December 2009Archives for January 2010February 2010
PARKY   Jan 29, 2010 2 Comments

Oilers' winless streak now sits at 12 games after 2-1 loss to Blues - The Oilers' winless streak has reached a dirty dozen. I wonder how many players on this team want out?

CFL commissioner Cohon asking fans to weigh in on overtime solutions - Once again, CFL commissioner Mark Cohon is asking for input from Canadian football fans. This is why I like the CFL more than the NFL. There. I said it.

Depleted ski team still confident about winning medals at Olympics - When the hype is removed and the high expectations are stripped away, all that remains is the skiing. I mean it's not like CTV is heaping on expectations and pressure on these athletes.

Bosh, Turkoglu get double-doubles to lead Raptors past Knicks, 106-104 - Bosh had 27 points and 15 rebounds and Hedo Turkoglu set season highs with 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors rallied for a 106-104 victory over the New York Knicks. Bosh is headed to the all-star game, and boy did he prove his case last night.

Stage will be set in Vancouver for Sidney Crosby to lead Team Canada - Veteran defenceman Scott Niedermayer may wear the C for Canada, but there won't be a hockey player under more scrutiny in Vancouver than Sidney Crosby. In many ways, Team Canada will be the 22-year-old star forward's team. Let's hope Sid can start finding the net again before the Olympics start.

: 11:16 AM in Basketball, Football, Hockey, Olympics
PARKY   Jan 28, 2010 0 Comments

No wait here - Alomar named for induction to Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame - Unlike Cooperstown, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame isn't wasting any time in adding Roberto Alomar to its ranks. Congrats to Alomar - I am being nice so he doesn't spit on me. But well deserved.

NBA commissioner Stern suspends Wizards' Arenas, Crittenton for rest of season - When Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton brought their dispute to work, they needed to leave the guns at home. Harsh punishment, but I'm ok with it.

From the CFL to the Olympics, running back Jesse Lumsden named to bobsled team - Jesse Lumsden could win an Olympic medal before he ever wins a Grey Cup. Good for Jesse. 100 bucks says he pulls up lame with a shoulder injury in the first quarter run.

Lecavalier has nifty goal, Niittymaki has strong game as Lightning beat Montreal - Key goals and strong goaltending paid off for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who finally have their first three-game winning streak of the season. Montreal can't seem to buy a break right now. What with team feuds and all.

Professor says his formula shows Canada will lead the medal parade in Vancouver - Canada will indeed own the podium at the Vancouver Olympics, according to a medals projection by a Colorado College economics professor. I call BS. I bet this guy just has a time machine in his basement and he purchased a Sports Almanac in the future just like Marty McFly.

: 1:37 PM in Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Olympics
BEER   Jan 27, 2010 1 Comments
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You know, I always thought the 6'10 circus freak of a man in my rec soccer league was dirty, always swinging those giant moose legs around the field willy-nilly. Turns out, science says I may just be imagining things.

Science Daily reports, "Researchers at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University have researched all recorded fouls in three major football competitions over seven years. They discovered an ambiguous foul is more likely to be attributed to the taller of two players."

So go ahead, shin-kick that tall, stork beast trying to cover you inside the penalty area. Chances are he'll get called for it.

(Thanks, Bieuw)

: 5:27 PM in Soccer
PARKY   Jan 27, 2010 0 Comments

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies plan to appeal Patrice Cormier's season-long suspension - Patrice Cormier will not accept his suspension by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League after all. Just shut up, sit down, and take your medicine.

Hunter Green, son of injured pro-golfer Ken Green, found dead in dorm room - It's the second family tragedy in eight months for Ken Green, who won five PGA Tour events between 1985-89 and played on the 1989 Ryder Cup team. This has been a terrible year for Green. He was in a car accident that cost him his girlfriend, brother, dog and his leg. Gotta hope some good news is coming his way soon.

With goalies Theodore, Varlamov injured, Capitals recall Holtby from AHL - The Washington Capitals have recalled Braden Holtby from Hershey of the AHL and he will be available for Wednesday night's game against the Anaheim Ducks. What? Ovechkin can't play goal? I thought that guy was some sort of superstar?

Team USA members Brown, Quick and Johnson shine as Kings defeat Maple Leafs - If their performance in Toronto is any indication, several of Team USA's young stars have no trouble performing on the big stage at Vancouver 2010. To be fair, I'm quite certain Latvia could beat the this Leafs team on any given night.

China the favourite heading into women's Olympic curling; Canada in the mix - Of the countless items produced in China every year, Olympic-calibre curlers generally aren't thought to be among them. So should we be checking to see if these Curlers are legal age? Made of lead? Are taking performance enhancing melamine? Or are they just really hard working?

: 4:56 PM in Golf, Hockey, Olympics
BEER   Jan 27, 2010 4 Comments

Torch

Picture this: The Olympic torch is run through your town. It's very exciting. The mayor, chamber of commerce and other civic luminaries are in attendance. After the ceremonial jog, you're in your local, sucking down pints of beer, waiting for your order of hot wings and reflecting on the Olympic history you just witnessed. Then, a few torch bearers walk into the bar holding their torches. Apparently, if you run with it, you can buy it for $400. After extracting this little tidbit of trivia from a tippling torch bearer, they ask you if you'd like to hold it. You say yes. Yes, you would. You then proceed to :

a) hold it gently and smile.

b) raise it above your head and yell, "By the power of Grayskull!"

c) recognize its widely-reported resemblance to a Cheech & Chong party favour, and pose accordingly.

Science tells us 90% of respondents would choose b) or c). The Toronto Star reported on just such an incident on Saturday and posted the above shot, saying it got the photo from Facebook, but didn't name the photographer. Well, The Cheap Seats investigative unit went out and tracked her down.

BEER   Jan 27, 2010 44 Comments
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The Team 990 is reporting there was an altercation in the Habs dressing room after the team's 4-3 OT home loss to St. Louis last night. There isn't much detail to go on but apparently, blueliner Andrei Markov gave 'tender Carey Price a piece of his mind, saying, "If you are not going to play with heart, stay at home. We don't need you here." Then several players defended Price, while others backed Markov.

Now, this can be taken one of two ways: A spontaneous outburst following an emotional loss OR a case of the straw that broke the camel's back. The former is really no big deal, happens in sports all the time and is nothing a team field trip to Schwartz's and Super Sexe or a well-timed win can't fix. The latter is a bit more complicated. Montreal is one of seven teams right now mired in a very tight one-point playoff race. If this latest loss and Markov's reported confrontation is the boiling point of a growing sentiment with a group of players, then the Habs have some serious mending to do. The last thing the team needs is a split locker room.

This isn't the first time this season that Price's name has come up in feudish circumstances. Back in November 2009, a Twitter argument between All Habs and Montreal back-up goalie Jaroslav Halak's agent Allan Walsh, got some play on HNIC. Walsh tweeted some rather not-so hot Price stats, at the obvious advantage of his client, and both All Habs and the HNIC crew took issue with.

Ah, the drama of sports. We'll see what happens tonight when the Canadiens go to Florida to take on Tampa with -- you guessed it -- Price to start in goal.

: 1:15 PM in Hockey
PARKY   Jan 26, 2010 0 Comments

Patrice Cormier releases statement accepting season-long suspension from QMJHL - Patrice Cormier is going to accept his punishment from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Enough has been said about this whole thing, so I'll just leave it at that.

Team Canada boss Steve Yzerman keeping an eye on team's injured players - These are the truly anxious moments for Steve Yzerman. Maybe Phaneuf and Fisher will make the team after all!

Salvador Cabanas, star on Paraguay's World Cup team, shot in head in Mexico City bar - Salvador Cabanas, the top player on Paraguay's World Cup team, was shot in the head before dawn Monday in the bathroom of a bar in a well-off neighbourhood in Mexico City. Terrible news, as of right now he's clinging to life in hospital.

Favre's inspirational performance marred by late interception; will he be back? - Battered and beaten, Brett Favre limped off the field for perhaps the final time. I say he plays one more season. Anyone want to bet?

Rare goal from Lukowich leads Canucks to fifth straight win, 3-2 over Sabres - It took 12 seasons, but Brad Lukowich is finally living his NHL dream. This Canuck team is looking more and more like the Canadian team to beat nowadays. Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto are all looking pretty bland. The Habs and Sens have at least turned it up recently.

: 2:11 PM in Football, Hockey, Olympics, Soccer
PARKY   Jan 25, 2010 1 Comments

Patrice Cormier suspended for remainder of season - Punishment has finally been handed down to Rouyn-Noranda Huskies's Patrice Cormier for his elbow on Quebec Remparts defenceman Mikael Tam. Took long enough - but is the punishment fitting?

Golfer Thorpe sentenced to one-year prison term for failing to pay income taxes - Champions Tour player Jim Thorpe has been sentenced to a year in prison for failing to pay more than US$2 million in income taxes. I always wondered how people figure they can scam on that much money? Doesn't the IRS notice things like $2 million dollars in income?

Mercedes presents Michael Schumacher and new livery as it launches bid for title - Michael Schumacher is gearing up to fight for a record eighth Formula One title with Mercedes, saying Monday "we have a world champion team" as the car's new livery was presented. Schumacher fans everywhere are scrambling to burn their Ferrari hats...

U.S. President likely a no-show for 2010 Olympic opening ceremonies - U.S. President Barack Obama is not expected to attend the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics, but that doesn't mean he isn't coming at all. OH NO! Whatever will we do!?

Aboriginal-themed skating routine by Russian pair offends indigenous Australians - An Aboriginal-themed routine by two Russian ice dancers has stirred up a pre-Olympic controversy, with some indigenous Australians blasting the "rip off" of their culture and Canadian native leaders worrying about the insensitivity of the skaters. At least Vancouver and surrounding area have very little Native influence... uhhhh, I bet Russians place last.

: 4:36 PM in Golf, Hockey, Olympics
BEER   Jan 25, 2010 3 Comments
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Sports video games have been around for more than three decades, getting more technically advanced and accurate with each passing year, to the point now where there is little difference between the skills and strategies used by pro coaches and athletes and their on-screen counterparts.

With this increased level of detail, do the current crop of pro athletes, and those kids hoping to join their ranks, have an advantage over old-timers thanks to video game sports providing hours of virtual practice?

The latest issue of Wired just landed in my mailbox (cover story: The New Industrial Revolution), and in it is a great story by Chris Suellentrop about this very subject. Suellentrop focuses primarily on football, using this past season's amazing play by Denver Broncos' Brandon Stokley (see video after the jump), who caught a deflection with just seconds left in the game, then ran along the touchdown line to run down the clock. It was move straight out of Madden NFL, as Stokley proudly admits. The Wired piece isn't online yet, so do yourself a favour and pick up the mag off the newstand.

Obviously football, with its volumes of playbooks and set stop-and-start play action is ripe for this sort of analysis. But do athletes in other sports feel they gain an edge in the cerebral portion of their sport, thanks to video games?

PARKY   Jan 25, 2010 859 Comments

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Punishment has finally been handed down to Rouyn-Noranda Huskies's Patrice Cormier for his elbow on Quebec Remparts defenceman Mikael Tam.

Cormier's season is officially over. He has been suspended for the remainder of his QMJHC season, including the playoffs.

"It was dangerous and unacceptable," said Raymond Bolduc, league disciplinarian.

Tam was taken to hospital, where he stayed until the following evening. He suffered brain trauma and damage to several teeth. Read the rest of the story here.

Do you think that this punishment fits the crime? Will it help prevent similar events from occurring? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

: 11:12 AM in Hockey
 
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