Monday, October 1:
I have a friend in New Jersey, a friend I'll not call today -- or for a few weeks for that matter. He's a dyed-in-the-wool New York Mets fan and I can only imagine his pain. The Mets, a team I thought would make it to the World Series this year, suffered a collapse of unbelievable baseball proportions, blowing a seven-game advantage with just 17 to play and handing the National League East to the Philadelphia Phillies. It will be a long winter around Shea Stadium. And kudos to the Phils, by the way, who played superb ball down the stretch and swept the Mets twice on their way to the division pennant.
San Diego at Colorado today for the wild-card: I'm generally loathe to cheer for any teams from the Denver area but the Rockies deserve a playoff spot with their incredible finish. I hope they win the sudden-death game.
They may not win 10 games as quarterback Jon Kitma predicts, but they sure are fun to watch for the first time in recent memory. The Detroit Lions scored 34 points (!) in the fourth quarter to beat defending NFC champion Chicago yesterday, scoring two go-ahead touchdowns sandwiched around a Bears' kickoff return for a touchdown. And they scored two "put-it-away" touchdowns sandwiched around an officiating call on possession that still has me scratching my head. Very impressive.
Tuesday, October 2:
You hate to see a winner-take-all game end on a blown call, but that's what happened last night/this morning in Denver. And unfortunately, it will take a little bit away from the Colorado Rockies' amazing 13th inning comeback, scoring three off San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman, after the Padres had taken an 8-6 lead in the top of the frame. But the call at the plate was wrong, and -- bad as Hoffman pitched -- the Pads could have escaped the inning tied as there would have been two out and no one on.
I saw a few pictures in the New York papers yesterday of young Mets fans crying after their team melted down the stretch. And as I contemplated Magglio Ordonez' batting title, it all brought back painful memories. The last time a Detroit Tiger won the batting crown was 1961, when Norm Cash led the Bengals to 101 wins. But their dreams died in a four-game September sweep at the hands of the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium, leading to an eight-game losing streak -- and I recall it was all a bit too much for this eight-year-old Tiger fan to take.
Oh, and seeing we're on the eve of the start of the playoffs, just a reminder to my bride (a recently admitted immigrant to Red Sox Nation): Today is the 29th anniversary of Bucky Bleepin' Dent's pennant-winning home run.
Saturday, October 6:
Wow! And just like that, the Yankees, Angels, Cubs and Phillies are on the brink, a three-game winning streak or bust. Who-da thunk it? In particular dire straits are the Fightin' Phils, who now have to turn things around on the road against a Colorado team that may never lose again. The Bride is, of course, grinning her smug Red Sox smile, having merely discovered the franchise all of seven or eight weeks ago. Nothing like a bandwagon fan!
Have a great Thanksgiving weekend to one and all, and a great Columbus Day weekend to our friends south of the border!
Sunday, October 7:
So long, Cubbies. Three-and-out. We didn't even get a sniff of any playoff magic from you.
So long, Phillies. Three-and-out. We didn't even get a sniff of any playoff magic from you.
Stanford 24, USC 23. Stanford??!! Are you kiddin' me?? What a great performance by coach Jim Harbaugh's kids in KO'ing everyone's (well, not mine) pre-season favourite. Meanwhile, my pick -- LSU -- somehow got off the mat and came from behind to beat Florida, handing the national champs their second straight loss. What a great performance by coach Les Miles' kids. Lets see, Harbaugh, MIles -- two former Michigan players and in Miles' case, a former Michigan assistant coach. And they're spinning their magic elsewhere while current UM coach Lloyd Carr continues to keep Michigan's football program stuck a decade behind the times.
Tuesday, October 9:
Can't see how Joe Torre survives this one after his Yankees melt in the first-round again. A Yanks-Red Sox series would have been nice but we're wowed by what Cleveland's done this year. They're the Tigers of a year ago. And anything that ensures another Mike Mussina playoff exit is always a good thing. But I'm thinking TV execs can't be thrilled with teams from smallish markets like Boston, Cleveland, Denver and Phoenix from this point on.
Five interceptions and a fumble. And yet Tony Romo still wills the Dallas Cowboys to a win at Buffalo last night. Unbelievable.
And in the "are-they-real-or-are-they-frauds" department, the Detroit Lions reverted back to their form of old Sunday with their thrashing at the hands of the Redskins. The Lions remain 0-for-forever in Washington.
Wednesday, October 10:
If you're living in Ontario and eligible to do so today: vote.
Please.
Those who rest 'neath the poppies in Flanders Fields are counting on it.
Sunday, October 14:
Another week, another couple of unbeatens toppled in US college football. Yesterday it was LSU and Cal's turn, with the Bayou Tigers falling in overtime at Kentucky and the Golden Bears beaten at home by Oregon State. So who's number one now? Ohio State? Likely, but the problem is, with the Big-10 in disarray, they haven't really beaten anyone of note, save perhaps Washington on the road. Boston College? Same problem. South Florida? Why not? They beat SEC power Auburn right in the Tigers' back yard. The Bulls are as good a choice as any of them. The days of the super powers are disappearing, which is a good thing. College football is becoming a mirror image of the NFL and the phrase, "on any given Sunday" can now be applied to Saturdays, too.
The worst part of Wednesday's provincial election in Ontario? The apathy. A record low for voter turnout. Sad to see we appear to have collectively taken our freedoms for granted.
Tuesday, October 16:
The very best thing that could happen for the incredible Colorado Rockies is having the Cleveland Indians make quick work of Boston in the ALCS and win that series in five. If it goes seven, then the Rockies will be sitting around for a week or so, throwing their rhythm completely out of whack. If you think that doesn't matter, ask the Detroit Tigers, who swept Oakland in last year's ALCS and then had to wait seven full days before starting the World Series, as the Mets and Cardinals went the full seven in the NLCS.
Two big reasons to be cheering for the Rockies to win their first Fall Classic: Ace pitcher Jeff Francis is Canadian and Mike Coolbaugh, the Double-A first base coach who was hit and killed by a line drive this season, was in the Rockies organization. The Colorado players have already voted a full playoff share of post-season money to Coolbaugh's family. Classy.
As expected, Ohio State is number one in the US college football rankings and the only other Big-10 team in the AP top-25 is Michigan. The Wolverines did not make the top-25 in the coaches' poll. And that's as it should be. The Big-10 is an archaic relic of a football conference, playing the style of ball that was in vogue 40 and 50 years ago. Maybe that came in handy when teams had to slog through the muddy fields of yesteryear during rainy Novembers. With the fast tracks of today -- both natural and artificial -- speed is the key and the Big-10 is sorely lacking.
Forty-eight and counting -- a record -- in the loss books for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. As a kid growing up in the shadow of the goalposts at Western Ontario's Little Memorial Stadium, Saturday games against Toronto were easily the most anticipated -- and most feared -- each autumn (with Queen's a close second). Sad that the UT program has fallen so far. It gives me no pleasure that the record-settling loss last Saturday was against the Mustangs.
Thursday, October 18:
Looks as if I’m wrong -- again. It wouldn’t have mattered a lick if the American League Championship Series was a sweep or a nail-biting seven-gamer, the World Series would not start before October 24. So, by sweeping Arizona, Colorado is faced with a nine-day break, so matter what the Indians and Red Sox do. Madness.
Seems to me that Ellen DeGeneres’ credentials when it comes to dealing with animals is unimpeachable. When she says she has found a good home for a dog, I believe her. But to have an entertainment website camera crew at the scene of the home where the dog in question was taken away Sunday night raises some questions, as does her sobbing fit on her television show, not Monday but Tuesday. And unless the Monday show is taped the previous week, I’m not liking some of the answers.
One of my favourite shows is the original “CSI.” And I’m guessing that Jorja Fox’s decision to leave it is the worst decision since Denise Crosby bailed on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” after season one.
Saturday, October 20:
The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men gang aft agley. Or something like that.
I'm off on a month-long adventure to New York and Asia in November and with next weekend tied up with a long overdue visit to see old friends, that leaves this weekend to tie up a whole lot of loose ends before my trip. So my original plan of seeing some live football in South Bend and Detroit have been scuttled. Ah well, another time. Those places aren't going anywhere and with luck, neither am I -- for awhile, at least.
Can't blame Joe Torre for walking away from a pay cut offered by the New York Yankees. Yes, he was the highest-paid manager in baseball but don't judge him on the Yanks' first-round loss to Cleveland. Judge him on the incredible job he did this year in getting New York into the post-season -- to say nothing of his remarkable record of 12 playoff berths in as many seasons in the Bronx Zoo.
OK, Ellen DeGeneres' Monday show is taped the Friday before, and probably the Tuesday show taped on the Monday, etc., so quite possibly her crying jag was real last week. But if you're too emotionally distraught to do your show, then postpone the taping until you get yourself together. I keep having this horrible feeling that the outburst was planned -- and I really don't want to believe that. I'm a fan of her comedy but her to have no clue as to the firestorm she would create by dissolving into tears on her show is beyond belief to me.
Sunday, October 21:
I tell ya what: there's college football and then there's SEC football. And LSU coach Les Miles has to be the biggest gambler in the sport. Down by a point and with time running down deep in Auburn territory, he takes a shot at the end zone instead of going for a game-winning field goal and gets rewarded when his players pull off the touchdown with one second remaining. Miles felt they had enough time to try the kick If the pass had fallen incomplete. But he cut it as fine as possible. If the pass wasn't caught and another second had ticked away, the game -- and the Bayou Tigers national championship hopes -- would have died. Unbelievable!
So much for the Red Sox demise. And after back-to-back blowouts, you have to like their chances in game seven tonight at home against Cleveland. But baseball's a funny game -- you can score 19 runs in 17 innings and get shut out the next day.
Thursday, October 25:
It bit the Detroit Tigers a year ago and now the long layoff between games appears to have robbed the Colorado Rockies of their baseball mojo. Whatever they had going for them down the stretch and into the post-season disappeared into the soggy New England air last night in the World Series opener. What`s scarier is the deer-in-the-headlights look that many of them appeared to have in the first game on the big stage. Again, very reminiscent of the `06 Tigers. On the plus side, getting waxed 13-1 by the Red Sox is no worse than 2-1 -- it`s still just one loss, and a win tonight in Boston puts the Rockies in fine shape with the next three in Denver.
No, she won`t shed a solitary tear if the Boston loses the World Series, and truth be told, she`s more in love with the ballpark than the ballclub, but it`s a treat watching The Bride embrace the Fall Classic for the first time in her life. Since our August visit to Fenway Park, she`s become a bona fide member of Red Sox Nation. Now she`s finding out how nail-biting baseball can be. I love it.
There`s one thing a co-worker of mine can agree on when it comes to this soccer season: It`s been a great run so far both both Manchesters -- his beloved City and my beloved United. Now if someone can stop Arsenal at the top of the table, it will be even better.
Friday, October 26:
Here's what's it's like to be a Boston sports fan these days: The Red Sox are two wins away from their second World Series championship in four years. The Patriots, with three recent Super Bowl titles under their belts, are 7-and-0 and look like a pretty decent bet to win a fourth. The Celtics, one of the winningest franchises in pro sports, are favoured to get off the mat and win their division this season. The Bruins have won five of six and are one of the early-season surprises in the NHL. In college football, second-ranked and unbeaten Boston College scored all 14 points in the final 2:11 last night on the road to stun Virginia Tech 14-10. I'm guessing someone's sold his soul, because I swear I saw Mr. Applegate on TV in the stands at Fenway Park, TD Banknorth Garden and Lane Stadium all at the same time!
It's getting comical, this Toronto bashing of mayor David Miller after he and city council imposed new taxes yet kept all of their perks after voting themselves a healthy pay raise. Hey folks, ya dance with who brung ya! You voted him in -- twice -- you get to deal with him. There's one born every minute -- and they all moved to T.O.
Tuesday, October 30:
I had planned to write this a day ago but it was a scary Monday, as Mandy the Wonder Pooch re-injured her knee over the weekend. The good news is that it appears her surgery has not been compromised and that she should see improvement with rest and anti-inflammatories.
We hadn't seen our old friends Jim and Caroline in years, despite the fact we share the same wedding anniversary. So we finally travelled northeast to lovely Apsley over the weekend to break bread and have a wee sip of beer (or more). They own the coolest place I've ever seen, right on a winding creek where deer roam by and eat just yards away from their "partio" -- a separate building away from the house.
Flocks of blue jays gather (so that's where they go when the season's over) and even bears have been known to make a visit. Yikes! But it was beyond cool and the company was superb. A most memorable weekend.
No surprise that the Boston Red Sox won the World Series (and yes, The Bride is sporting quite the sly grin). But baseball didn't do the Colorado Rockies any favours by having them idle down for nine days between the end of the NLCS and the start of the Fall Classic. Virtually the same thing happened to the Detroit Tigers a year ago.
Football -- seven wins in a row for Michigan but the real test starts now with road games at Michigan State and Wisconsin and the annual showdown with unbeaten and number-one Ohio State. And -- on this side of the border -- Western Ontario has rebounded from an 0-and-4 start, made the playoffs and upset Queen's Saturday right in Kingston. This weekend, a showdown against number-two Ottawa. Funny, the similarities between this year and 1971. The Mustangs had a new coach (Frank Cosentino), barely made the playoffs at 5-and-3, and yet started their run to the national championship with wins over Queen's and Ottawa. Time will tell if history repeats itself.
Wednesday, October 31:
It's completely beyond me how the Toronto Maple Leafs can look just fine on the road and completely clueless at home. One columnist described their 7-1 loss to Washington the other night as "rancid." I didn't see much of the game, but what I did see was just that.
I also saw a good chunk of Monday Night Football and I was becoming ill at what was little more than a Brett Favre lovefest. They miked him up. They showed every sign in the stands mentioning his name (and this was on the road, in Denver). They had his wife in the booth for an interview. They showed every great Favre moment they could get their hands on. Don't get me wrong -- I like Favre, but the ESPN treatment was so over the top it was sickening. And then the guy goes and completely justifies the spotlight by throwing a game-winning 82-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage in overtime. Incredible!
For the first time in my lifetime, Hallowe'en trick or treating will start in daylight now that the switch back to standard time is a week later. And that's a good thing. But please don't take anything for granted -- keep a close eye on little ghosts and goblins!
