance that they could stick it up their rosy red posterior, should they ever need help in case of a catastrophe. Canada, of course, didn't fight the war in Iraq and the e-mail makes specific mention of that, and suggests that Canada should try harder not to "piss off" Americans in the future. I'm sure my friend will have raised eyebrows when he reads my rather blunt and to-the-point reply about our ongoing battle in Afghanistan and about our per capita losses there compared to the rest of the NATO-alliance -- and my suggestion that maybe Americans shouldn't be pissing us off, seeing as we're fighting the major battles against terrorism in that country. The thing is, I know my friend doesn't believe a word of the anti-Canadian rant in the email, he just simply forgot where I live.
I see that Brian Kilrea is calling it quits as coach of the Ottawa 67's after the upcoming season. Says he still loves it at age 73 but he mumbled some ridiculous nonsense about how unfair it would be to kids coming into the system to be coached by an old man. Frankly, it's unfair the kids will be prevented from being coached by the legend. I was pretty close to the franchise in the early '80s when I worked in Ottawa and my admiration of Brian Kilrea, the coach and the man, knows no bounds.
Sunday, September 7:
As I suspected, my friend felt terrible about the email he sent. It's a subject close to his heart too, with a family member of his in Iraq on a second tour of duty. And I felt bad that my reply looked harsher than intended and let him know that in a follow-up. But being friends, there are no negative feelings between us. And both of our countries are fighting the good fight against terrorism.
One of the things that used to drive me nuts was the way former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr played everything close to the vest in terms of dealing with questions about games or his program. It's one of things that really ever kept me from liking the guy, from this distance. How refreshing it is to hear Rich Rodriguez refuse to sugar-coat his team's narrow 16-6 win over Miami of Ohio. He used words like "frustrating" and "ugly." A win is a win but it wasn't pretty and I suspect next week's game at Notre Dame will be very sobering for the Maize and Blue. The Irish pulled off a comeback win yesterday in their season opener, they'll be at home next Saturday and they'll be looking for revenge after back-to-back thrashings at the hands of Michigan the last two seasons.
The Bride has put her heart and soul into an international horse show and competition today at the barn she boards our horses at -- and wouldn't you know it, it's one of those "all-day-rain" days. And speaking of horses, one of our own -- "Shiloh" -- gave us a mighty scare Friday when he colicked in mid-afternoon. It was touch-and-go throughout the night but he seemed better yesterday.
Monday, September 8:
Quick, who put money down on the Patriots winning the Super Bowl this season? If Pats quarterback Tom Brady is, indeed, out for the year, then the AFC race is wide open. Especially when you consider both the Colts and Chargers opened with home defeats. What a topsy-turvy NFL season this could be! Thank heavens for the Detroit Lions, who brought some stability to the situation. They were the same old, bumbling, stumbling losers they've always been during their pathetically inept loss in Atlanta yesterday. How people could be roped in by their 4-and-0 pre-season record is beyond me.
Wednesday, September 10:
They may never lose again this season, these Toronto Blue Jays and it still won't matter. The Jays go for a club-record 11th straight win tonight in Chicago and the only reaction will be, "Gee, that's nice." The franchise has still not played a meaningful September game in the J.P. Ricciardi era and won't this season. Toronto's "magic number" for elimination is 12. Any combination of Boston wins and Toronto defeats equaling 12 means another season without post-season play for the Blue Jays. Think the Red Sox can go 12-and-6 in their final 18 games? Yeah, me too. If Tampa Bay falters and drops into the wild-card spot, all they would need is an 9-and-6 mark to finish off the locals, even if Toronto goes undefeated the rest of the way and closes the season with a 28-game winning streak. It just ain't happening -- which is one reason this current hot streak is being dismissed. It's a lot easier to roll down the stretch of there's no pressure, and there's none for the Blue Jays.
Thursday, September 11:
Seven years. Where does the time go?
Saturday, September 13:
Galveston, oh Galveston! Why would anyone decide to "ride out" a major hurricane? Ike is becoming the monster storm that everyone feared Gustav would be.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are the latest to adopt the trend of painting one giant logo at centre ice instead of two smaller ones facing in opposite directions in the centre ice faceoff circle. The problem is that their logo includes words and some of the letters are obliterated by centre ice red line. So, as one poster in a logo forum pointed out the other day, the Toronto Maple Leafs become the Tornto Male Lefs! Go Lefs Go! Cracked me up just thinking about it.
Hard to believe Manchester United has played just two games in the Premier League this season. And in the span of eight days, starting today, they play two of the toughest matches they'll encounter all season. Liverpool today at Anfield and Chelsea a week from Sunday at Stamford Bridge. Yikes!
Michigan at Notre Dame today. I can't see a Wolverines win, much as I'd love to. The big one tonight has Ohio State at Southern Cal. The Trojans are favoured by double figures. Yes, OSU was put to the test at home last week by a pesky Ohio squad, but there's no way the Buckeyes will be blown out in L.A. I like USC to win, but by six points at the most.
How are the locals, you ask? Don't ask. The Stouffville Spirit opened the season at home Thursday night with a 6-2 loss to Newmarket and fell last night 7-3 in Markham. And they're the visitors for Newmarket's home opener tomorrow. I fear goals will be at a premium this season with a very young team.
Sunday, September 14:
Can't win a football game if you don't hang on to the danged thing. Yes, it's going to be a painful year of learning for Michigan's young team. They did some things well at Notre Dame but turnovers killed them. And wow, did we ever get the Ohio State-USC game wrong. What a blowout as the Trojans romped 35-3. And what a condemnation for the Big-10. This conference has deteriorated over the past few years. Sad.
Too bad they don't have the Detroit Lions on their schedule.
Speaking of which -- that leaves us with Green Bay at Detroit today and people are actually predicting a Lions victory. My track record this weekend is lousy, but I'm pretty confident in my Lions' ability to go 0-and-2.
Monday, September 15:
It's the most side-splitting comedy of the fall season! Guaranteed to send you floor-bound, doubled over with laughter. Invite your friends! See who can spew their beer the farthest across the room at the sight of these zany maniacs! You'll collapse in tears of laughter! All your favourites are back from the front line! Jeff Backus Up Another Five! George "False Start" Foster! It's the most talked about TV show of the year. It's DETROIT LIONS FOOTBALL!!! Don't miss it! Every Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.!
Too bad they don't have the Michigan Wolverines on their schedule.
Tuesday, September 16:
Here's the scene: The local nine in Brewtown is in a whale of a pennant race for the National League wild-card spot as it chases down what would be its first post-season berth since 1982. The team's in a bit of a slide right now but shares the W-C lead with a dozen games to go. All should be sweetness and light in Milwaukee, right? Uh-uh. They fired their manager yesterday, coming to the conclusion that Ned Yost couldn't put them over the top. Bold move to say the least. Yes, the Brewers faltered down the stretch a year ago, but canning the skip with just two weeks remaining? Can you smell panic? Yikes!
Thursday, September 18:
I was dumbfounded yesterday (an increasing common state of mind for me) to learn that a 1960s surfin' staple on the music charts is not what I thought it was. Growing up in that incredible decade, I can't tell you how many times I've heard "Wipeout" by the Safaris on the radio. Well, actually I can. Zero (0) times. Because it's "Wipeout" by the Surfaris. "Surf." Get it? I didn't until yesterday. All these years I had the name of the band wrong and only realized my mistake when I was net-surfing and noticed what I thought was a typo. No typo. And the info I was net-surfing for dealt with the song "Surfer Joe," which was actually the "A" side of the 45. "Wipeout" was the "B" side that eventually became the smash hit with the drum riff everybody knows.
Friday, September 19:
Here's another regret (not my big lifetime regret, which was passing on an invitation to go to Woodstock in 1969 -- who knew? -- but it's a regret all the same): I never got a chance to see John Stewart perform in concert. The Bride's been in Ottawa this week on conference and I've dusted off my old "California Bloodlines" CD and have re-connected with Stewart's music. A marvelous songwriter and story-teller, he somehow never received the props that I think were deserved. He was a natural replacement when Dave Guard left the Kingston Trio and I think Stewart's work enhanced their sound. Stewart died in January, far too young at 68.
I'll be heading to the capital area today to hook up with The Bride and some friends at a Renfrew-area cottage and then we'll drive into Ottawa tomorrow for our nephew's wedding. Hard to believe this is the same young fellow who nonchalantly flipped the ring pillow over his hand and back whilst marching down the aisle as ring-bearer at our own wedding 25 years ago.
Saturday, September 20:
RENFREW, ON -- I've heard tales of our friends' place in Renfrew (from The Bride after some "sisterhood" parties there) but was amazed when I saw it for the first time. A gorgeous house with a wrap-around deck -- and then their cottage, which is maybe a Peyton Manning touchdown pass away from the house, just down the road. I got there in time to enjoy late afternoon beers on the deck, early evening at the cottage complete with bonfire and then back to the house for dinner and (even more) drinks. Yes, we were all pretty pie-eyed (there were about 10 of us) by the time we all retired. We needed the toothpicks to prop up our eyes this morning for the drive into the capital.
Sunday, September 21:
OTTAWA -- Our nephew's nuptials turned into a smashing affair, with a lovely ceremony in a beautiful church and a great reception later on. He married a wonderful lady, teeming with intelligence, beauty and personality. And I had a superb time. Yet, there was a slight melancholy feeling inside, aware that I'm attending more and more funerals/visitations these days and less and less weddings. Yes, most of the funerals are for parents of friends -- still a generation away, in other words. But not all. And every wedding we attend now is for a generation behind ours. Sometimes, it's difficult to fathom how much faster time goes by as I get older.
Monday, September 22:
I heard about this late last week but haven't had time to post my thoughts since then. We lost the Little General last week as CFL legend Ron Lancaster succumbed to lung cancer. And -- thankfully, I guess -- the damned disease did its thing in a hurry, keeping Lancaster from a long, painful and drawn out death. For a guy who was a great quarterback, great TV analyst and great coach, he never lost the common touch. I remember interviewing him on the field at Montreal's Molson Stadium, moments after coaching his Hamilton Tiger Cats to a 27-26 win over the Alouettes in the East final. They won that game on a bold and brassy third down-and-inches pass play that ultimately led to the winning touchdown. "Quite the call," I said to Lancaster. I'll never forget his response: "What the hell was I thinking?" But he had that twinkle in his eye and you knew that he knew exactly what he was thinking. The Ticats, loose and fun-loving as could be, then exacted revenge a week later against their Grey Cup conquerors of a year earlier, beating the Calgary Stampeders 32-21 in Vancouver. Ron Lancaster was as down to earth as anyone I've ever met in and out of sports and had time for anyone and everyone.
We were probably about two minutes -- or less -- away from a very long day yesterday returning from Ottawa. After picking up speed following about a 20 minute delay at the lane-reduction bottleneck on the 401 at Napanee, we suddenly saw half a dozen OPP cruisers and an ambulance screaming down the eastbound lanes and then saw thick, black smoke in our rearview mirror. A transport truck crunched into a Chevy, sending both into flames. No deaths but the truck driver was apparently burned rather badly and the highway was closed for hours.
One week to go in baseball's regular season. And Yankee Stadium closed last night far earlier than anyone expected. No playoffs for the Bronx Bombers this year. And again, no World Series ring for Mike Mussina. There is a God.
Here's a prediction: The bye week will score a quick 21 on the Detroit Lions before they respond next Sunday.
Thursday, September 25:
So the deed has been done. Matt Millen has been discharged as president of the Detroit Lions, many years too late. Because it will take many more years for this sorry franchise to recover from his incompetence. The Lions are simply bereft of talent and the guys they do have are so shell-shocked that they don't have the "want-to" anymore. What's more, who's to say the owner and/or his son will pick the right replacement? The track record hasn't exactly been sterling over the past half-century. The beat goes on, as will the losing.
And speaking of players with zero "want-to," it's remarkable to watch how the Detroit Tigers have quit -- that's the only word for it -- this season. These World Series pretenders are now in last place in the American League Central and if there's any justice, that's where they'll wind up on Sunday. Fans buying into the Tigers' 2008 season -- and there were a lot of them -- were completed cheated by these frauds. Losing is one thing -- quitting is another. I like Jim Leyland a lot, as a manager and as a person. But he should lose his job for this abomination.
Friday, September 26:
Every fall I mention how much I love college football. Last night is a perfect example. Every team in every sport has its own personal Waterloo -- a house of horrors where nothing ever goes right. Even the expected victories against inferior opposition somehow turn into massive struggles. For the University of Southern California Trojans, it's Reser (nee Parker) Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, home of the Oregon State Beavers. The only blemish for the great 1967 USC team -- led by O.J. Simpson -- was a 3-0 defeat in the slop at Parker. Two years ago, USC was ranked number two in the nation and had won 27 consecutive Pac-10 games, when they travelled to Corvallis, stumbled early, roared back, but missed a game-tying two-point conversion and fell 33-31. Last night, they arrived at OSU having shredded another OSU -- Ohio State -- a dozen nights earlier by a lopsided score of 35-3, making the Trojans an almost unanimous choice as number one in both polls. But the Beavers, the unranked 1-and-2 Beavers, pounded out a 21-0 lead by halftime, survived a third quarter onslaught and stunned USC 27-21, shaking up the national rankings. And it was a deserved victory. Oregon State controlled the lines on both offence and defence and played superior football. Beavers -- yes, there is a Canadian connection. The head coach is the same Mike Riley who coached the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a pair of Grey Cup championships in the late 1980s, and is the son of long-time CFL coach Bud Riley. To make the circle complete, Bud was a Beavers' assistant coach in the '60s when Mike was born -- right in Corvallis. As for the Trojans, one wonders how they'll handle this stunning defeat. We'll find out in person in eight days when we check out USC against Oregon during our upcoming California visit.
Saturday, September 27:
Two more legends gone -- one we knew was coming, one we didn't. The surprise to us was Ralph Sazio, who coached the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to greatness in the 1960s and was as good an executive as he was a coach. Man, it's been a terrible year for the Canadian Football League in terms of losing its greats. Sazio, Ron Lancaster, Bobby Ackles. There won't be enough black arm-bands to go around at the Grey Cup in Montreal.
The one we knew was coming was Paul Newman, one of my favourite actors. He was also a giant in the world of auto racing (which is how we were up-to-date on his failing health). He was somewhat taciturn and a bit of a reluctant interview at a race track (possibly because he was afraid some nincompoop would ask him what it was like to work with Robert Redford) but he would usually always comply. Everyone has their favourite Newman movies and his Reggie Dunlop from Slapshot will live forever in the minds of hockey-mad Canadians. Mine, too. But my favourite Newman character was, "the great Henry Gondorf" from The Sting. I have trouble getting my head around the fact that The Sting is 35 years old.
Sunday, September 28:
Much more of this and Ohio State -- embarrassed just two weeks ago at USC -- will be number one in college football. There have been upsets all over the place. The Trojans lost Thursday night at Oregon State. Number four Florida fell at home yesterday to Ole Miss. Ninth-ranked Wisconsin had a 19-0 lead at the half and lost at Michigan in their personal house of horrors, Michigan Stadium. Number three Georgia, picked by many as a championship team, was demolished at home by unbeaten Alabama (and maybe the people of Tuscaloosa, who told us repeatedly when we were there last month that the Crimson Tide were for real, were right). It's one whale of a topsy-turvy season -- and we're only five weeks in.
We mentioned that we will take in the Oregon-USC game a week from tonight in Los Angeles. We might. But we might head east to Tucson for Washington-Arizona instead. The teams aren't as good, but we've never been to Tucson, and we'd be close enough to Phoenix to catch the Bills and Cardinals the next afternoon. We'll see. The weather will be the ultimate call.
Our picture of the week is a montage of potential in-city World Series matchups -- Los Angeles vs. Los Angeles or Chicago vs. Chicago. Except the White Sox have spit the bit down the stretch, losing five in a row since we prepared the four-in-one picture. They could still make it, but they'll need to play a make-up game Monday against Detroit to get there, no matter what they do today. Of course, if they lose and the Twins win, they're done -- and my montage will look stupid.
Monday, September 29:
That forlorn-lookin' fella no doubt leaning over the railing of the Brooklyn Bridge last night was surely my buddy Joe, who lives and dies with his New York Mets. And the death has been extremely painful these last two seasons with the Mets missing the playoffs each time with a home loss to Florida on the final day of the regular season. Last year, they blew a seven-game lead with 17 to play; this year, they were up by three-and-a-half with 17 left. One thing we'll differ on: the closing of Shea Stadium. To Mets fans, it is understandably their field of dreams. For the rest of us, to quote the late Skip Caray: "What an armpit!"
So, no New York teams in the baseball playoffs for the first time in forever. No tears from this corner.
Tuesday, September 30:
Frankly, I'm glad the Detroit Tigers closed their season with another embarrassing defeat, 8-2 in Chicago last night in a make-up game the White Sox had to win to force tonight's one-game playoff with Minnesota for the American League Central division title. The Detroit loss ensures they finish the season all alone in last place, which is exactly where these quitters deserve to be. Yes, I'm disappointed this supposed World Series contender didn't contend, but these guys gave up on the season halfway through and that's what really ticks me off. And as much as I like and admire manager Jim Leyland, he should be discharged for losing the clubhouse. Frauds, one and all.
