Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Breakfast of Champions: The CFL 2016
Most of the teams in the
CFL have played half their games at this point in the season. As is often the
case, the teams from the West Division have done a little better than the teams
in the East.
Of the four teams in the
East Division, three have four wins. Montreal
The NFL is in the throes
of completing its pre season contests, and there are exceptional players that
just don’t fit with certain teams. Many of those players know about the CFL.
They are competitive, and want to play the game. Hence, they fly north in hopes
that they can catch on with a team before rosters are finalized. The CFL scouts
are scouring the practice fields of the NFL in hopes that they can pick up a
few key players.
The Lions head to Toronto Argos Ottawa
The REDBLACKS play in Montreal Ottawa
The Tiger Cats’ Zach
Collaros is featured with the Argos Hamilton
There is also a contest
that will put you in great seats at the Grey Cup Game: air fare, accommodation, dinner at The Keg,
jerseys, and some pocket money.
Shreddies are on my diet,
so I will keep an eye on Darian Durant from the Roughriders and Joshua Bell
from the Stamps, as I chomp down on my breakfast.
On November 27, we will
discover who, in fact, will be able to start the day with his own box as the
“Breakfast of Champions!”
Monday, August 22, 2016
The Next Olympic Games
For many years, I have
been a strong advocate for the Olympic Games. Great memories flash through my
mind when I reflect on past Games. The Games became an important impetus for
learning in my classroom. A wonderful activity used to study geography, sport,
culture, and many other subjects.
I will continue to follow
many Olympic activities, to my dying days. I will follow the careers of great
athletes. But I have had it with the extravagance of the games, and the cost.
And the politics, and the cheating, and the drug factor, and all of the other
negatives about the Games.
Before they ever raised
the Olympic flag, and uttered the Olympic oath, there were serious doubts
raised about the Games. Water activities were to take place in cesspools, some
Olympic fat cats were accused of lining their pockets. Russian athletes were
banned from the Games. Nations threatened to pull out for political reasons.
What else is new?
The Brazilian authorities
managed to get to the closing ceremonies without terrible repercussions.
Apparently, thievery was rampant. Drunken American athletes had to apologize
for staging silly behaviour. Coaches in a circled-ring event went bonkers after
a result was announced, and stripped to their jockey shorts, to protest the
decision.
With all of that in mind,
I have a few suggestions in mind to help with the next Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo
All activities involving
horses and boats are eliminated. Can you imagine how much money governments
would save with that suggestion? No more hay burners in the dressage ring.
All team events are no
longer welcome: basketball, (always a joke), volleyball, handball, water polo,
soccer, tennis…it is a long list. One exception, naturally---beach volleyball.
I knew you’d agree. Team sports have their own individual world
championships, and do not need the Olympics to highlight their sport.
Most judged events will be
history, especially boxing, wrestling, taekwondo, judo, gymnastics, and
synchronized swimming. There will be one diving event, off the tower, for men
and women. Just for fun, the tower will be 30 metres high…no, make that fifty.
Like the Mexican cliffs or the mountain at Canada
That will leave us very
few events: Archery-hit the target, you win. Period; athletics, with lots of
running, jumping, and hurling of various objects; swimming, with the
elimination of several unnecessary races; pentathlon and triathlon, and the
marathon, of course, to determine the best athletes in the world.
I have even contemplated
events for the next Winter Olympic Games, and the same conditions apply: no
team sports, (we don’t need the Olympics, we have the Stanley
Kudos to all the Olympic
champions. Good luck to the International Olympic Committee as they begin to
disassemble the Games, according to my specifications.
Monday, August 15, 2016
Take Me Out To The Ball Game 2016
The refrain from that
great song can be heard across North America
on most sunny weekend days, throughout the summer.
A couple of weeks ago,
Hunter whispered to his grandmother that he would like to go to a Blue Jays
game. He gets to go to at least one game a year, and it is an exciting day for
him. There are baseball traditions, and he holds steadfast to those traditions.
He loves to sit behind the
bullpen. In Toronto Rogers
I received a note from my
friend Eric Chapman after I posted the photograph of Hunter and me, and he
reiterated my feelings about taking family to the game. He was at the same game
with his son Chris, and grandsons Adanai, Nate and Carter.
There are some baseball
traditions not to be trifled with: hot dogs, (at least one jumbo dog, maybe
two!), Cracker Jacks, cold beverage, and a keen eye on the catcher in the bullpen.
Hunter often is the catcher on his team in Belleville, and he has always
enjoyed the bullpen experience. They scurry around when the manager puts the
call into the bullpen to get a pitcher ready when necessary.
We both love to hear the
smack of the ball into the catcher’s mitt-“The Decker”- when the pitcher begins
to throw smoke. He notices the arm movements the pitches uses to indicate to
the bullpen catcher that he is throwing pitches that will move to one side or
the other at the plate.
Occasionally, he pays
attention to the game. He likes to sit in the first couple of rows in section
105 so that he can see the big scoreboard as well. He likes to see the count,
and follow each “at bat” carefully. He knows the ebb and flow of the game, and
the scoreboard helps to keep the focus. He likes all of the little games played
with the fans between the innings, all part of the modern game.
Some of those “new
traditions” are barely tolerable, to my eyes. On one occasion, I watched Blue
Jay players on the big screen doing lip synching! Likely a stretch for Whitey
Ford and Mickey Mantle. I can just hear Casey Stengel when he might have been
approached with that suggestion. Every player on the Jays comes to the plate,
accompanied by his own special song. Casey would have vetoed that as well.
But it is all part of
today’s game, and it is enjoyed by the fans. Toronto leads the Major Leagues in
attendance, with good reason. They are at the top, or near the top of the
American League East standings. They will be in that position for the rest of
the season. But there are tickets available for their games.|
The icing on the cake for
Hunter comes at the end of the game, when the pitchers from the bullpen head to
the clubhouse. Usually the catcher picks up a ball or two and tosses them to
kids leaning over the rail. Hunter has a couple of them. They are treasures!
James Hurst
Tuesday, August 09, 2016
REDBLACKS FOOTBALL 2016
The Canadian Football
league recently announced that the 2017 Grey Cup game will be played in Ottawa Ottawa
On Friday, August 19th,
the Ottawa Montreal British Columbia TD Place
They are playing their
third season this year. The original Ottawa Ottawa
These guys can make some noise!!
After all, it is less than
three hours away. The parking and bus shuttles to the game are very efficient.
And the pre game activities in and around the field will certainly get you
ready for the game: parking lot street food, great restaurants, great music, and all of the characters you
would expect to find in a nation’s capital. Might I suggest you take a couple
of days to really appreciate the city. With all of its museums, nature drives
through the Gatineau
Superfan!
August 9, 2016
The REDBLACKS won their
first home game last Saturday night defeating the Edmonton
# 2 Jermaine Robinson, in the sun, before the game.
The Eskimos and the
REDBLACKS were never separated by more than a few points the entire game. In
the dying minutes, Eskimo quarterback Mike Reilly moved his team methodically
toward the REDBLACK’S goal line. He spotted receiver Chris Getzlaf, (yes, the
hockey player’s brother) downfield, and fired a strike to him. Slightly out of
his line of vision, Jermaine Robinson lurked in the shadows in the Ottawa
REDBLACKS quarterback
Henry Burris had a fine game. It was his second game back after sustaining an
injury in the first game of the season, way back in late June. There was some
controversy as he had been maligned by television commentators for his
inconsistent play the week before. Milt Stegall, Matt Dunnigan, and Chris
Schultz all played in the CFL for many years. Their work is usually very good;
however, with too much time to kill, on occasion, talking heads can develop
looser tongues, and can be overly critical.
Burris summed up his
position after the game. “All I’m focused on is winning games, helping this
team win games. That’s my job. I make sure I get better week in and week out,
and I was able to improve throughout this week of practice, and hopefully it
showed in the game where I was able to make key throws.”
He finished the game with
26 completions on 39 tosses for 341 yards. There were also a few dropped balls
that should have been completions. Pretty good stuff for the future Hall of
Famer who had his 41st birthday in May!
James Hurst
Tuesday, August 02, 2016
2016 Rogers Cup-Toronto
Under brilliant skies,
the men's semi final matches took place last Saturday at the Rogers Toronto
In order to get to the
semi-final, Kei Nishikori, the third seed, had to move past three opponents:
Americans Dennis Novikov (6-4 6-3) and Rajeev Ram (6-4 7-6), and Bulgarian
Grigor Dimitrov (6-3 7-5). He faced Stan Wawrinka from Switzerland
Stan Wawrinka
For Wawrinka, in the
vernacular, that was all she wrote. He lost the first games, and struggled in
the fourth game. He forced Nishikori into a weak high return, only to blow the
easy return. He mockingly pulled his shirt over his head in shame. He lost the
fourth game. Nishikori blasted two serves to close out Game Five, and went on
to take the final set 6-1. That earned him the right to play his first final in
Toronto
The evening semi-final
paired first seed Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils. Monfils, the tenth seed from
France, bested the last Canadian hope in singles, Milos Raonic, who was seeded
fourth. It was a straight set win, 6-4 6-4. Djokovic had breezed through to the
semi-final without losing a set. He started slowly on three occasions, relying
on his experience to take the first set in a tie break.
Djokovic, ready to return
Such was not the case in
the final. With a service break, Djokovic moved into a strong position at 4
games to 2. Trailing 40-30 in the next game, at a really critical juncture,
Nishikori miss hit a return to give Djokovic a 5-3 lead. With little
difficulty, Djokovich completed the first set 6-3.
Most observers believe
that Djokovic now should be considered one of the top five players of all time.
He has a tremendous work ethic, and focus. Even during the break, while sitting
at the side of the court, he replays points in his mind, tilting his racket
this way and that.
Serbian compatriots were
there in force to cheer on their beloved “Nole”. They wave their flags,
sporting Serbian caps and shirts. There are plenty of cheers and shouts of
encouragement which I do not understand. Preparing to serve, just before going
up 3-1, Djokovic heard a fan shout, “Hey Nole, will you marry me?” He smiled,
lowered his head, and shook off the interruption. “Definitely not,” was his
indication.
Djokovic’s sneakers
squeak from side to side on the court, grunts when he serves, and also when he
puts a little extra mustard on a shot. In the waning seconds of the match,
Nishikori again hit a poor shot to lose the match. Djokovic acknowledged the
fans with his traditional salute, and even sent a message to everyone. It is an
international game, he said, and it helps keep peace in the world. He asked all
of the fans to hug their neighbours at the court. Never a bad thing.
Simona, last year, with her fans!
Next year, the women
return to Toronto Montreal Toronto Rio , for
the Olympics. Never a dull moment, on the courts.
James Hurst
613.399.2278
sportslices.blogspot.ca
