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The Twit: Of Alex Rios, Michael Vick and Patrick Kane…

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 | Author:
Rios off to the playoffs - not much of a penalty for sucking

Rios off to the playoffs - not much of a penalty for sucking

…and Michael Schumacher and Roger Federer and other goodies.

- Yesterday Alexis Rios became a member of the Chicago White Sox, at no cost to them save for his inflated (we believe) salary. It’s really too bad it didn’t work out in Toronto and I feel that he should have been given a crack in centre field over Vernon Wells. But don’t feel too bad for him. He becomes the starting centre fielder on a team in the thick of a pennant race. I wouldn’t be surprised if he finally finds his moxy after this move. Blair seems to think this is yet another sign that Rogers has pretty much given up on competing. I’m not willing to concede that…yet.

- Thanks to my hiatus, I haven’t really had the opportunity to chime in on the Michael Vick issue. Those of you that know me might be surprised to hear this, but I agree with the decision to let him back into the league. As far as I’m concerned he’s paid his dues to society according to the laws in place. I don’t want him on my team (the Dolphins), and what he did still disgusts me, but if some GM out there want to risk alienating his fan base, I say go for it. My feeling is that he’ll land somewhere before the season starts so he can immediately start serving his six-game suspension (which I agree with, since he had lied to club and league officials about his off-the-field issues). In my view the best fits would be Minnesota, San Francisco, Buffalo or Cleveland (ironically, the Dawg Pound).

- Innocent until proven guilty, but come on now. The accusations Patrick Kane faces regarding the beating of a cab driver for refusing to provide 20 cents in change have a certain authenticity that only someone who grew up in a small town with a AAA midget hockey team can relate to. Most star players have been raised to believe that the world is their oyster and should a plebeian step out of line in denying them something, consequences must follow. Society has a way of protecting these patricians until the day it doesn’t. For a long time the media protected players from all kinds of unsavory reporting, but those days are long gone and star athletes need to realize that off the ice/field/track/court, they must play by the same rules as everyone else.

- Turning to F1, which I’ve stopped writing about because most of the action happens off the track, had me excited about its next race if only to see what Michael Schumacher could bring to the track in a comeback necessitated by Felipe Massa’s frightening and possibly career-ending injury. Not too fast, though, as the word is that he is pulling out due to injuries incurred in a biking accident earlier in the year. Oh well, maybe reports that Jacques Villeneuve will come back to the circuit with USF1 will bear fruit and turn my attention back to this rotting sport.

- I’m almost embarrassed that both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are playing at the Rogers Cup in Montreal and I’m not going to check them out. Bad tennis fan! Bad!

- Oh and yeah, I am in interest to see if Tiger Woods can win the PGA Championship. Might even watch a bit of it if he’s in contention on Sunday.

- Is there an issue I’ve overlooked in the past month that you’d like to see me cover? Let me know in the comments section.

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Hiatus

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 | Author:

Ottawa Sports Guy will return in early August, batteries recharged and ready to commentate (oh yeah, new word!) on all things sports.

See you then!

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The Twit: U.S.A., Wimbledon and the NHL Draft

Thursday, June 25th, 2009 | Author:
Good for U.S.A., bad for Canada at Gold Cup

Good for U.S.A., bad for Canada at Gold Cup

I’m on holidays, but thought I’d chime in on a couple of sports happenings:

- The U.S.A. beating Spain in the Confederations Cup semi-final was a shock to everyone, and actually gave the tournament some significance – no small feat. You have to wonder just how genuine that result turns out to be, however, when you consider how badly the Americans played against Italy and Brazil. If they’re as good as their past two results (a 3-0 drubbing of African champions Egypt), it’s bad news for Canada in the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup (which is our version of the Euro).

- Coverage of Wimbledon by ESPN/NBC is just superb. They bring just the right amount of gravitas while being on the money with analysis and prognostication. All of them, that is, save Brad Gilbert. Clearly from the Chicago White Sox School of Broadcast Journalism, Gilbert makes absolutely no effort to conceal which player he likes, and proceeds to call them by their nicknames. Just counting today, I heard: “Delpo” for Juan Martin Del Potro, “Fed” for Roger Federer, “Rusty” for Leyton Hewitt and throwing it back to the studio for P-Mac (Patrick McEnroe). His manner in the broadcast booth also drips with arrogance rather than wisdom. Mary Carillo, Dick Enberg, the McEnroes and most everyone else on staff, though, I could listen to all day (and I have been).

- Great moment today during Andy Murray’s destruction of Ernests Gulbis. The hype machine was in full swing preceding the match, touting Murray as the next great British champ, the one with the best chance of bringing back the crown to Great Britain. Problem is Andy Murray is a Scot, and although Scotland  is part of Great Britain, the English will never truly embrace him as one of their own. ESPN sent Pam Shriver over to the hill outside of Centre Court, where people gather to watch the big matches on the big screen, presumably to whip up this fake hype into a Murray frenzy. Shriver goes on to ask a lady where she’s from (Southern England) and “just how big is Andy Murray in your part of the country?”. Deadpan British response: “Well, not as popularly as Tim Henman was”. Ouch. Shriver, not to be made a fool by this buttoned up Englishwoman, turns to two kids behind her and after verifying their age (13), asks them how much they love Andy Murray. The kid answers: “Well, he’s not English”. Back to you in the booth, Dick! The only response that would have been funnier would have been “He’s no Greg Rusedski“.

- The NHL draft goes tomorrow, and have you noticed the media trying to pull the wool over your eyes this week? For a year, all we’ve heard was “John Tavares Sweepstakes” and “Leafs should tank to get the no. 1 pick. They could really use a sure fire #1 like Tavares”, etc. Now that we’re close to the draft and the networks need some drama, everyone from Victor Hedman to Evander Kane to Brayden Schenn are being touted as possible first selections. When it comes to televised sporting events, there is no shame. With three dedicated sports network in this country covering the same event, I guess if there is no news you simply make it up. I guess their only saving grace is that those wacky Islanders are picking first.

- If you ask me, there is absolutely no doubt the American League Wild Card will come from the AL East. Just look at the standings. Only the Texas Rangers could pull one out of the bag, and they’ll fade as soon as summer hits Arlington as usual, right?

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The Twit: TFC Moves On and Other Musings

Monday, June 22nd, 2009 | Author:
Improbable Champs

Improbable Champs

Just a lot going on right now (yay for summer!), so let’s recap with an edition of The Twit:

- Toronto FC are your 2009 Voyageurs Cup Champions! TFC rolled into Montreal on Thursday and destroyed the Impact reserves 6-1 (remember, they needed a four-goal win to better the Vancouver Whitecaps). It was a disgraceful act on the part of the Impact to field a bunch of reserves in a match that was uber-meaningful to both TFC and Vancouver. That’s a bush league move. Fans in Vancouver have every right to be livid, and Impact supporters took a page from the TFC Supporters Handbook by only showing up to the Impact’s next game at halftime, stating: “If the Impact are only going to show up for a 50% effort, we will do the same”. Fan power, baby.

- Mike Weir gave golf a little shot in the arm in Canada by being amongst the leaders following the second round. Then, he faded from view.

Sign this man before someone else does!

Sign this man before someone else does!

- So the Jays sweep the defending Champs, then are one loss away from being swept by the worst team in maybe ever (the Nationals are hovering near the 1967 Mets record at this point in the season), despite stellar pitching performances by Brian Tallet and Brett Cecil. Way to pick up your starters, Jays bats. One game out of the playoffs near the halfway point of the season, boys – let’s get some help (SIGN PEDRO!!)

- F1 has turned into one big clusterfuck. Eight teams (that’s 80% of the current F1 roster) are now saying they’re breaking away to form a new series with lower ticket prices, greater accessibility, transparency and more teams. Something tells me there’s a lot of posturing going on and in the end peace will be achieved (and it will be a victory for the teams). Surely cooler heads will prevail before they wreck the sport in the exact same manner as IRL and CART did in fighting their civil war for a decade before re-uniting.

- Italy got unceremoniously dumped from the Confederations Cup, losing to Brazil yesterday. The USA made it through to the semi-finals by the skin of their teeth, tied with the Azzurri on points but having scored one more goal in their three matches. Nothing’s guaranteed in soccer, but it’s looking more and more like a Spain v. Brazil final. The Confederations Cup is a second rate tourney that is a glorified dress rehearsal for the host country of next year’s World Cup, but the teams have fielded their best players which gives the results some credibility.

- Who’s the Blue Jays ace right now? Scott Richmond or Ricky Romero? Those are two rookies, by the way. Oh, and will Dustin McGowan ever pitch again? Sign Pedro.

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The Twit: A Weekend To Satiate All Fans

Friday, June 12th, 2009 | Author:
LeMans highlights a plethora of sporting goodness this weekend

LeMans highlights a plethora of sporting goodness this weekend

There’s a bonanza of must-see-sports-tv this weekend. Let’s go down the list that got my attention.

Friday:

- Roy Halladay toys with the lowly Marlins. This one should be over by the end of the first period of the next item. (TSN, 7 pm)

- Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. We can finally be done with it. This doesn’t mean I don’t love hockey (I do) or that the quality of play has been poor (it hasn’t), it’s just that it’s fucking June already. (CBC, NBC, 8 pm)

Saturday:

- 24 Hours of LeMans. Scroll down a couple posts for my thoughts on why this event is so special. (Coverage begins at 8am on Speed, goes until noon then comes back on at 4 pm until 10 pm, then coverage picks up again at Midnight until the checkered flag at 9:30 am Sunday).

- Casey Janssen continues his journey back to dominance with a start against the Marlins (1 pm, TSN)

- This is only for those in Ottawa, but Tyson: The Documentary is playing at the Bytowne at 2:45 pm, and I’ll be there with a group of friends

- The New York Mets take on the New York Yankees. One of the only series that makes interleague play palatable. Ken Rosenthal has a good column on the Mets manager and why he’s doomed to fail. (Fox, 4 pm)

Gotta love the Summer of Tallet

Gotta love the Summer of Tallet

Sunday:

- LeMans wraps up (Speed, all morning up to 9:30 am)

- The Summer of Tallet (as Tao of Stieb refers to it) continues, with the man himself taking on the Marlins (TSN, 1 pm)

- Kobe and the Lakers could finish the series against the Magic (TSN, 8 pm)

In Other News:

- Say it ain’t so: Pedro Drawing Interest (and it ain’t from Les Geais Bleus).

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The Twit: The Weekend That Was

Monday, June 08th, 2009 | Author:
A season that will come to define him

A season that will come to define him

Kind of a hectic weekend, but I did manage to catch a few sporting events:

- Roy Halladay is having the season that will define his career. Now if only the rest of the Jays can deliver a playoff spot…

- I think if Doc genuinely wants to stay in Toronto as long as they’re competing for the pennant (and I believe him when he says he does), the Jays need to sustain their winning form. For this reason I think JP should go get another bat, hopefully a true clean-up hitter. Think of it as a gesture of goodwill heading into contract negotiations with the best pitcher in baseball. Can Pedro hit cleanup?

- I was totally digging the Gulf Porsche 917-inspired shirt Federer was wearing at Roland-Garros. Ok, I don’t know for sure that’s what he was going for, but as a fan of the 24 Hours of LeMans, it’s the first thing that came to mind.

- There was a hockey game on Saturday night? I wasn’t aware: it is June, after all…

- Jenson Button wins again. I found out as I flipped to the race between French Open commercials. My interest wanes further.

Inspiration for Federer Fashion?

Inspiration for Federer Fashion?

- It’s a credit to NASCAR, a sport I loathe, that I watched the final eight laps of the Pocono 500 with more interest than what I saw of the F1 race – Tony Stewart coddling his empty gas tank to victory made for compelling viewing.

- Loved the interviews with the 1989 Blue Jays during Friday’s telecast, especially the one with Tony Fernandez. Sam Cosentino’s love for the game comes through every time he speaks. Too bad only 15,000 fans showed up for the anniversary event (COME ON TORONTO, WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!).

- Is it just me or could a movie of the French Open Final be made  starring Gary Oldman as Robin Soderling and Quentin Tarantino as Roger Federer? (clicky the names for pics)

- Hope Rafael Nadal doesn’t need surgery. I think I speak for all tennis fans when I wish him a speedy recovery and a strong return to the All-England club.

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The Twit: Leave of Absence

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 | Author:

 

Thierry Henry: Deserving of the Cup

Thierry Henry: Deserving of the Cup

Last post before next week most likely, as I am attending to a family matter out of town. I will probably not have time to watch sports, let alone write about them. See you next week!

- Paging Doctor Halladay. Doctor Halladay to the operating room STAT!

- Looks like it will be a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup final. If the Wings eliminate the Hawks tonight, do you think the NHL will get its ducks in order and move up the series, or will we go over a week without games?

- Is it cruel of me to wish for a Magic vs. Nuggets final in the NBA? 

- Champions League final this afternoon. I think I’m cheering for Barcelona. Yeah, I think so. Always been a fan of Thierry Henry’s, and I can’t stand Cristiano Ronaldo

- Pat Quinn is back in the NHL. At least he’s out West, where he can’t grate on my nerves too much.

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The Twit: Weekend Prep Edition

Friday, May 08th, 2009 | Author:
Bettmans attack dog

Bettman's attack dog

Quick hits leading into the weekend:

- No real developments concerning the Bettman/Balsillie story, save for a few anonymous quotes from NHL governors which are nothing more than posturing, and Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes calling the NHL a cartel. Yup, sounds about right. NHL executive Bill Daly shot back today calling the deal between Moyes and Balsillie “a sham“. Let the smear campaign begin anew!

- The Manny suspension still hasn’t fully sunk in.

- A-Rod comes back to the Yankees tonight. One weasel exits left, another enters stage right.

- Jamie Campbell: I do like him, but he needs to stop manufacturing go-to canned lines like “You can kiss this one goodbye!!”. Just react naturally, bud. You don’t want to turn into the White Sox home announcers: “Yyyyyyyessss!”

- A few other Campbell mis-steps during the first Jays/Angels game: at one point he pimped the text message service offered by the Jays, where you get score updates sent to your cell phone. Without missing a beat he goes right into “no need for text updates, though, seeing as I’ll just tell you the score: 7-0 Jays”. Jamie, the Jays marketing department (your colleagues) won’t be all that happy about you dismissing the service they have you trying to sell.  Also, he thanked the Eastern viewers in the Maritimes and P.E.I. for staying up to watch this West coast game, only to add “no need to stay up now, though, as the Jays are up 7-0 and have the game well in hand”. This was in the second inning. Never mind the fact that lots of baseball fans enjoy the game no matter the score, if they’ve stayed up and somehow boost your ratings, don’t encourage them to call it a night!

Bill Hohn: Just make the damn call

Bill Hohn: Just make the damn call

- Bill Hohn is my least favourite umpire in baseball. He was behind the plate of that same Jays/Angels game, and if you were watching you may have noticed that it takes him at least a second after the ball has entered the catcher’s mitt to make a strike call. You shouldn’t need to think about it, Blue. Every time I’d be sitting there thinking “Wow, that looked like a – never mind”. Very aggravating.

- Since I piled on an announcer I actually like, here’s one for an announcer I’m at best tepid about. After Pens left winger Pascal Dupuis picked up a penalty late in the third period after six straight calls the other way, Greg Millen reacted thusly: “Six straight to Washington, you KNEW – it COULD happen – and…yes that was interference”. Mr. Millen, please have the courage of your convictions. What you were trying to say is this: “After six straight calls against the Caps, you knew that the referees were looking for any excuse to give Pittshburgh a penalty. That’s the way referees call the game in this league.” Instead, you chickened out of actually saying it. That betrays a fear of league authorities that too many on-air personalities harbour.

- For the record, I’ve never bought into the theory that referees, especially in hockey, try to spread penalty calls evenly between teams. If they do, they are doing a disservice to the game. Call ‘em as you see ‘em. I believe that theory has been spread by the former coaches and players (who occupy way too many analyst positions in sports broadcasting) who have always felt victimized by referees. It’s also a go-to excuse for feeble-minded fans to attribute blame to officials for their team’s shortcomings, and also to justify bad calls going their way as in:  “Yup, we had that coming to us after you’ve fucked with us all game. Mr. Referee”.

Toronto defeated Vancouver 1-0 on Wedneday

Toronto defeated Vancouver 1-0 on Wednesday

- Toronto FC beat the Vancouver Whitecaps at BMO Field in the first game of the Voyageurs Cup last Wednesday. The winner of the three team home-and-home tournament will represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League starting this fall. You’ve probably all heard of Montreal’s surprise run to the quarterfinal of the competition last year. The next game in the Voyageurs Cup schedule (also known by its corporate name of Nutrilite Canadian Championship) goes next Wednesday night at BMO Field. A fierce rivalry was born last year between the two teams facing off, Toronto FC and Montreal Impact. As far as I can tell the game will not be televised on any of the major networks. Sad, but understandable: it would be up against a potential game 7 of Caps/Pens and the Blue Jays v. Yankees.

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The Twit: More Twit

Monday, May 04th, 2009 | Author:
Hill and Barajas: Leading the charge    

 

 

 

 

Hill and Barajas: Leading the charge

- Holy Jumpin’ Bejesus, Batman! I didn’t realize this today, but Sportsnet are showing every American League East team on their network tonight, with Red Sox/Yankees on Sportsnet East, while Sportsnet West has Rays/Orioles. The main feed will have Indians/Jays. Wowzers.

- If that wasn’t enough the Penguins and Capitals renew hostilities tonight at 7pm on CBC. We are actually forced to watch it on CBC tonight – we were spoiled with the vastly superior NBC coverage on Saturday afternoon. 

- Vernon Wells stepped to the plate yesterday and sent a bomb to the warning track. Centrefielder Adam Jones, in a full sprint, blew a bubble with his gum. He caught the ball. Anyone else catch that? 

- I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that fewer male “journalists” would be attacking Selena Roberts if she was, say, Erin Andrews. Yes, that’s what I’m saying. Here‘s a good editorial on The Big Lead with more on this issue.

- Rod Barajas is hitting .342.

- I’m not 100% certain, but I think the Jays are 3-0 when Geddy Lee is in his seat behind the plate at Rogers Centre. I’ll make an attempt to track that this year. 

- Speaking of the Rush frontman: do you think if Raul Chavez tried to pull a Joe Montana “John Candy”  moment on Saturday, that the young future ace replied with: “Who the fuck is Geddy Lee?”.

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The Twit: MONDAY! (shoot me now) Edition

Monday, May 04th, 2009 | Author:
Aaron Hill: Boys and girls take note

Aaron Hill: Boys and girls take note

‘Twas s nice little weekend in sport, that. Let’s dive right in with another edition of The Twit!

- Robert Ray made his Major League debut and went (almost) 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits. Best part is that he seemed to settle down after conceding a first inning home run to Adam Jones.

- If you have a young child, and you are looking for a professional athlete for them to treat as a role model (careful now), look no further than Jays 2nd baseman Aaron Hill. As far as I can tell he is loved equally by his teammates, management and the members of the media who cover him (and probably his Mom). Plus he delivers heroics as witnessed in the bottom of the 10th and 11th innings of Saturday’s game. First he booted the ball in the top of the 10th, spotting the O’s a one run lead, only to homer in the bottom frame to tie it again and in the 11th sealed the game with a walk-off base hit. NAILS.

- It was extremely difficult to juggle between watching the Jays game and the Pens-Caps opener. My brain was saying “playoff hockey is special, it only comes once a year (for two months, but still), and this series will be the most compelling story”. My heart was singing:

I managed to do a decent job as I didn’t miss any of the goals, and caught most of the pertinent Jays moments. Most importantly I got to watch every second of extra innings.

- Here’s hoping that the Pens/Caps series continues to be as good as the first game. Crosby and Ovechkin scoring, physical play from both sides, and the goalies stood on their heads (and sticks). If you haven’t yet seen the amazing save by Varlamov that preserved the final score, here it is in all its glory:

- I think there was a horse race or something. People wore hats. Not sure on the details though.

- The Jays  and Scott Richmond (4-0) just kept on rolling Sunday, getting the brooms out in what surprisingly was their first sweep of 2009. Goodbye Orioles, come back soon! They Jays now have eight of the 14 wins I requested when their current 20 games in 20 days started. Two more wins and they go .500 for that stretch. Starting tonight the Jays will see the Indians twice, the Angels twice and finish up with a three game set against the Athletics. Something tells me they can scratch two wins out of those games.

- Triple overtime in the Ducks-Red Wings game yesterday was pretty cool, and once again was the scene for two outstanding goalie performances. Chris Osgood held up a middle finger to all his critics and Jonas Hiller showed everyone why he was the right choice over Jean-Sébastien Giguère.

Snider: Take a long term view?

Snider: Take a long term view?

- I’ll come right out and be the first to say it. Maybe it’s time for Travis Snider to head to Las Vegas to work on his swing. I realize this comes after a weekend in which he made some spectacular plays in the outfield (Brian Roberts won’t soon forget The Travis). However, he’s in a 6-for-33 slump which leaves him with a .229 average. My reasoning includes an excuse to send him down six weeks, which would give the Jays an extra year of control over Travis, as Bart Given explained before the season began. Everyone kinda forgot about it after Snider jumped out to a fantastic rookie-of-the-year-ish start, but now the question needs to be asked: Would a platoon of Jose Bautista and Joe Inglett really be a downgrade at this point?

- Caught the last period of Bruins/Canes last night and it was highly entertaining. Cam Ward (recurring theme alert) was spectacular facing wave after wave of Winnie The Pooh attacks. At one point during a series of successive Ward saves, the usually staid Gord Miller ran out of octaves to which he could climb. Doesn’t get better than that.

- The Jays send Brian Tallet (1-1) to the mound tonight, and the Jays hitters will face Fausto Carmona (1-3).

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