Fans of Canada's only Major League Baseball team (y'know, the Blue Jays) don't really have much to cheer about this season. Yesterday's 7-0 shellacking in Boston certainly doesn't help. Where does a loyal fan go for solace in the face of such bleak days for the northern birds of baseball? Well, if your first answer was "the bar" you're only part right. Considering it's the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, let's go with Option B - the past! Yes, the past is where we can be selective about just how history happened and use nostalgia to make things out to be better than they really were. Though to be fair, the greatness of the above video is difficult to dispute for a few reasons.
First and foremost, it's 1985. Now, I know what you're thinking -- "Isn't that the year Kim Mitchell released Go For a Soda?" Well yes, aficionado of strangely awesome-yet-mediocre Canadian music, it is. But that's not the point. It's also the first year the Jays won anything, in this case the AL East title. You've got guys like Jesse Barfield, George Bell, Buck Martinez and Dave Stieb wearing the powder blue. You've got Exhibition stadium. You've got real, live wind at field level. Then you've got Fergie Oliver covering the game. Which, obviously, leads us to Just Like Mom. Which, in turn, leads to happiness. You're welcome.
Former Olympian shot to death - David Laut, who won a bronze medal for the United States in the shot put at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, was shot to death after confronting intruders outside his California home, authorities said Saturday. He was 52.Very sad.
Vick fitting in just fine - Eagles offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg doesn't think the addition of Michael Vick will disrupt the rhythm of Philadelphia's offence. Lets see how long the honeymoon lasts.
Paul Kelly fired - Paul Kelly is out as executive director of the National Hockey League Players' Association. Big surprise. Not really.
Lecavalier is excited to play with Tanguay - Vincent Lecavalier is excited at the prospect of having free agent left winger Alex Tanguay with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. Vinny may be the only one excited about hockey in Tampa.
Heath Slocum wins first PGA playoff event of the year - Heath Slocum might have been the one player no one expected to win The Barclays.One of the last players to make it into the playoffs - and he wins - very good story.
The UFC is coming to Vancouver - The UFC says it is on target to hold a show in Vancouver next year, with GM Place reserved for a card in June. The UFC is big business in Canada, hopefully they can get some good fighers on the card.
Usain Bolt wants to jump far - It may be time to extend those sand pits because Usain Bolt is considering the long jump.Not much to say here. Current long jumpers must be a bit scared now.
Team Canada scrimmage sells out - The lack of body checking and the staged shootout to conclude the game made the 2-2 result artificial. The announced sellout of 19,289 who paid between US$40 and $85 for a ticket didn't seem to mind. The scrimmage was not televised but was available via webcast on Hockey Canada's website.I, for one am not surprised.
Jacques Demers is a senator now - Just five years ago, ex-hockey coach Jacques Demers was being actively courted by the Conservatives, but was so terrified by the thought of entering the political arena that he quickly bowed out. A good story about a great person. Congrats Jacques.
Floyd Mayweather had 2 guns - Las Vegas police investigating a shooting outside a skating rink seized two handguns, ammunition and two bulletproof vests from the home of boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and two cars. Boxing is serious business.
Yeah! You know what else? We train with sled dogs in sub-arctic temperatures. We eat nothing but vulcanized rubber discs and back bacon for sustenance. We only drink beer and double-doubles because all our water is used for pristine frozen playing surfaces. We have 45 different words for five-hole. Our national smell is the hockey glove. Even our diapers have fight straps. Zamboni drivers are our modern-day shamans. We learn to throw a haymaker before we learn to walk. The 1972 Series was our moon-landing. We finished 7th at the 2006 Winter Games... Oh. Uh, forget that last one.
Sure, the Canadian Olympic hockey camp is on, the Phoenix Coyotes clusterf*%k continues and Lance Armstrong's riding for Radio Shack, but it's not ALL about current sports affairs here at The Cheap Seats. Sometimes, we like to sit back, open our not-so freshly laundered bathrobe to the world, pour a stiff drink and reflect a bit. Slow down, as it were. Today, our sudden penchant for pondering comes in the form of celebrated writer and outdoorsman Jim Harrison.
A friend of ours recently returned from a fly-fishing adventure in Montana, a place Harrison also resides, and passed on this trailer to the recently-released film Tarpon, which was shot 35 years ago. Sure, Key West fly-fishing movies aren't normally our go-to form of sports entertainment, but we might just make an exception this time. Why? Well, Harrison's in it. And apart from writing novels like Legends of the Fall, Warlock and True North, Harrison also happens to be a premier chronicler of the sporting life. His writing on hunting and fishing alone is enough to make a PETA member drool. This, in turn, reminded us to recommend his collection of non-fiction Just Before Dark. If you like booze, food, sporting adventure and general awesomeness, do yourself a favor and crack it.
Jays win on a wild pitch - Blue Jays rally in ninth to win 3-2 and prevent three-game sweep by Rays. I was laughing the hole time on that last pitch.
The PGA Playoffs begin today - No matter what players think of the golf course, Liberty National gets universal praise for its intimate view of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty, so close to the shore she looks as if she could tend a flag on the green. Let's hope Tiger can find the green.
Here comes the crazy - Court documents say a woman who's accusing Ben Roethlisberger of raping her at a Lake Tahoe hotel last year drafted her own resignation letter in an email as a spoof after having sex with the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. This isn't dismissed yet?
Here comes the collusion - The NHL is offering about US$140 million to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes in U.S. Bankruptcy Court and would avoid a sticky issue still facing the case by accepting the existing lease to play in Glendale. This smells like a huge steaming pile. I don't know how the NHL can get away with this.
Armstrong and Team RadioShack to debut Down Under - Team RadioShack, Lance Armstrong's new cycling team, will debut at the 2010 Tour Down Under in Australia. I'll be honest, I just picked this story because the headline is so weird.
I know, I know, two days in a row I'm babbling on about English football but -- did I mention Spurs are top of the League? -- yesterday London saw some of its worst football violence in quite a while before, during and after West Ham and Millwall's Carling Cup match.
A 44-year-old man was stabbed outside West Ham's Upton Park stadium and large scale fights were reported all around the surrounding area, while fans INSIDE the park invaded the pitch and caused general problems for police and stewards. Oh, and West Ham won 3-1.
Usain Bolt shopping a book - Usain Bolt's representatives are in talks with publishers about a
biography, the agent for the record-breaking sprinter said Tuesday. I can only assume its a DIY speed-reading book.
MLB looking into incident with Umpires - Major League Baseball might punish umpires and Colorado Rockies players for their actions during and after Monday night's 14-inning win over the San Francisco Giants. I often find that officials get away with saying some nasty things.
Look out Olympic hockey teams - Crosby-Nash-Iginla form 'scary' top line at Olympic hockey camp. This is better than a fantasy hockey team!
Now the NHL wants to buy the Coyotes - In a surprising turn of events, a group led by Jerry Reinsdorf pulled the plug on a bid to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday, the same day the NHL and another group submitted bids to buy the team. Again. Stupid. Why keep this franchise in a failing market.
Disgraced NBA ref back in jail - Former NBA referee
Tim Donaghy was back behind bars Tuesday, accused of violating his
federal probation by not showing up for work, the U.S. Marshals Service
said. Maybe he likes getting fouled?
Sure, English football fans are all talking about Liverpool's less-than stellar start to the Premier League season (side note: How 'bout them Spurs?!) but there's been at least one other issue on the minds of many North American 'pool supporters.
Back in April, soccer commentator Steven Cohen made a controversial statement during a phone-in show that placed at least some of the blame for the infamous Hillsborough disaster of 1989, in which 96 Liverpool supporters were killed, on ticketless and otherwise unruly fans. North America-based supporters clubs immediately called for an apology from Cohen, citing the official inquiry into the disaster, the Taylor Report, as proof that Liverpool fans were not to blame. What followed can be accurately described as an online soccer sh*tstorm, gaining attention everywhere from the UK to NPR to the New York Times, that resulted in Cohen being dropped from Fox Football Fone-In and major sponsors such as FourFourTwo and Heineken pulling ads from his podcast/satellite radio show World Soccer Daily. On Friday, it was announced that WSD was shutting down for good. In his final show, Cohen says WSD's demise was due to death threats and other over-the-line behavior from Liverpool supporters but others argue it was simply a result of fleeing sponsors.
A major factor in Cohen's fall from footie grace, aside of course from his own comments, was Liverpool's New York-based supporters' club which ran a campaign from its website, urging fans to write sponsors and encourage a full boycott of anything Cohen-related. The tactics, always carefully instructing supporters to be polite, seemed to have worked.
Balsillie sets his own deadline - Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie has submitted an amended proposed agreement to buy the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes for US$212.5 million and immediately move them to Hamilton, with or without the NHL's consent. Then hopefully the Coyotes will stop being news.
Fans rally behind sprinter - South African runner Caster Semenya returned home Tuesday amid questions about her gender after a stunning 800-metre win at the world track and field championships. That would be a tough scenario for a man or woman.
Cowboys punter not too concerned about screen - The punter who will be kicking more in the new Cowboys Stadium than anyone else isn't bothered by the huge video display boards looming over the middle of the field. Maybe, just maybe, this screen is too big?
Spezza not worried about Heatley - Jason Spezza says he'll feel comfortable if estranged teammate Dany Heatley shows up at Ottawa Senators training camp next month. Spezza doesn't seem the type to worry about much - let alone a millionaire teammate.
Team Canada hopefuls arrive - Canada's top hockey stars had barely stepped off the plane before they were surrounded by TV cameras and autograph seekers.Get ready for NEWS ABOUT TEAM CANADA ALL THE TIME!!!
July 2009
