Rod Whitman sits back in the Hoff Pub in Inverness, N.S., and talks quietly while sipping a beer. It is supposed to be a day off for Whitman, the Canadian golf architect best known for his work in Western Canada. But there are few off days for the designer as he rushes to put the finishing touches on Cabot Links, the much-discussed golf course on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.
It hasn’t even officially fully opened yet – 10 holes are just now available as part of a “preview play” concept -- and already Cabot Links, located in Inverness, N.S., on Cape Breton’s west coast, is being whispered about that it is the rarest of courses, the type captures the imagination not only of Canadian golf, but those die-hards around the world.
“We’re trying to get to a point where people talk about it in those terms,” says Whitman quietly.
“It’ll be the best course I’ve had the chance to work on and I’ve spent my entire life waiting for this chance to come my way.”
Why the fuss? Largely it has to do with location, as well as the skill of its designer and the unique ownership group backing it. Some consider the course to be the first true links in Canada, akin to what one finds in Ireland or Scotland. In other words, the fairways will be firm and the penal bunkers will punctuate the landscape. Like all true links, Cabot is built next to the sea, which can be seen from all of its holes. A stretch of golf holes run parallel to an expansive beach. It is without doubt the most spectacular setting for golf yet seen in Canada.
I’m the proud parent of two young children and I’d be absolutely thrilled if my kids decided they wanted to pursue a college or university education. A post-secondary education is one of the most valuable assets a person can possess. It opens doors for people. Studies also show college and university grads earn more money and are generally happier than their lesser-educated counterparts.
There is, however, one exception that overrides my approval of post-secondary education. While I’m a big fan of the student athlete, I’m an even bigger fan of the athlete who has the good sense to know what side his bread is buttered on. In the case of young hockey players on the fast track to the NHL, the league of choice absolutely has to be the Canadian Hockey League. And if you’re an American and have the ability to pick your league, then it absolutely has to be the Ontario League.
The NCAA route is actually a very good option – for some players. It gives the player the ability to develop over a four-year period and gain an education, all while enjoying the many benefits of collegiate life. The NCAA especially helps players who are not identified as high major junior draft picks. It gives them more time to hone their skills and develop physically while playing against players who are further along the development curve than CHLers, simply because they’re older.
In the past few years, several high NHL draft picks have shunned their commitments to the NCAA in favour of the OHL. In fact, just this month, a number of top prospects have come down with the ‘O’ fever. Jamie Oleksiak is leaving Northeastern to join the Saginaw Spirit. Goalie John Gibson has spurned Michigan in favour of the Kitchener Rangers. J.T. Miller has joined the Plymouth Whalers, turning his back on the University of North Dakota. And Connor Murphy will suit up next season for the Sarnia Sting instead of Miami. Others will follow this summer and next season.
Major junior isn’t the only route to the big league, but it’s the fastest. Some CHLers play close to 100 games in a season when you factor in exhibition games, the regular season, playoffs, and special tournaments like the World Junior Championship. They often play three games in three days. And on days they’re not playing, they’re practicing. Compare that with the NCAA schedule in which a player can expect to play about 50 games a year. That’s half the opportunity for a player to be viewed and evaluated by scouts.
Some misplaced souls argue that these players are displaying a stunning lack of character and loyalty by leaving the NCAA for major junior. Well, consider this: these young men have devoted their entire lives to becoming NHL hockey players. Their parents have invested thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars, to help make that dream a reality. If an NHL team thinks it’s in a player’s best interest to play major junior, then he should do it. After all, the team has invested a valuable draft pick in the player, and is also prepared to write a check for several hundred thousand dollars as a signing bonus, not to mention a commitment of millions of dollars on an entry level contract.
I’m a huge fan of following your heart. If a player’s heart is at a particular school, then good for him. Hope he enjoys his time there. But an aspiring hockey player should also follow the money. And the money isn’t flowing to him while he’s getting educated. It only comes when he turns pro.
The Canadian League is in the business of developing players who are NHL ready at the youngest age possible. The sooner these college kids realize that, the better off they’ll be.
(Roy McIlroy. See?! He's got the glove ready just in case.)
In this 24-hour sports news cycle world, we've gotten used to a lot of things. For one thing, poker and darts are now "sports." Another aspect of the new media reality is pundits. They're everywhere and they've got opinions. Radio, TV, newspaper, magazine, internets, are all full of them. (Oh yes, we're basking in the irony here.) For the bulk of history, professional athletes have rarely come back and responded to pundit opinions. Most times, cooler heads prevailed. Enter the Twitter.
Ever since anyone and their mom could post their every fleeting thought 140-characters at a time, sports fans have enjoyed a smorgasbord of smacktalk, jokes and random musings from the pros. And today at the Irish Open, Roy McIlroy used it to take issue with some comments from Golf Channel and BBC golf commentator and former Euro tour pro Jay Townsend.
Townsend, in addition to ripping McIllroy's game apart on TV, was also tweeting critical comments about the US Open champ's caddie. "He should hire Steve Williams as I thought JP allowed some SHOCKING course management today." And, "Some of the worst course management I have ever seen beyond under 10s boys golf competition." That was enough for the popular young pro who shot back, "shut up.... You're a commentator and a failed golfer, your opinion means nothing!"
Townsend replied, "Sorry, but I stand by my comments." To which McIllroy said, "well, I stand by my caddie." And to his credit, Townsend then said, "As you should, I respect that."
While some like the Daily Mail thought this constituted a "furious Twitter row," in reality this is a perfect example of how both the media and pro athletes can use Twitter to entertain us. Sure there was no gratuitous swearing, nudity or plain old insanity, but still. This was a rather respectable, if heated, disagreement. Something we might expect in golf. Like two gentlemen of old, airing out their differences by trading face-slaps with soft white gloves. Keep it classy, gents. (*golf clap*)
Although this type of let-me-jump-on-the-back-of-your-neck-like-a-toddler-on-Daddy acrobatic catch would draw a flag in the NFL, it makes for a great theatre. The Aussies are calling Andrew Walker's man-scaling grab the "Mark of the Year" (my wife would argue that Whalberg is, but hey). After reviewing this clip four times, it looks like the Aussie Rules equivalent of an in-your-face slam dunk, the type when your opponent's crotch smashes up in your face, or, inthis intance, the top of your skull. A combination of raw athleticism and utter shame.
As sources all over the place are now confirming, the Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Colby Rasmus from the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-way swap earlier today.
To Toronto:
Colby Rasmus (From St. Louis) Brian Tallet (From St. Louis) P.J. Walters (From St. Louis) Mark Teahen (From Chicago) Trever Miller (From St. Louis)
To Chicago:
Jason Frasor (From Toronto) Zach Stewart (From Toronto)
To St. Louis:
Edwin Jackson (From Chicago) Marc Rzepczynski (From Toronto) Octavio Dotel (From Toronto) Corey Patterson (From Toronto) Cash considerations (From Toronto)
Say hello to your new centrefielder.
Some fans will kick and scream that Toronto depleted the bullpen today, already their biggest weakness, but unless you're expecting a 51-52 franchise to magically turn itself into a contender via acquiring someone else's extra relievers, there's a lot to like here.
The fact is, all of the relief arms in the organization couldn't add up to Colby Rasmus' potential. He's an everyday centrefielder, something Rajai Davis* ultimately was not, and one of the best young centerfielders in baseball as recently as last year. (In 2010 Rasmus put up a better WAR than each of the following: Curtis Granderson, BJ Upton, Adam Jones, Andrew McCutchen, Shane Victorino, Torii Hunter, Denard Span, Franklin Gutierrez, etc.)
This trade is similar to the Escobar deal from last summer when the Jays bought low on a player who fell out of favour within his organization. The risk here is higher, they're giving up more than Alex Gonzalez and two mid-level prospects, but the payoff could be huge if Rasmus gets back on track.
Obviously no trade is viewed as a homerun right off the bat, but so far all signs are pointing in favour of Toronto on this one:
Per Fangraphs: "it seems that GM Alex Anthopolous has knack for sniffing out opportunities such as this one. He took advantage of two teams’ issues: the White Sox payroll and the Cardinals’ discontent with Rasmus"
Per Keith Law: "Rasmus is a potential star, a classic buy-low opportunity on a talented player who had fallen out of favor with his current organization but still has impact-player ceiling. Rasmus has star-level tools: He's a plus runner with good range in center who needs to work on his reads, shows good bat speed and has average to above-average power and a very good approach at the plate."
The Jays also add Brian Tallet, a player their familiar with and one who'll help fill the gaping void in the bullpen; Mark Teahen, a utility player who's contract Chicago needed to shed; and P.J. Walters, a minor-league reliever.
*Davis will be an absolute weapon off the bench. His pinch-running abilities could be the best in baseball. Not the sexiest bragging point, I know, but a valuable role is a valuable role.
Yossi Benayoun, an experienced and decorated winger now with Chelsea FC, tried to pull a Wayne Rooney in front of Kitchee's net yesterday but…hit himself in the face instead. Chelsea won the match 4-0. And nobody cares since this gem hit YouTube. Sorry, Yossi...
Chelsea now advance to the Final of the Barclays Asia Cup you probably never knew existed and Fernando Torres will probably not score in that same Final. Benayoun recently called teammate Torres "the best striker in the world" but, after the failed bicycle kick above, we're pretty sure Yossi's two cents are worth about $0.02 these days. £50 million Torres is still a dozen-plus goals short of his price tag no matter how poorly he chooses his hype-men.
You kind of knew that Lawrence Frank wasn’t going to be kept out of the head coaching ranks for long. After spending a year as Boston’s primary defensive assistant coach, word leaked yesterday that Frank is going to be offered the head coach’s chair with the Detroit Pistons, a franchise very much in transition and very much in need of a head coach with experience like Frank. While Mike Woodson, formally of the Atlanta Hawks, was widely considered to be the favorite going into this search, Frank won over the team’s new ownership and will now be tasked with turning their faith in him into results out on the court once the league’s current lockout situation is resolved. Winning over ownership, though, may seem like a cakewalk compared to what it will take to squeeze results out of this roster going forward.
The Pistons are a team that is in desperate need of an identity. For the better part of the 2000’s they were known as the NBA’s preeminent blue-collar squad, led by a workhorse center, Ben Wallace, and heady point guard, Chauncey Billups. They went to the Conference Finals for six straight years, two of those years they advanced to the Finals, and in 2004 they won an unexpected Championship against the Kobe-Shaq-Malone-Payton Lakers. By 2008, though, management felt their window was closing, and instead of allowing it to ease down gracefully (à la the San Antonio Spurs), they decided to slam their own window shut by breaking up their core and becoming a bottom-feeder within 12-16 months. It was not pretty.
Since their recent heyday they’ve tried two first-time head coaches in Michael Curry and John Kuester and both were colossal disappointments as each clashed with the team’s veteran core and were unable to slow the erosion of the team’s on-court performances. The Pistons hope that Frank, with his 6-plus seasons of experience, can fare better than the two men that preceded him in ushering the franchise into a new, younger era.
Soccer star David Beckham is often derided in the media for being a bit, um, one-dimensional, so perhaps it's fitting he recently appeared on the Disney cartoon show, "Phineas and Ferb." As a guest on the cartoon's in-house talk show, Becks is asked if he'll eat bugs for $10 -- and then happily does so. He then gives the show's namesakes a few juggling lessons before kind of being upstaged by their mad skills.
According to UK rag The Sun, Becks is fast gaining a rep as a "super dad" and appeared on the cartoon because it's one of his sons' favourite shows: "As well as appearing in his kids' favourite cartoon show he was snapped this week surfing with his boys, cooking a risotto for his family and cuddling new baby Harper Seven. Yesterday he spent the afternoon bodyboarding with eldest son Brooklyn while Romeo and Cruz kicked a ball about in Malibu, California."
As we all know, sports fandom -- much like any kingdom, street gang or corporation -- is a hierarchy. You've got your casual, maybe-I'll-watch-a-game-this-year fans, your TV-only fans, the ones who go to games but don't wear Official Merchandise, the ones who only wear Official Merchandise, the couples who wear matching Official Merchandise, the yellers, the screamers, the hecklers, the luxury boxers, the nosebleeders and finally, the Shirtless Painted People.
This new ad for EA Sports NCAA Football 12 takes a peek at the soft underboobie of a certain type of college football fan devotion. Because we all know, if you're going to paint your entire torso in an effort to help your team win, you don't do it half-assed half-boobed.
June 2011
