Saturday, April 29, 2017
The Other Playoff Picture 2017
Of course I
realize that you are most concerned about the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
There is, however, another set of playoffs that are of great concern
to many Torontonians. Now that the Leafs have exited the playoff
picture, you may now focus on the Toronto Basketball Team.
The Toronto
Raptors have begun their playoff round against the Milwaukee Bucks.
There have been two games played in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre.
Just outside the west doors of the Centre is an intriguing square,
affectionately known as Jurassic Park during the basketball season.
Fans gather there in the hundreds to watch the game on a big screen.
They will even gather there in the cold weather when the games are in
the opposition's building. Serious supporters.
The Raptors
have enjoyed a successful season. They finished higher than the
Bucks, and earned the right to host the first two games. In
basketball, having the home court advantage is critical. Basketball
teams win home games with a greater percentage than do teams from the
other major sports. There is a significant amount of “hype”
generated by the fans to inspire the players.
Unfortunately,
that was not the case for the Raps. They dropped their first game at
home against the Bucks, digging themselves a considerable hole.
Most
basketball teams rely on one or two players to lead the troops. The
Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, have already moved on to
the second round of the payoffs, primarily because of LeBron's play.
The Golden State Warriors rely on Steph Curry to provide the straw to
stir their drink.
The Raptors
have two key personnel to lead them: Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry.
Lowry has spent significant time in the sick bay this year, but
appears to be ready for these post season games. In their third game
of this series, Derozan had a terrible game. The ball would not go in
the hoop. He ended the game with less than 10 points.
The Bucks
returned to the court for the fourth full of enthusiasm. At half
time, teams were even at 41. Demar had regained his touch, and
outscored the rest of his teammates, combined. At the end of the
game, he had 33 points, and 9 rebounds. Lowry added 18 points. After
the game, trying to explain his dramatic improvement, Derozan
added, simply, “Won't happen twice. Never happen twice”.
The Raptors
also got a dozen points from Jonas Valanciunas, the same from Norman
Powell. Serge Ibaka added ten, with 8 rebounds.
Most of the
attention in this series is focused on a young Milwaukee player,
Giannis Antetokoumpo. He was born in Nigeria, but raised in Greece.
He is referred to as “The Greek Freak”. He was a first team all
star, and is a dominant player. He had 14 points and 9 rebounds in
the loss, clearly not his best game. Toronto's defensive tactics
clearly held him in check.
Game five is
on Monday night, in Milwaukee. Bucks coach, Jason Kidd will spend
some time on game films before the tip. Ditto for Dwane Casey of the
Raps. Momentum is vital in all NBA games. The winner of this series
gets to play the Cavaliers!
One of the
Memphis Grizzlies made 3 three point shots on Saturday night. First
time ever accomplished by a 40 year old. Vince Carter. You remember
the name.
UPDATE:
April 29, 2017
The Raptors
took care of business, almost letting a 25 point lead slip away.
|Thye now face the Cavaliers in a 7 game series. Needless to say,
they have their work cut out for them.
James Hurst
April 24,
2017
Saturday, April 22, 2017
A Most Interesting Observation.
| ||||
Karlo Berkovitch
Points well taken; however, there is money to be made in all playoff series. The nature of the beast.
James.
| ||||
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Andrew Courtney Hangs up his Blades.
Andrew Courtney wouldn't change a thing.
Well, maybe one thing.
The 31-year-old Belleville native recently announced his retirement from professional hockey at the conclusion of the 2016-17 ECHL regular season.
Courtney, a six-foot-three, 200-pound forward, spent his entire seven-year minor pro career with the Missouri Mavericks in Independence, MO, where he finished the season as the fourth team captain in the club's eight-year history.
In a letter on the Mavericks website, Courtney said he couldn't have asked for a better place to play. His lone regret was not being able to share a league title with Mavericks fans, he said.
"I was just a young college kid wanting to continue his hockey career,” he said. “Looking back, I couldn't have asked for a better organization to continue my career with. To be able to play for the same team my whole professional career has been a blessing.
"There'll always be a spot in my heart for the Missouri Mavericks family.”
Courtney leaves some big skates to fill with the ECHL affiliate of the NHL New York Islanders.
He holds Mavericks franchise records for most games played (360) and goals (149). The former Jr. A Trenton Sting added 142 assists for 291 career points, along with 396 penalty minutes.
In 40 career playoff games, Courtney scored 19 goals and tacked on 14 helpers for 33 points.
Courtney played five years of university hockey with the Lethbridge Pronghorns before turning pro with the Mavericks during the 2010-11 season. He left Lethbridge on a high note, earning 23 points in 23 games in his final CIS season.
Courtney burst onto the minor pro scene in his rookie campaign with Missouri, scoring 29 goals and adding 30 assists for 59 points in 63 games. Between 2013-15, Courtney scored single-season career highs of 34 and 36 goals, respectively.
Battling the injury bug this season, the rangy forward scored nine goals and totalled 26 points in 42 games. Mavericks finished fifth in the seven-team Mountain Division and missed the playoffs.
Mavericks were seventh in average home attendance in the 27-team ECHL this season (5,068) and Courtney saluted the “Orange Army” for their support during his career.
"Best fans in the league,” he said. “Through all the ups and downs, you've never left our side. I'll never forget the noise you bring to every game. My only regret is not being able to bring a championship to you.”
Courtney, who met his wife, Kara, while playing for the Mavericks, said his teammates, coaches and training staff helped prepare him for life after pro hockey.
"What I've learned from all of you will help me make the transition into the next chapter of my life,” he said.
• Need to know: Former Belleville Bulls defenceman Stephen Silas signed with the Mavericks following the 2016-17 Ontario university season with the Waterloo Warriors.
Copied from The Intelligencer on April 20, 2017.
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View, submit, participate! Tuesday, April 18, 2017
A Potpourri of Sport in the Spring
So many
avenues, so little time!
A couple of
weeks ago, equipment managers packed up the trucks and headed north
with baseball equipment so that Major League teams could begin their
pursuit of a World Championship. The object of that exercise was to
make sure that everything was in place for a successful start to the
season.
For the
Toronto Blue Jays, most fans are waiting for the good times. In order
to succeed at this level, all important aspects of the game must be
applied at the same time. Thus far in their dreadful season, the Jays
have not been knocking on all cylinders, rhythmically. Some days,
good pitching and no bats. Other days, good offence, and bad
pitching. Then there are days of poor defence, bad judgement. Not a
lot to inspire confidence. Twelve games into the season with two
victories, unexpected, and unacceptable.
For Leaf
fans, these are exciting times. They knew that the Washington
Capitals would be tough in this playoff series. But the Leafs emerged
from the Easter weekend knotted at a game apiece, with lots of
energy. Kasperi Kapanen and Tyler Bozak both scored in overtime to
give the Leafs a lead in the series, Toronto's most important playoff
goals in many years. The Senators and the Bruins are also in a
battle. But the Sens also have a 2-1 lead, thanks to overtime goals
from Bobby Ryan and Dion Paneuf.
The
Canadiens have moved ahead of the Rangers by one game in that series.
The Ducks lead Calgary 3-0, The young Oilers have moved ahead of the
Sharks 2-1. The Penguins and the St. Louis Blues now have commanding
3-0 leads. The Predators have proved to be stubborn opponents for the
Hawks, leading 3-0 in that series. In the playoffs, especially if you
have a hot goalie, anything can happen.
Discussing Strategy
Canadian
golfers fared well this past weekend. Alena Sharp finished one shot
out of second place in the LOTTE Championship in Hawaii. She banked
slightly more than $ 80 000 for her work. Brooke Henderson finished
five shots back of Sharp, pocketing $ 33 000.
Stephen Ames
Stephen
Ames, now playing out of Vancouver, won the Champions Tour event in
Georgia by four strokes, picking up $ 270 000. Rod Spittle recovered
from a disastrous first round to post two par rounds to finish the
tournament. Graham DeLaet was on the leader board for most of the RBC
Heritage tournament in Hilton Head, South Carolina. He finished 3
strokes off the pace, and pocketed $ 217 000. Adam Hadwin and Nick
Taylor bot picked up $65 00 for their efforts. David Hearn won $ 14
000, flying the Canadian colours.
The Toronto
Raptors opened their playoff series this past weekend against the
Milwaukee Timberwolves. They dropped the first game in Toronto,
97-83, and play again Tuesday night in Hogtown. They surely do not
want to drop that game. The western shores of Lake Michigan could be
mighty unfriendly.
If I have
not touched on your favourite sport, I apologize. This little brain
can only handle a few things at a time.
Hope you had
a fine Easter weekend. We hit the road a week from today. See you
soon!
James Hurst
April 18,
2017.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Opening Day and Other Stuff
The Toronto Blue Jays
flew out of Tampa last Sunday after dropping the last game of a four
game series against the Rays, 7-2. They had the day off, on Monday,
to prepare for their Home Opener yesterday, against the Brewers. It
has not exactly been a picnic this far this season for the Jays.
Tropicana Field-2017
Tropicana Field is a
two hour drive north of Fort Myers, just off Highway # 75. It is a
piece of cake to reach the parking lot, with a short walk to the
field. Do not worry if you do not have tickets before reaching the
Dome. The announced crowd was a little over 15 000, but I suspect
there were far fewer bums in seats. The do everything possible to
attract the fans-bobble heads, back packs...all kinds of giveaways.
Many seats remain vacant.
Wonderful Bridge to Baseball
The Rays are playing
good baseball. They spotted the Jays two runs in the first inning,
off a Josh Donaldson home run, a walk to Bautista, and a double by
newcomer Kendrys Morales. At that point, the door was shut. Quite
solidly. Morales was hit by an Odorizzi pitch to start the fourth
inning, but was doubled off. He was the only baserunner for the Jays
until the two out double by Bautista in the ninth. The Rays had
recorded 25 outs, without a hit or a base-on-balls.
They put up four runs
in the third inning on home runs by Dickerson and Souza. The added
another run in the 4th, and two in the 8th, off
a series of “miscalculations” by the Jays. Marco Estrado took the
loss for the Jays, after five innings of work. Tepera, Loup, and
Lawrence finished the pitching assignment for the Jays. Odorizzi got
the win for the Rays, with assistance from Jumbo Diaz in the 7th
and Tommy Hunter in the 9th.
Diaz is a bit of a
phenomenon. He was signed by the Dodgers in 2001, but did not see
Major League action until 2014, at the age of 30. The native of the
Domican Republic, he is listed at 6' 4”, and 278 pounds. He is a
huge guy. His pockets were empty when they weighed him. He did look a
little like CC Sabathia, from the cheap seats.
The Blue Jays tied
their worst start in club history wit the loss. They have won once,
in their first six games. Let us not forget it is a very long season,
and it is early. Nonetheless, most Blue Jay fans would like to see
many victories during their long home stand against the Brewers, the
Orioles and the Red Sox.
For some reason, the
Jays have always had trouble against the Rays, especially in Tampa.
They have won 33 games, but have lost 61! Go figure.
Hammond Stadium, Opening Night
Last Saturday night was
Opening Night for the Fort Myers Miracle. Hammond Stadium was packed,
with the assistance of Wendy's Restaurant which gave out thousands of
free tickets for the game. Free fireworks followed the Miracle win
over the Jupiter Hammerheads. The teams play in the Florida
StateLeague, along with the Dunedin Blue Jays.
Perhaps a little of
your sporting focus has been captured by the games leading up to the
Stanley Cup finals. Aunt Tilly has the chips and cold ones lined up
beside the channel changer on her table beside her chair. I dare
you to sit there! She will be
watching her Leafs take on the Capitals, and that ogre Ovechkin. But
she will also keep an eye on Ottawa-Boston, Pittsburgh-Columbus,
Montreal-Rangers, Hawks and Predators, Ducks and Flames, Blues and
Wild, and Oilers and Sharks. Your guess is as good as, or likely
better than mine to determine the outcmes.
And
a special tip of the golf hat to Sergio! Senor Garcia finally won the
Masters, his first Major after 71 tries. I know he has a big
following in many parts of the County. That will be another story,
some day.
James
Hurst
April
10, 2017.
Wednesday, April 05, 2017
Andrew Shaw-With the Canadiens
By the time
that the final bell rings at the end of this season, Andrew Shaw will
have played almost 70 games for the Montreal Canadiens. Major changes
took place prior to the season for the Canadiens, including the
addition of Shaw from the Black Hawks. He was certainly a fan
favourite for the Hawks, and he has endeared himself to the Habs fans
in just one season.
Those of us
from his home area know the reason. Many of the tired old cliches
apply in this case, but none more appropriate than the one that says,
simply, “He leaves it all on the ice.”
He is a
heart and soul player. He is a tenacious checker. He is fearless. He
plays a lot bigger than his size. (He is listed at 5' 11”, and 175
pounds. I suggest both of those statistics are slightly exaggerated.)
Andrew has
played more than 400 games in the National Hockey League. He got his
first taste of action in the league in the 2011-2012 season, also
spending time with the Hawks AHL team in Rockford. He did the same
the following season, and then never looked back. Despite his
ferocious style, he rarely has missed a game.
As of the
end of March, he has 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points. His
penalty minutes are up a little from his average. He has had to sit
in the sin bin for 108 minutes, bringing his career total to over 400
minutes, almost a minute per game. The Lady Byng Trophy may be just
out of his reach, at this point in his career.
Many of us
knew Andrew as a rough and tumble kid, one of Doug and Darlene's lads
who rarely went home for supper with clean clothes. They were a
scrappy bunch, always dedicated to the task when it came to sports.
No one could ave predicted that Andrew would have become a star in
the NHL at that time. Then again, none of us is completely surprised.
A week ago,
I caught up with Andrew following his final trip to Florida. The Habs
defeated the Lightning in Tampa, 2-1, and had just knocked off the
Panthers 4-1. Andrew scores the first goal for the Habs. While parked
in front of the Panthers net, he just happened to be in a perfect
location to bang in his 12th goal of the season,on a
perfect play set up by Artturi Lehkonen, and Alex Galcheyuk, his
linemates.
Near the end
of the second period Andrew was involved in a quirky play. He put up
his hand to block a shot into his zone. The puck deflected off his
glove, into the crowd. He received a two minute, delay of game
penalty.
I asked him
about his opinion on the five come onto the ice to scrape the
surface. “ I really appreciate those breaks,” he told me.
“First of all, the ice here is not good at this time of year,
because of the heat. (It was almost 30 degrees celsius during the
day.) Secondly, I like the chance to rest a bit during those breaks.”
He told me
he is delighted with the coaching change that too place not long ago.
“Coach Julien is a players' coach. He also has good systems, and is
very positive in his approach.”
Several
gaffes in the third period led to good scoring chances for both
teams. The puck slid off Panther defender Michael Matheson's stick at
the Panther bluline, and Lehkonen made no mistake burying his 15th
goal. He added his 16th when Paul Bryon's breakaway
attempt banged off the end boards, onto his stick. He blasted it by
Panthers' goalie Reto Berra, earning first star status. (James Reimer
and Roberto Luongo are both injured at this time.)
Radulov
fired a long empty net goal for his 18th this season. Hab
fans broke into the “Ole, ole, ole business”, just to rub it in.
Note: A few thousand empty seats, in case you happen to be in the
area next year; however, I suspect the Cats will be in a better
position at this time next year, barring nasty injuries.
Post game
temperature? 75 degrees.
As he
wandered back to the dressing room, for a post game workout, I
hollered at Andrew, “See you in the summer!” He shouted back,
“I'll let you touch the Cup!”
Hockey night
in Florida. Like no other.
James Hurst
April 4,
2017
Sunday, April 02, 2017
Madisen's Match-2017
When Madisen
Abramson was three years old, she underwent a CAT Scan as part of a
sleep study. Since birth, she had struggled with respiratory
difficulties. Further tests revealed that she had a brain tumour,
subsequently treated with Chemotherapy.
Fortunately,
she now lives the life of a typical 12 year old, with the exception
that she undergoes an MRI every three months. She has become an
ambassador for Brain Tumour Survivors. In
nine years, more than $ 500 000 has been raised to benefit cancer
treatment centre charities throughout the nation. The fundraising
takes place in and around nine tennis courts at The Landings, in
South West Florida.
Friends
and family came up with the concept of a tennis-based activity to
help raise funds. This year's edition is the ninth, and included
receptions, silent auctions, galas and live auctions. On the tennis
side, there is a camp, pro-am events, and professional tennis
exhibitions.
Kathy Rinaldi and Shawn Gullickson
Several
tennis legends add their names, and their sweat to the event. Kathy
Rinaldi was once ranked # 7 in the world. She had victories over
Steffi Graf, Pan Shriver, and Jana Novotna. She currently serves as
the Fed Cup Team Captain for the United States. I watched her doubles
match with her partner Shawn, Tom Gullikson's wife. They were matched
against the club professional at The Landings, Sam DiSimone, and his
partner.There were not playing polite, Sunday afternoon tennis.
Wicked serves, plenty of slice, topspin lobs that required serious
hustle, nasty dropshots. All part of the game.
I
spoke with Sam after the match. “We are really pleased to be able
to host the event here at The Landings. It is lots of fun, with
friendly competition.” The competition is friendly, but played at a
very high level.
MardyFish
Mardy
Fish played several doubles matches throughout the day, then lined up
against Robby Ginepri in the final singles match. During his pro
career, Mardy won six ATP titles. He was once ranked # 7 in the
world, and was the # 1 American in 2011. When the ball leaves his
racket, it makes a sound that I have never duplicated.
Other
tennis legends at the fund-raiser included: Tom Gullikson, who won
many titles with his brother Tim. He has served as US Davis Cup Team
Captain, US Men's Olympic Team Coach, and is a former US Mixed
Doubles Chapion; Luke Jensen, who has won 10 Doubles Titles on the
ATP tour, including the French Open with his brother Murphy; Mikael
Pernfors, formerly a top ten singles player who had victories over
Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, and Mats Wilander; and Chani Anderson, who
was a Doubles semi-finalist at Wimbledon.
Auction
items caught me eye, but I managed to keep my hands at my sides: a
Rolex watch, tickets to the US Tennis Open in New York City, with a 2
night hotel stay, Springsteen tickets, and hospitality access, of
course, Lady Gaga tickets, with a week in a Jaguar, and a football
signed by Patriots coach, Bill Belichick. Fully inflated.
Duane
Chaney started the event on behalf of his niece, and is to be
commended for his efforts. A great day at the courts!
James
Hurst
April
2, 2017
