It Has Been a While

And for that I apologize. I have been moving and starting a new job this month, in addition to getting ready to back for school. As such, I haven’t had time for any updates, but once the NFL season gets underway, I think I will try to update, its just once a week.

Also, the Jays make me sad everytime I look at the standings.

Putting the ‘X’ into Exciting

While the X in X games stande for eXtreme, it could just as easily stand for exciting. Having the week off, and there not being very much on the tube, I’ve found myself watching the X games, and I couldn’t be more pleasently surprised. All this and the closeest thing I come to to naming an athlete is “that guy who was on Top Gear.“

The fun thing about the X games is no matter how plain or simmple the event, its always exciting. I was watching motocross high jump. Basically you get a start onto this really steep ramp, and try to make it over the pole on your dirt bike. This was probably one of the more tame events compared to all the backflips, 360’s and whatnot that go on during the X games but every sport just blew my mind. Today I was watching BMX and motocross freestyles, both very exciting, and very dangerous.

Of all the sportting events to go to, I’d say that going to the X games is right at the top of the list. I mean you get to to to LA in the summer so that alone would be a good trip. In addition to the X games you could also catch a Dodgers or Angels game but thats beside the point. If I were to go on a sports vacation I think it would be to LA to see the summer X Games.

A Special Gift From The Sunshine State

I have work early tomorrow, yet i am unable to sleep. I am just too excited about last week’s news out of Tampa Bay.

Regular readers will know I feel a certain sense of abhorrence towards Florida and in particular Tampa. In fact I would reserve a special spot in hell for all things Floridian, and sports is no different. The Magic, the Rays, the U, the Heat, the Jags, the Lightening, the Marlins, et al. I hope that all these teams undergo embarrassing losses, humiliating plays, and seasons their fans would like to forget.

However in a rare, RARE occurrence, I am going to have to give a big TO Sports Blog thank you, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who agreed this week to wear their previously retired, amazingly discussing orange uniforms for one regular season game this year. These uniforms look like Richard Simmons tried to design a Raiders third jersey, only it got thrown out by Al Davis, and sent to the Armpit of the world known as Tampa.

For those of you who may not know, the Bucs were known as the “Yucs” and even had a winless season while wearing these creamsicle abominations.

So Tampa Bay Bucs, for bringing back bad vibes and reliving a horrible past, I thank you.

By Scott

PS the game they’re wearing these throwbacks just happens to fall on my birthday. Thanks Tampa!

Vick’s Future

Who let the dog out?

Now that the question of what will happen to Michael Vick has partially been answered, he has been reinstated by commissioner Roger Goodel, a whole new chapter of “What’s  Next?” has been opened, there are several possibilities, however there isn’t one clear cut right solution that will please everyone.

Obviously there are going to be people against Vick playing again, and not just PETA, but dog lovers everywhere. On the other side of the coin, are those who don’t really care what Michael Vick did and are big fans, although they represent a smaller number of people. There is also those in the middle who think he has paid his price, who don’t really care one way or another, or would like to see him get a second chance.

Vick is able to play after week six, pending good behaviour, in the NFL that is. Some, including Bills’ wide receiver Terrell Owens, feel that he has already served his time and that the suspension is unneeded. This leaves us with what will happen to Vick.

The first scenario is that he does get resigned. There are several alternatives to this case such as when, if he reports for training camp on time, who will be willing to sign him, and for how much. If multiple teams are interested, will they drive up the value of his contract and by how much.

The next obvious scenario if no NFL team wants him, after sitting out for two years, the last thing he should do if he wants to play again is sit out another year. I don’t think that this situation is completely out of the realm of possibility as in edition to the moral decision some owners face, he is an aging mediocre QB who hasn’t played in two years.

If Vick doesn’t end up playing in the NFL, then there is the start up league the UFL. The UFL would love to have a big name player such as Vick, because even though he might be bad press, he would draw much needed attention to the UFL.

He probably wont end up in the CFL, because in edition to his suspension which the league would prevent him from playing, he would likely be unable to work in Canada given his criminal background.

Finally now that Brett Farve has bowed out of the Minnesota race I could see them going after Michael Vick, however I would be interested to see how he does playing in the cold.

Personally, I think that the most likely scenario is that he ends up playing a year in the UFL, proving to the NFL that he still has what it takes to play at a competitive level. After  that he’ll either continue on in the UFL, or reach a deal with the NFL, serving out his suspension.

-Lucas
P.S. I recently saw a bunch of Madden’s in the used game bin selling for about $5.99, except for the one Vick was on the cover of, that went for a whopping $2.99.

Mmm Food

Some things are just better accompanied, and sports are no exception, sports just go better with food. While there are the foods that go well with just about any sport, see pizza, but some foods like aged cheddar are more sport specific .

Pizza. The Nuremberg Defense of foods, pizza goes well almost with just about anything, anywhere, anytime. Part of the reason that pizza goes so well with almost every sporting event is because its so flexible. At Wrigley Field or at a local sports bar because Cubs tickets were too much? Grab a deep dish meat-zza. In the middle of winter at a Leafs game, a slice of hot and fresh pepperoni for $7.95 hits the spot. Even for more elegant sports like golf and tennis go well with a whole wheat thin crust lighter pizza like tomato and basil.

BBQ Meat. This is more of a generic category, that covers all the basics, hot dogs, hamburgers, hell even BBQ ribs. These are typically more summer foods that you would throw on the BBQ while watching baseball, or even NBA/NHL playoffs. The fan faithful will even fire up the BBQ on a cold November Sunday. While temperature isn’t something that those in warmer parts of the world have to worry about, it is something that affects us Torontonians. Like pizza BBQ meat goes good with just about any sporting event, live or watching on TV.

Nachos. Nachos are interesting because while you can get them at most venues they are much better at a pub or home. I consider Nachos more of a Baseball or Football snack, they are also good for Hockey and Basketball inside in the middle of winter.

Pretzel. My favourite stadium snack, warm, light, salty and covered in mustard. Pretzels are always good, and usually pretty reasonably priced.

Popcorn. Much like pretzels popcorn is just about always good, some may see it as a pro, other a con, but it is also very shareable. A word of warning though, popcorn can be very filling if you try to eat a bag yourself.

Cheese Platter. I love cheese, I’d like nothing more than to go to a a basketbal game and chaw down on a brick of Cracker Barrel Old Cheddar. However, a cheese plate is almost exclusively reserved for getting together and watching the majors, that and Wimbledon.

Monday Ramblings

I have realized that it has been a while since I have posted, a very long while since I have posted anything on the Jays, for that I sincerely apologize, however they have been so mediocre lately, and that’s being generous so I have decided to move my focus elsewhere. It feels like cheating talking about other MLB teams, although congratulations are in order to Mark Bruehrle for tossing a perfect game the other day. Bonus points for making it against the Rays. Also congratulations are in order for Ricky Henderson and Jim Rice for getting into the Cooperstown.

I’m a couple of days late on this but that catch made by Dewayne Wise, a late inning defensive replacement, made an over the fence, home run robbing catch that almost wasn’t. Here is a video of it on YouTube shot by a fan and in surprisingly high quality, its great to hear the crowd’s reaction from great disappointment, to being back on top of the world again. This is the broadcast version.

One of the things that I like about Hall of Fame week, is all the positive light that is shed on the players. Sure part of the reason that they get into the Hall is because of their character, but there are also a lot of stories published that otherwise wouldn’t normally make it to the light of day. I read two examples of such stories that can be found on ESPN, one about Henderson being a much better team mate than anyone would have realized things like, asking to be taken out late in games so young players could get at bats and such. Another was about how Jim Rice saved the life of a young boy. Its nice to hear these stories, and its really too bad that they aren’t published more often.

I really like that Doc is getting attention, I also like that they aren’t going to trade him away for nothing, however, my opinion of the situation, will he be traded, won’t he changes about every five minutes. As it stands right now, I don’t think that he will. However there are still a few days for teams to collapse under the pressure and sign him. If he has to get traded, I’d love to see him go to my favourite N.L. team, the Dodgers if he does get traded, however my real preference would be to see him stay in Toronto.

Finally Michael Vick has been suspended four games by the NFL, and Terrel Owens isn’t very pleased about this. On one hand I think that T.O. is right, hes already been to jail, lost all his money, and been suspended indefinitely, so what are four more games really going to do. However, I still think that he should have to pay his time to the NFL. I think that more than anything this four game suspension acts as a deterrent from teams who would be interested in signing him, as they wouldn’t have him for the full season. To be honest, I would be surprised if he does play again this year, but I would not be surprised at all to see him in the UFL, or even in the CFL. To be honest, I think that the CFL style of football suits Vick’s style of play very well. But away from the game for so long, he is bound to have slowed down a little bit, and his arm sure won’t be as accurate as it as.

Until next time, keep on rockin and Rolen in the free world.

Thoughts on Doc

Is This the End?

There have been two things in the last two days that have indicated that Doc is going to be traded. The first is his wife Brandy. Over the last three games she has been in the broadcast booth plugging the Lady Jays Food Drive. When the topic of Halladay being traded she was practically in tears. She was holding them back but they were still there.

Almost as concerning was today after Halladay’s complete game win he looked sad, happy because he won, but sad because he knew that this could very well be his last win with the team. If it was it was a great way to be remembered as a Blue Jay.

While both “indicators” are purly guesses, there is no denying how Doc looked today, sort of like the day of his high school graduation, he was happy for the moment, and knows he is going onto bigger and better things, but sad to leave all everything behind.

Now I have a conspericy theory. If Doc gets traded now and wins a ring, he might come back to Toronto after 2010. He has settled down here, and his wife and kids I assume are quite happy. I’m sure that they would rather raise their kids here then say Baltimore, or many American city’s. In addition, Brandy Halladay and their children could live with Doc for the rest of this summer and next, which means that they wouldn’t spend too much time apart, especially when you consider things like Roy being away for spring training and road games. Wishful thinking at best, but I hope its a reality.

What to Watch now that Baseball is Back

Over the last week I took a little break from baseball, and thus the blog suffered as well, but fear not I’m back. The All-Star Game seemed really underwhelming this year, maybe its the fact that I’m a Canadian, but I’m fine with the whole Go America montage of presidents and flyovers, but what really bugs me is how we [Canadians] get snubbed at the Anthem. I thought it was bad a couple of years ago when it was a four piece brass band that played Oh Canada, but that’s better than what we got this year, just a playing over the PA system. The thing that gets me is how hard is it for whomever is singing/playing the Star Spangled Banner to learn Oh Canada as well. Its bad when Justin Morneau notices.

With the ‘week’ off from baseball its the perfect chance to get into some other sports. While I am no fan of UFC, I’m very much a fan of outlandish and offensive victory speeches. Once and a while its nice to watch when someone isn’t a good winner, and when the entire crowd is booing them why not. The UFC isn’t the PGA so why not have an over the top victory speech. How bad was it? You be the judge. At least he was honest when Joe Rogan asked him how it felt to win. If you were too lazy to click the link to watch the video here’s what he said;

“Fank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him that a year ago. I pulled it out of him and beat him over the head with it. [Now] I’m going to drink a Coors Light. That’s right a Coors. Bud Light don’t pay me nothing. I may even get on top of my wife tonight.”

The only thing that could save the Tour de France is Lance Armstrong, and really its the ultimate cherry on top of his already amazing story. If he does win it will be all the sweeter because he wasn’t racing to win, but the publicity hes generating for the sport is amazing, especially after the bad reputation its gotten for steroid use since Lance’s retirement. If you aren’t already following Lance on Twitter, its well worth it.

Finally, the only story that might be more fun than watching Lance kick ass at the Tour…again is  following Tom Watson on the PGA tour. He’s the leader and he is 59 years old.

I had a Dream

But it was really more of a nightmare.

Roy Halladay and Vernon Wells were traded to the Houst0n Astros for cash, prospects and first basemen Lance Berkman.

That is all, I have absoloutly nothing to base it on, I just felt I needed to share that with the world.

Half Baked All Star Ideas

With the MLB All Star Game on Tuesday and as always criticisms about the fans voting in players, and the winner determining home field advantage for the World Series I have a few half baked ideas to make the game better. Some are additions to ideas that have already been said, so I know that I am not original in my thinking, just my twists on them. Without further adue, here are my half baked ideas to make the MLB All-Star game even better.

Half Baked Idea Number One

Catch a break from the regular names with a little R&R, rookies and retirees. What the MLB All Star game needs is more mini games and competitions and this is just one, have a defense made up of rookies, vs an offense of all guys who are retired. The rookies play the field while the old timers bat once through the line up. The over under is 3.5 runs, with unlimited outs, if the old guys can score 4 runs with 9 batters and unlimited outs they win, if the young guys can keep them to three or less then the rookies win. The over-under score might need to be adjusted but it would be a chance to see your favourite veterans one last time, against your just drafted future.

Half Baked Idea Number Two

Have a free agent talent show. Let guys like Frank Thomas and Pedro Martinez show off that they can still, or can’t still play. All the big names from each team are in town so they get a chance to showcase what they have to everyone. With the trade deadline a couple of weeks away after the break, why not let the free agents show what they have left. They could have their own home run derby, pitch off, base stealing competition etc. which brings me to my next point.

Half Baked Idea Number Three

More skill competitions. Sure the Home Run Derby is fun, minus all the ads and the fact it takes a whole working day to play, but the skill competitions. The NHL has the fastest lap, hardest shot, accuracy competition with the breaking targets, so why not bring some of these to the MLB. They could have a base stealing showdown, I’d like to see runners on first and third both running to second, but I don’t think MLB would like the risk of injury, so have a runner on first and second both trying to advance. A spin on this could be a runner vs catcher showdown, where the pitcher throws a pitch out, and the runner has to beat the throw.

Another skill competition that I would like to see tests the pitchers accuracy by breaking plates that represent the strike zone. Have them break five softball sizes plates, one in each corner and one right in the middle without breaking any plates outside of the strike zone. For the second round, back the plates up so they are now throwing at a longer distance, have them throw from second or something. I’m sure the GM’s wouldn’t want their pitchers getting tired, but they wouldn’t be throwing for power so much as accuracy, again it would be goo for teams looking to shop their pitchers out.

By Lucas