Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Nick Cousins-Vegas Golden Knights
Nick Cousins
Nick Cousins surprised me the
other day when I asked him about the stoppage due to the
COVID-19 virus. I asked him how he felt about returning
to play, even in front of empty houses. Cousins told me
directly: “Absolutely. I am in favour of playing. I am
in contact with my teammates, in conference calls. The
majority of our players just want to play”.
Cousins
can be considered to be a veteran in the professional
hockey ranks.
Born in Belleville in 1993, the 26 year old forward played
5 games
for the Trenton Hercs in the 2008-2009 season. The
following year, he
suited up for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In four
seasons with
the Hounds, Cousins toiled in 265 regular season games.
In 2011, he
was drafted in the 3rd
round, 68th
overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers. He played one game in
the
2011-2012 season for the AHL Adirondack Phantoms. He
played 7 games
for the Phantoms the following season, then finished his
OHL career
in the Soo. He spent the following two seasons with the
Phantoms,
with an 11 game stint with the Flyers.
The team
moved to Lehigh Valley the following season. Cousins split
that year
between Philly and Lehigh Valley. He began the 2016 season
in
Philadelphia, and has remained in the NHL since that time.
He
recorded 16 points for the Flyers, before packing his bags
and
heading to Arizona. In two seasons with the Coyotes, he
netted 19
goals and had 27 assists.
He began
this season with the Montreal Canadiens, picking up 22
points in 58
games. After receiving the news that he had been traded to
the Vegas
Golden Knights, he checked the standings. He found that
the Knights
were in first place in the Pacific Division, gearing up
for the
playoffs. “The plane touched down at 11 o'clock in the
morning, and
I headed directly to the rink to play that evening. My
head was
spinning in the first period. I got a better feeling for
the game in
the second period”.
He netted
his first goal for the Knights in that first game, and has
since
added 2 assists. That came to an abrupy halt after only
seven games
played with the Knights.
Understandably,
Cousins is frustrated and disappointed with the stoppage
in play. He
spent two weeks in Vegas following the break in the
season, and
returned home to Belleville a couple of weeks ago.
He is
“working out” in his basement at home. He would much
prefer to be
at one of the local fitness clubs, but they are all closed
at this
time. He told me he is waiting for roller blades to
arrive.
Understandably, this is not where he would rather be.
He had
visited Las Vegas once before, at the end of last season.
There is a
community called “Summerlin”, far enough away from the
strip to
avoid the distractions. It is a “family friendly” place,
he told
me, and the site of the practice arena. He was most
pleased to be
welcomed “with open arms” by the players on the team, and
by
coach Peter DeBoer. Most of us are familiar with DeBoer,
as he
coached the Kitchener Rangers for several years in the
OHL.
The son of
Brian and Anne Cousins, Nick attended St. Joseph's School
in
Belleville, then Nicholson Catholic College. When time
permits, you
will find him on a golf course, working to reduce his “13
or 14”
handicap. He enjoys football, and is an avid Raptors fan.
He is
somewhat resigned to his current situation. “It is
shocking how bad
it has become,” he told me referring to the virus. “A few
of the
players in the league have had it. Anyone can get it. We
all need to
stay safe, and stay inside. No matter what professional
sport you
play, we're all in the same boat.”
At this
point in time, the playoffs would have been under way.
This is not
going to happen until, well, until it does. Maybe, or
maybe not. In
the meantime, as a dedicated athlete, Nick will focus on
being as
ready as he could possibly be, to continue his career,
playing the
game he loves.
James Hurst
April 21,
2020
Sir Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling
Moss was born in England on September 17, 1929. One might say that he
was “to the manner born”. But it might be more appropriate to
say, “to the racetrack born”. His father was a dentist, and loved
to race cars. He came 16th in the 1924 edition of the
Indiannapolis 500. He tried to steer his son toward dentistry, to no
avail.
Stirling got
his first car, an Austin 7, when he was nine years old. He learned
how to drive, racing around the family estate. He saved his money and
bought his own car when he was 15. Thus began the career of one of
the world's greatest race car drivers.
He began his
career in 1942, and retired, for the first time in 1962. He often
competed many during the racing season, primarily in Formula One
events. One year he raced 62 times. He drove for many different
sponsors, and was behind the wheel of 84 different makes of car.
Sir Stirling Moss
In June,
2011, he formally announced that he had officially retired from
racing. He had been driving that morning, and afternoon. When he left
the vehicle, he declared that he “had scared himself”. He was 81
at that time.
For many of
us, he was the “face” of car racing for many years. He became an
announcer, and broadcaster after he had initially retired, and was
well respected for his analysis. In 1967, he earned a small role in
the James Bond movie Casino Royale,
as the driver for actor Peter Sellers. He was often on television in
talk shows, and game shows.
For
many years, supposedly, the standard question that British policemen
asked when giving out speeding tickets was: “Who do you think you
are, Stirling Moss?” It became a common expression in many circles.
Johnny Carson wanted to know if Moss ever tired of hearing that. Moss
spun a tale that I watched one evening .
“A
friend of mine asked me to take his Austin Healey for a spin on the
seaside roads in New Zealand. Those roads are typical of all coastal
and mountainous roads, lots of hairpin turns, different elevations. I
drove quite hard, and noticed another vehicle on my tail, never
falling back. After several miles, I came to a screeching halt at a
stop sign I had not expected. The driver on my tail stopped behind
me, but not before nudging my car slightly. He got out of his car,
and ran up to speak to me. The first thing he said was, “Who do you
think you are, Stirling Moss?”
He
was a local resident who knew the roads, loved to drive fast, and had
never encountered anyone who could drive quite the way I did. Johnny
Carson loved that story.
In
2000, Moss was knighted by Prince Charles. ( Mom was away on
vacation.) An extensive list of all of his racing highlights can be
found in Wikipedia.
Moss
died last Sunday, in London.
Many
of us who are in our “Golden Years” hear of the passing of our
sports heroes, far too often. We recently lost Pat “Whitey”
Stapleton, who spent many years in the NHL and the WHA. He played for
Canada in the Summit Series against the Russians, and was said to
have the puck from Paul Henderson's winning goal. He always smiled
when asked that question.
The
hockey world also lost an up-and-coming lad named Colby Cave. A
product of the Saskatchewan hockey system, Cave played for the
Edmonton Oilers last season. Reports indicated that he had a “brain
bleed”, was placed in an induced coma, and never recovered.
Stay
healthy, everyone. I hope you have come up with interesting
strategies to combat the boredom caused by the virus. I was told
today that I will not be able to race in the Tour de
France”. Alas!
James
Hurst
April
14, 2020
Al Kaline-"Mr. Tiger"
Remarkably,
Al Kaline was a Detroit Tiger for 67 years. He joined the
organization out of high school, and filled a variety of roles after
his retirement. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he made his major league
debut on June 25, 1953. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of
Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1980, along with Duke
Snider. In baseball circles, he is simply known as “Mr. Tiger”.
My friend
Bob Page grew up in the Detroit area. One of his idols was Gordie
Howe. A second was Joe Schmidt, who player for the Lions. Filling out
“Holy Triumvirate” of sports heroes was Kaline. Bob told me that
kids, at that time, imitated every Kaline move.
In Bob's
first year in the television business, he was sent to the Tigers'
annual media day with a cameraman. It was 1974, and he was working
for Channel 6, out of Lansing, Michigan. “Kaline was way out in
left field doing minor calisthenics. I introduced myself to him. He
looked at me like I had the Bubonic Plague, and said, 'Not now'.”
Later in the
day, Kaline approached Page, and did the interview.
Page opened
the interview: “Al, you're one of the greatest right fielders,
ever. Now with the DH (designated hitter) coming in on a full-time
basis, you will have to miss playing right field.” Kaline replied,
“No, I don't HAVE to miss it.” Page notes that “You never knew
what you were going to get with him”.
One of my
friends indicated today that Kaline was the anti Ty Cobb. Not always,
I would assume. That being said, he had many great moments on the
diamond. He broke his arm in 1968. He recovered sufficiently to play
in the World Series that year, batting .379, knocking in 8 runs in
the 7 game series, as the Tigers won their first world title since
1945.
He played
his last game in 1974, finishing with 399 home runs, 3007 base hits,
and a .297 career batting average. He won the Gold Glove award 10
times, and was selected as an All Star 18 times.
He was
plagued by injuries later in his career. Some of his troubles stemmed
from having osteomyelitis as a child. He broke his hand in 1967,
never a good thing for a baseball player. He had no qualms about
leaving the game, as a player. “I am glad it's over. I really am. I
don't think I'll miss it”.
He worked in
the broadcast booth with George Kell, another former Tiger. Page
notes: “It was amazing comedy, though they didn't ever intend it!”
Kaline died
last Monday, in Michigan. His number 6 is proudly displayed on the
wall at Comerica. RIP “Mr. Tiger”.
James Hurst
April 7,
2020.
The Battered Bastards of Baseball
I really
like the word “zany”. Without any exceptions, anything that I
have encountered in my life, which could be described as zany, is
just fine. That applies to people as well. Zany people are hilarious,
without being completely unnerving. I hope you know and love some
zany people.
The
Battered Bastards of Baseball is
one of the zaniest documentaries I have ever watched. The majority of
the characters in the movie are slightly unbalanced. The entire story
is bizarre. The main characters are certainly out of the ordinary.
Bingo
Russell developed a love of baseball living under the shadow of
Yankee Stadium, a fairly large shadow, as he was born in Brattleboro,
Vermont. His father operated a float plane business in St.
Petersburg, Florida. That is where the New York Yankees have trained,
in the spring, for many years. Bingo hung around the training camp so
often that he was designated as their unofficial mascot.
He
was befriended by Joe Dimaggio, Lefty Gomez, and the other Bronx
Bombers. After Lou Gehrig hit his last home run, before retiring with
ALS disease, he gave Bingo his bat.
But
Bingo moved on from there, graduated in business from Dartmouth, and
headed for Hollywood. He never became a star, but was involved in
literally hundreds of movies and television shows. As an example, he
was Deputy Sherriff Clem Foster on the Bonanza set for 13
years.
He
maintained his interest in baseball, and decided to start up a team
in Portland, Oregon, called the Mavericks. It was an independent
team, playing in the Northwest League, at the “A” level. As an
independent organization, the Mavericks were free to run their
franchise as they saw fit, without interference from a Major League
franchise. All other teams in the United States at that time, at all
levels, were tied to a parent.
As
an aside, the same applies to hockey in North America. The Belleville
Senators are directly controlled by Ottawa. The parent club can move
players up or down as they see fit, sometimes making it difficult for
fans to bond with players. The Maverickes were encouraged to get
along with their fans, often sitting with them during the game!
The
documentary was made in 2014 by two of Bingo's grandsons. His son
Kurt, who played for the mavericks and also worked as vice-president,
is featured throughout the documentary. And yes, that is the same
Kurt Russell who has starred in several Hollywood movies, married to
Goldie Hawn. Their son, Wyatt, played goal at various levels,
including the Ontario Provincial Junior “A”.
Bingo
gathered about forty baseball misfits, molded them into a team, quite
a successful team, for five years. He was even chosen as the “Minor
League Manager of the Year” in 1974.
The
title of the documentary comes from Jim Bouton's irreverant book on
baseball, Ball Four. A quote from the book: “Us battered
bastards of baseball are the biggest customers of the U. S. Post
Office, forwarding address department.” Bouton played one season
for the team. You will also find Matt Patkin in the movie, generally
recognized as the greatest baseball comedian.
The
documentary is available from Netflix, a stock you should have
purchased before the coronavirus set in. Or maybe not. Who knows
where the stock market is going, nowadays?
The
entire documentary is almost incredible. But not quite. Zany will do.
Some bad language involved.
Stay
safe. Observe reasonable distances. At least two sticks.
James
Hurst
March
30, 2020
A World Without Sport
I could not
fathom such a world before it became a reality. Incomprehensible, I
thought. Yet, here it is, in mid-March, 2020. For many of us, it
really is a challenge. But it is only part of the challenge that we
now face, with the Coronavirus on our doorstep. The financial world
continues to crash, most of the world's borders are closed, many
people face a self-imposed isolation after returning from a holiday.
I am not sure if this is the tip of the iceberg, or simply the
beginning of a truly horrific period in the history of the world.
Whatever it is, it poses challenges for all of us, especially for
those of us who are keen on sport.
At this
point in time, many of the leagues of sport have either been
suspended, or have completely shut down. There are no exceptions. The
latest rulings, perhaps in the form of suggestions, indicate that no
more than 50 people should be gathered in any place, at one time.
Those in the gathering are supposed to be two metres apart.
Initially, thought was given to playing in empty houses. Rather
futile.
And so, like
the rest of you, I watch too much news on television, I watch the
Canadian dollar tumble, I experience cabin fever. I wonder where this
is all headed. I believe I recently read that baseball will not begin
for at least two months from now. Hockey and basketball might be
kaput for this year. The football world is fiddling with drafts, and
potential signings, and the continuation of the Tom Brady saga. We
really hope that will finish soon.
What to do!
What to do! With tip of the cap to my son David, we have compiled a
list of sports movies that we are familiar with. Some may be
available through the various companies that now supply us with film
and other types of programming. Some may have simply faded into the
sunset. The list we have compiled is not complete. We are in the
stages of, “What about this?”, or, “I had forgotten about that
one,”. I will throw a few of them out there for you to consider,
and I offer you the opportunity to add to the list, to disagree with
those I am posting, perhaps to take the opportunity to watch some you
may have missed.
For every
sport, there is one particular movie that should be at the top of the
list. For hockey fans, that movie is “Slap Shot”. It is slightly
irreverent, and the language in the movie is not for tender ears. The
movie captured the imagination of hockey fans when it was released.
It presented the essence of the game, mixing the violence with plenty
of humour. Paul Newman stars in the movie, and this added great
credibility to the film when it initially hit the screen.
“Field of
Dreams” is a favourite baseball movie. It presents plenty of
history of the game, in a mystical way. When the players emerge from
the corn field, the viewer is swept with nostalgia. They are
preparing the site for a major league game, supposed to take place
this year. Kevin Costner plays the farmer who has to convince his
wife to plow under the corn field, to answer a dream.
“Hoosiers”
takes the nod as a fine basketball movie. College basketball is big
stuff south of our borders, and the movie presents a fine tale of
accomplishment many years ago. Gene Hackman delivers a fine
performance as well. The site of the filming remains intact today,
and can be seen on a web site.
There are
some fine golf movies to be seen. “Tin Cup” reveals a great
competition in the game. There is little more dramatic than a long
putt heading towards the 18th hole, in front of thousands
of fans. We have been asked to wait for that to happen at Augusta
this year. The starting date has been posted, but that could change
as well. Kevin Costner also stars in this movie.
“Chariots
of Fire” is one of my favourite Olympic movies. “Cool Runnings”
is only on the good list, the zany movie about the Jamaican bobsled
team that decided to participate in the Games.
Dave listed
“Friday Night Lights” at the top of his football list. It tells
us a lot about the game, and the society in which it is located,
capturing the essence of mid-America at the time. Little has changed
since the film hit the screen.
That's it
for now. There are many more sports, many more great athletes, and
great movies. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!
James Hurst
March 17,
2020.
-- James Hurst 613.399.2278 sportslices.blogspot.ca
More From the Silver Screen
The list I
posted last week included a few movies from a variety of sports.
There are many others, quite a few that I don't even know about. I
must confess I do not know the name of any cricket movies. I am sure
there are a few.
The world of
horseracing, particularly thoroughbred racing, is called “The Sport
of Kings”. Likely the most famous of all of the American horses is
Secretariat. A Canadian, Ron Turcotte, was in the saddle when
Secretariat won the “Triple Crown” of racing. A fine movie was
made about Secretariat's lfe.
An
Australian movie, Phar Lap, tells the story of the greatest horse to
race on the circuits down under. The horse was so revered after it
died that its bones were reconstructed, and placed in one museum in
Australia. In another museum is a model of the horse. Horse racing
plays a major role in several other excellent Australian movies.
Some of my
favourite movies come from the diamond. “The Natural”, starring
|Robert Redford, was quite well made. Unrealistic, at times, but not
enough to destroy the nature of the film. “Major League” is a
real beauty, great characterization.
A movie that
I consider to be a sleeper, and rarely discussed as a baseball movie
is “Max Dugan Returns”, starring Jason Robarts. There is a
segment in the movie in which Charlie Lau, the revered hitting coach,
discusses strategies and hitting tecniques. He was George Brett's
coach, responsible for several of Brett's batting titles.
There is a
wonderful display in Cooperstown in the Baseball Hall of Fame
dedicated to women in baseball. The greatest movie made to recognize
their place in the game is “A League of their Own”. It stars
Geena Davis and Tom Hanks, and is most realistic.
In 1954, a
group of Major League baseball players got together after the season,
and headed across North America, perhaps to showcase the game, but
more than likely to try to make a little extra money. Players were
not well paid, in those days. One of their stops was Belleville,
Ontario. My friends and I gathered at the grandstand of the Quinte
Exhibition and Raceway, long before the first pitch was thrown. We
were awe-struck, standing just a few feet away from some great
players. We knew their names, and would never allow their baseball
cards to rattle in the spokes of our bicycles. One of those players
was Jimmy Pearsall, from the Boston Red Sox.
Following
his turbulent career, a movie was made of his life, and his struggles
with mental health. “Fear Strikes Out” is a must for all baseball
fans.
I will list
a few other baseball movies, then move on to other sports next week:
Million Dollar Arm, (with roots in cricket), The Sandlot, Pride of
the Yankees, 42- The Jackie Robinson Story, Bull Durham, Don't Look
Back- The Satchel Page Story. And many more! In baseball terms, we
are still in the first inning!
Keep the
faith! We will overcome the virus some day!!
James Hurst
March 24,
2020.
Friday, April 03, 2020
Empty Houses
March is
certainly an important month, south of our border, as the American
nation gears up for the college basketball championships. March
Madness, they call it. Games are played in arenas throughout the
United States with teams travelling across the nation, hoping to gain
a spot in “The Final Four”.
It is also a
time when the basketball and hockey seasons wind down, filling stadia
with fans, teams hoping to capture a playoff spot. The tennis and
golf seasons are well under way. The men will be golfing at Augusta
soon for the first of the main golf tournaments this year. The first
important tennis tournament in the United Staes is played at Indian
Wells. Sorry, not this year,
It has been
cancelled, as have many other tournaments and championships around
the world. The Corona Virus continues to play havoc with all of the
world's activities, including those in the sports world. Following
its early detection in China, it has spread quickly to every
continent. It has proven to be a nasty, deadly, highly infectious
disease.
The upcoming
world hockey championship for women, which was to be held in Halifax,
has been cancelled. Many soccer contests slated to be played in
Europe are taking place in front of empty stands. There are fears
that the disease could spread like wildfire in public areas, where
sports are played.
For many of
the sports, players must travel by plane to get to the venue.
Naturally, players would travel through public areas, and on public
transportation. League management does not intend to expose the
players to any situations where the possibility exists that athletes
might come in contact with the virus.
So far,
there have been no reports of transmission of the disease at Spring
Training sites in Florida and Arizona. Those of us in the north have
enjoyed the teams, via television, as they work through the spring
season. Most teams will begin regular season play in about three
weeks. Hopefully, they will not have to play under the shadow of the
virus.
The media
are no longer welcome in the dressing rooms of many of the major
sports organizations. (Many media were not very welcome at any time
in many dressing rooms.) Post game interviews will be held in the
hallways. There will be other restrictions placed on the media as
well, in the coming days.
Major League
baseball players have been instructed not to touch any fans. No more
“high fives”, or “fist pumps”, and certainly no handshakes!
Players are not to touch any articles that fans have to sign: balls,
bats, photos, shirts, etc. I am sure the same will apply to all other
sports, shortly.
All of this
will remove a bit of the personal element from the games. This is a
fairly desperate time for baseball in particular, as many fans are
upset with the cheating done by the Houston Astros. Fans are calling
for the team to return the World Series trophy they won two years
ago. All of this resulted from stealing signs. It has gone on for
years. But the Astros took it to a higher level, and got caught.
Sports fans
hope that the virus will be contained, quickly, and that citizens of
the world can soon return to their daily lives. I am sure that is a
hope that we all have.
James Hurst
March 9,
2020.
Blades and Eagles-Fort Myers
For those of
you familiar with Fort Myers, you know that both of these teams are
located on the same road, not much more than a mile from each other.
Due to my
involvement with the ageing process, I have not been able to attend
games there this winter. The hip replacement has had me on the
injured reserve list, unable to travel for three months. We head back
down there in late March, just in time for Everblades' playoffs. The
FGCU basketball season winds down soon. It could have ended last
night.
The Eagles
have had a mediocre season. Within their conference, the ASUN
Conference, they finished at 7-9, with a loss last weekend to North
Alabama. That earned them the 6th seed in tournament play,
and they began on Tuesday night against Lipscomb. They split the two
games they played against Lipscomb this season, winning on February
4th, but losing on February 15th.
The Eagles
have been sparked on several occasions this season by a Canadian from
Milton, Ontario, named Jalen Warren. In their last game against North
Alabama, an overtime loss, he contibuted 19 points, shooting a
respectable 8 for 12 from the floor. He added 5 assists.
Coach
Michael Fry is in his third year as head coach at FGCU. Most of his
comments, even after tough losses are quite positive. After the North
Alabama game, he stated: “We felt like that was a game where, if
you had one more stop, one more free throw, one more made shot-then
you would be going home happy. It's unfortunate, but closing out
games, and finding ways to win is still something we're learning, as
a young team.”
The ASUN
Conference was led by Liberty, followed by North Florida, Lipscomb,
and Stetson. Games at this point in the season are either “one, and
move on”, or “One and Done”.
Last week,
the Florida Everblades entertained the Newfoundland Growlers. The
Growlers had defeated the Blades in the playoffs last year, setting
up a challenge for the Blades. They knocked off the Growlers on three
successive occasions, then tripped up the Jacksonville Ice Men on
Saturday night. The Blades sit three points behind the South Carolina
Stingrays, in second place. Even though the season ends in early
April, the Blades have qualified for the playoffs, for the 21st
time in the 22 years that they have been in business. Coach Brad
Ralph has guided them into the playoffs in the four years that he has
been behind the bench.
As I have
previously stated, coaching at this level is most difficult. At any
given moment, the parent club of the team can call up players. Rest
assured, they will usually take the best players. Just before the
Newfoundland series, Ralph lost four players in call ups. One of them
was Ken Appleby, who got the word to go to Milwaukee Admirals of the
American League.
Appleby has
had an outstanding season as a goaltender with the Blades. His record
is 28-8-5, and his goals against average is 2.49. He has been in the
pro ranks for five years, having played for the Oshawa Generals in
the OHL, picking up a Memorial Cup along the way.
Lukas
Craggs, Zach Magwood, and Blake Winiecki were the other key players
who got the call. The Ottawa Senators follow the same routine with
the Belleville Senators. When they have spots to fill, for a variety
of reasons, they make the call. Naturally, all players would love to
get the call, and stay there on a permanent basis. That rarely
happens.
Most local
Senator fans hope that they can go into this year's playoffs with a
full roster. In the past, they have lost sevearl key players to
Ottawa, when the parent club was not in line to contend in playoffs.
A little
sports news, from the Gulf Coast.
James Hurst
March 3,
2020.
