Thursday, November 1:
Looks as if I'm picking the right time to head to the United States for a few days before I travel to the other side of the world. The Canadian dollar traded at an all-time high against the U-S greenback for awhile yesterday after the markets closed. It's astonishing -- and a little scary -- how much the loonie has gained in comparison with its American cousin over this past year. It had just started its climb about five years ago when I made my first trip to Asia.
Good start to the season for the Toronto Raptors in their season opener against Philadelphia although it got a bit scary at the end. Once again, the Raptors are being written off as pretenders. Which suits them just fine.
How's the local six, you ask? Doing fine. The Stouffville Spirit stand at 10-and-4 with a pair of overtime/shootout losses, good for 22 points. And yet, that only puts them in fifth place in their nine-team group. Newmarket, Huntsville, Couchiching and Aurora all have three losses or less. Quite the division.
Saturday, November 3:
Time once again to try and right a wrong. He's been gone for a few years now and it's time to let the baseball world know that the late Tom Cheek deserves to be in the hall of fame. Cooperstown missed the boat by not electing him three years ago when he was alive to enjoy it. There's nothing we can do about the final vote but we can certainly make sure he's one of the finalists. Here's the link to help get Tom Cheek elected to Cooperstown. You can vote daily for the Ford Frick Award but only once each day:
http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/awards/frick_2007/vote.jsp
Sunday, November 4:
I won't see it all, but I'm looking forward to the New England-Indianapolis NFL showdown today. I'll be at the Bills game but will try and get to my hotel as soon as possible. With luck, I should be able to see all of the second half. I think the Patriots will eke it out but I don't know if they'll cover the spread.
LSU pulled another game out of the fire last night, this time winning at Alabama with a couple of late touchdowns. It's starting to look as if LSU will play Ohio State in the title game. And that might leave the Rose Bowl looking like this: Michigan vs. Oregon. Again. And I think it would be every bit as one-sided as the first game between the two.
Monday, November 5:
BUFFALO, NY -- As luck would have it, I saw almost all of the Pats-Colts game on my hotel TV having made great time from Ralph Wilson Stadium. It's hard to imagine how Indy could have lost it, but lose it they did. New England came to life in the last half of the final quarter and pulled it out. The implications are huge. Odds are, if these rivals meet again in the playoffs, it will be played outdoors in the Boston suburbs.
The Cincy-Buffalo game was entertaining, but heavens, what a dreadful defence the Bengals employ. Their pass rush was nonexistent and JP Losman and the Bills took full advantage.
Hard to believe after an 0-and-4 start but the Western Mustangs are in the Yates Cup final after stunning the Gee-Gees Saturday in Ottawa. And they travel to Guelph to play the Gryphons, who staged an equally stunning shocker of their own, coming from behind to beat Laurier right in Waterloo. College football is wacky on both sides of the border.
Tuesday, November 6:
NEWARK, NJ -- I've seen the New Jersey Devils lose hockey games before but rarely have I seen them outworked. Last night's 5-0 home loss to Pittsburgh fits in that category. The Devils skated as if they were bogged down in mud. I'm not sure which Pittsburgh opponent played worse -- the Devils or the Baltimore Ravens in the Monday night NFL game, which was all but over when I got back to my hotel. And saying that isn't fair to the Penguins and Steelers, who both enjoyed great nights.
The Devils play in a lovely new building, but no one's going out to watch them. Last night's game was two-thirds full at best and it was just their fourth game in the new digs. The Prudential Center has a great front rotunda and -- best of all -- krinkle-cut fries are on their food menu!
Yesterday was the first time I've flown jetBlue. It won't be the last. Usually, I cringe at the thought of discount airlines -- especially considering I'm a rather large lad -- but jetBlue has plenty of leg room in coach, free soft drinks and snacks (even animal crackers!) and a personalized TV for every passenger. Great value for the money.
Wednesday, November 7:
NEW YORK -- The lighting sucks and the sight lines leave plenty to be desired but Madison Square Garden has something these new "they're-all-the-same" mega-sports palaces lack: it looks, smells and feels like an arena. Being New York, it's also very theatah-like in its layout (and the aforementioned lighting). An added bonus -- a great basketball game with the Knicks coming from 15 points down to beat Denver. Pics from this one will be delayed until after I get to the other side of the world.
Friday, November 9:
BANGKOK -- Modern air travel is amazing. Sixteen hours after lifting off, I'm 12 time zones away. In the five years that have elapsed since I visited here, Bangkok has a sparkling new airport, a new expressway and will soon have a fixed rail link completed between the airport and the city. At Toronto council, politicians can't even agree where to sit for a "team" picture.
Sunday, November 11:
PATTAYA, Thailand -- Please take time today -- no matter where in the world you are -- on the 11th minute of the 11th hour to remember those whose greatest sacrifice allows us to enjoy our freedoms.
Pattaya has a well-deserved reputation for seediness and while it's fun to people-watch, the cry of "Hey meester, where you go?" gets old in a helluva hurry. But I came here for the beaches and there are great gems to be discovered. Pattaya also has a normal life as well. Bet you didn't know you could go bowling here on a Saturday night!
So now that Ohio State has gone down, the US college football landscape is wide open again. How high can you rank unbeaten Kansas and Hawaii? Higher than one loss LSU, Oregon or Oklahoma? And closer to my home, I see that somehow, after an 0-and-4 start, the Western Mustangs are Yates Cup champions for the first time in close to a decade. I sure didn't see that one coming!
Monday, November 12:
PATTAYA, Thailand -- Saw a sign here yesterday that read: "SAUNA". Which is sort of like seeing a sign in Edmonton in January saying, "SNOW". The Caribbean this ain't -- it's hot and muggy. But I'm an Essex County lad from the extreme south of Ontario so hot and muggy is what I grew up with. And I'm liking it just fine. Best of all, I'm walking a few miles a day and working up a good sweat which hopefully will mean the loss of a few pounds during my stay.
The English Premier League is huge here with the live Saturday and Sunday afternoon games in England perfectly situated for prime time television here. Bars are packed and it was quite cool watching a Manchester United win on a big screen over a few beers with fellow supporters of the Red Devils. This town is packed with English bars, Aussie bars, American bars, Swedish bars, etc. I haven't found any Canadian bars, probably because a live feed of the weekly Hockey Night in Canada doubleheader would start at 7am Sunday.
Thursday, November 15:
BANGKOK -- Had Mr. Chatty Cathy as my tax driver to the airport today:
Driver (after looking at my name -- Chris Mayberry -- on the hotel receipt): "'Allo, Charlie Malibrook!!"
Me: "Hi! It's Chris. How are you toda..."
Driver: "Great weather, ay, Cholly? I have air condition."
Me: "That's OK. No proble..."
Driver: "We have great new highway, Cholly. Nice new airport, too. Where you from? You like Thailand?" Etc., etc., and so on...
Friday, November 16:
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- I've arrived in Jakarta, the New Orleans of its country. Much of it lies below sea level and now that the rainy season is about to start, people here are fretting about a repeat of last February's severe floods. Last week, the region was hit with heavy rains and that has brought worry back to the forefront.
Many Indonesians are somewhat guarded when they see a Westerner amongst their midst. But a wave and a smile does wonders and I find that the locals are just about as friendly as people in Thailand.
Tonight at midnight, the bars will be rocking here. And so will the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 12 time zones away, for the noon-time start between Michigan and Ohio State. I can't believe I'm the other side of the world (and the equator for that matter) for the big game.
Sunday, November 18:
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- They have -- heh, heh -- a Manchester United cafe here in Jakarta. I'll be sure and post a picture or two soon. I know one co-worker who would just salivate over this. Or not.
I wish I spoke the language. My bad. Last night's cabbie was a rather distinguished gent with a neatly-trimmed white goatee:
Me: Hi! Busy night?"
Driver: "'Alo. Yes, white beard."
Speaking of the moon, I went searching for it again, and found a bright half-moon directly overhead -- I mean right straight up. Never seen that before, either.
So, Michigan loses to Ohio State again. And Western Ontario's Vanier Cup dream crashes to a halt in Manitoba. A terrible day for my teams.
Monday, November 19:
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Since I've been here, the Michigan Wolverines are 0-and-2 and coach Lloyd Carr is about to step down (overdue and also unfortunate, because he represented the best of what college football was as opposed to what it's become). The Detroit Lions are 0-and-2 after a 6-and-2 start. The Detroit Red Wings have lost more games than they've won. And the Western Mustangs crashed out of the Vanier Cup picture Saturday. What a mess!
Last night's traffic was bumper-to-bumper -- a common occurrence in Jakarta in the wake of controversial new busways.
Me (to taxi driver): "Crazy, eh?"
Driver: "Thank you!"
I give up.
Wednesday, November 21:
BANGKOK -- This is roll-your-eyes territory: I had to return to Bangkok because they have a Tony Roma's -- and a good one. After a week and a half of (delicious) Asian food, I just had to have some ol' style American ribs. And they were outstanding.
A couple of final thoughts on Indonesia: if a major storm or (God forbid) a typhoon ever hits Jakarta, the devastation would be astronomical. So much of the city is dirt-poor, I fear thousands upon thousands would be wiped out. And on a totally different subject, the waitress who served my dinner on Sunday looked so much like an Indo-version of a young Beverly Bivens, I half-expected her to break into song.
Sunday, November 25:
PATTAYA, Thailand -- A belated Happy Thanksgiving to our friends south of the border! I see the Detroit Lions provided the turkey again.
10,000 hits to Scorepics!! To paraphrase Yogi Berra, I'd like to thank everyone who made this milestone necessary!
High hotel prices in Singapore and heavy rains in the Philippines, Cambodia and Phuket, Thailand convinced me to spent my final week here in the same place I started - Pattaya. Good choice. A new weather pattern is in place -- wall-to-wall sunshine, refreshing breezes and comfortable evenings. Last night the city celebrated Loy Krathong with fireworks along the beach, outlined against a brilliant full moon. Quite a show.
Enjoy the Grey Cup, Canada! My heart will be with the Saskatchewan Roughriders tonight against Winnipeg.
Tuesday, November 27:
PATTAYA, Thailand -- Congratulations to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who won the Grey Cup for the first time in 18 years. I'm told their victory over Winnipeg wasn't the most exciting football game in the world (unlike the Riders' 1989 Cup win, which was). The Blue Bombers were trying to make it a Manitoba sweep, after the Bisons' Vanier Cup win the day before. That would have been something!
One part of me will be very glad to get home this weekend -- my back. Beds here were not made for large lads. Sleeping on a bed in southeast Asia is kind of like sleeping on a thin piece of foam with a concrete base.
The pic of the week is finally up a day late, as well as updated photos of Shea Stadium and Giants Stadium on the Mets and Jets pages, respectively.
Thursday, November 29:
BANGKOK -- As Joe Nuxhall (who, sadly, passed away this month) used to say when closing out his portion of the Cincinnati Reds radio broadcasts: I'm "rounding third and heading for home."
Another broadcaster, and a true gentleman, who has left us is Keith Rich, the long-time morning man at CKEY, Toronto. My early years at that station overlapped his final two. A great guy who made everyone around him feel better just by his presence. His service is today and I wish I had come home a day or two earlier. The best I can do is raise a tall one in his honour on the flight back to North America.
I didn't expect to spend as much time in Thailand as I did but it's hard to travel from here after you've been subjected to the kindness and hospitality of the people. And I wish I was here for an extra week. December 5 is the King's 80th birthday and the kingdom is poised to celebrate with what promises to be a day to remember. People here adore and revere the King and pictures of him are everywhere, including every piece of currency.
Met a fellow from Italy the other day at breakfast who reminded me why his country is shaped like a boot. Using one on his backside would have been satisfying. After breezily grabbing an uninvited chair at my table, he proceeded to confide in me that he was a "realist," and that talking with Thai people was like trying to talk to animals because "all they care about is their religion and their King." He says he identifies mostly with the French and seemed very disappointed that I was an English-Canadian. I took about 10 minutes of this before I -- in the words of former race car driver-turned-TV-analyst David Hobbs -- "vamoosed the scene."
On the other hand, my seat-mate on the flight from Jakarta to Bangkok last week turned out to be a guy who lives maybe 20 kilometres from me northeast of Toronto. A native of Bangladesh, he moved with his family to Canada, worked with his father as a labourer throughout his teens and then went to community college to learn a craft. And how. He's now a computer engineer, one of a few hundred people in the world with specific training, and travels throughout Asia when he's not at home, solving problems and implementing new systems at his corporation's outlets on this side of the world. A fascinating gent.
Friday, November 30:
I flew around the world! For whatever reason, the Bangkok-to-New York return flight on Thai Air went east, over Vietnam, Japan, Alaska, Canada and into New York. The outbound flight went over the Atlantic and Europe and I had expected the return flight would be on a similar path. Maybe the eastbound tailwinds were preferable or perhaps there was a reluctance to fly over Afghan airspace, as we did on the inbound flight. Security was airtight on the return flight, and they even announced when we flew over Toronto (oh, to have had a parachute!) that we were about to enter U-S airspace and that congregating in the aisles or around the lavatories was verboten.
If you ever get a chance to fly Thai Air via Star Alliance points, make sure you upgrade to business or first class. You'll find out what pampering is all about. At the Bangkok lounge, they even provide 30-minute massages -- all part of the service. After a half-hour neck and shoulder massage, I felt ready to strap on a helmet and take the field.
