Sunday, September 25, 2016
Senators Preparing for 2017-2018
Whether or not the hockey faithful in the Quinte area will subscribe to this move is anybody's guess. It will be good for the city. There are always spinoffs from such a venture. But there is a little cloud hanging over the move. The Senators are preparing to move downtown, in Ottawa in the not-too-distant future. That would leave their current location free for the Baby Senators. The Toronto Maple Leafs enjoy having bot the NHL and AHL teams in the same city, for obvious reasons.Would that happen? Your guess is as good as mine.
The city should certainly try to get a long-term commitment out of the Senators. That would help smooth the feathers of those who are opposed to paying for the renovations at the Yardmen.
"The Ottawa Senators have called a news conference for Monday morning at 11 o’clock at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre. A Press Release states the NHL team and the City of Belleville will make a signifcant hockey announcement. Dignitaries will include Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, Senators Assistant General Manager Randy Lee as well Belleville Mayor Taso Christopher.
The Senators American Hockey League affiliate has been located in Binghamton New York since 2002," as reported by Quinte News.
Furthermore, it was reported that, "Belleville Council will meet in open session tomorrow morning at 8 to consider a 20 million dollar upgrade to the 39 year old Yardmen Arena. The most significant changes include reducing the ice surface from Olympic size (200×100) to a regulation NHL size of 200 x 85 and adding 1400 seats to bring the total to 4200."
The relocation of the Belleville Bulls to Hamilton last season was a real kick in the head to the hockey public in the city. It came completely by surprise, and was obviously done for financial gain.
There are many truly bitter fans in the city who will have to be coaxed back to the Yardmen.
Personally, I am excited by the prospect. AHL hockey is a small step below the NHL. That just happens to be the best hockey league in the world. Quite often, players are called up to the NHL from AHL affiliates. Without question, this will be the best hockey ever played on a weekly basis in the city of Belleville.
Agreed, the McFarlands' brand of hockey was superb. but there was an American League when the Macs played, and it was also superior hockey.
I can't wait for the puck to drop.
Where: Main foyer of the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre, 265 Cannifton Rd., Belleville, Ont., K8N 4V8.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
A Very Long Struggle 2016
There are four teams in
the American League East Division that are virtually deadlocked as we approach
the final weeks of the season. Following tonight’s game, the Toronto Los Angeles Seattle Boston
From here on in, there
will be a lot of scoreboard watching for the Blue Jay Nation. Of course the
team must do well. But its fate also lies in the hands of the Red Sox, the
Orioles, and the New York
Last Monday night, the Tampa Bay Rogers
Jose Bautista hammered his
first home run this month. We are almost half way through September, and he has
rarely experienced such a drought. Another Jay, Josh Donaldson, is having his
troubles at the plate. He has gone hitless several games. As they say, he can’t
buy a hit. Anything he crushes ends up in a glove. Sharp ground balls cannot
find gaps in the infield, and get registered as routine outs. Such is the
nature of the game.
With all opponents in the
division, no lead is safe. The Jays went ahead near the end of the game, with a
slight amount of breathing room. Evan Longoria and Brad Miller smacked
back-to-back home runs to silence the patrons right smartly. A few key
strikeouts, and a fine catch by Michael Saunders snuffed out any hope for the
Rays. Unfortunately, the Red Sox knocked off the Orioles to stay two games
ahead of the Jays.
David Ortiz homered for
the Red Sox Monday night. He had moved ahead of Jimmy Foxx on the all time list
with that dinger in Toronto Cooperstown in five years.
Although the Minnesota
It will be an interesting,
perhaps nerve-wracking couple of weeks for the Jays and their fans. September
baseball, with all the trimmings. Pass the mustard!
Wednesday, September 07, 2016
Labour Day 2016
Last week, I gave you an
update on the Canadian Football League. I trust you enjoyed the annual Labour
Day Classics, in both the East and the West. For those of you more attracted to
the American game, the NFL breaks camp this week and gets the season underway.
They will battle until the Super Bowl next January.
Patriots’ fans will have
to wait four weeks for the return of their quarterback Tom Brady. He was given
a brief suspension with regard to the amount of air in the footballs used in an
AFC Championship game. It became yet another occasion when lawyers received
buckets of money.
Tennis fans are following
the U.
S. Flushing Meadows, New York
For the next month, most
of our attention will be focused on Canada Toronto
For the Jays to be
successful, they must get good pitching, both from their starters and their
relievers. That is not rocket science; however, along with good pitching
efforts there must be run production. Lately, that has been a weakness for the
Jays. There are no Blue Jay starters currently batting above the .300 mark.
They do have their good power hitters, but run production increases when there
are men on base for the sluggers.
The Jays have been
fortunate with some of their mid-season acquisitions. Jason Grilli brings good
emotion and good pitching to the mound almost every time he gets the call in
the bullpen. But some of the starters are becoming suspect, and struggle to
finish five innings. Dickey, Stroman, Estrada, Happ, and Sanchez must deliver
the goods in order for the Jays to get into the post season.
The Jays will rely heavily
on Francisco Liriano, if Brett Cecil continues to falter. Melvin Upton Jr. is
beginning to find his stride, finally, after coming over from the Padres.
They will battle the Red
Sox, and the Orioles, and possibly the Yankees, who are getting stellar play
from their rookies and call-ups. For the month of September, every team is
allowed to increase the roster to 40 players from 25. There are many reasons
that the game allows this, primarily for the bottom feeders to have a look at
their younger players, under the Major League spotlight.
Rest assured, it will go
down to the wire!!!
James Hurst
