Dog days of August

Well it's been a good run for the Blue Jays...there's a month and a half left in the season (oh baseball, you go by so fast!) and the Jays sit 7.5 back of the Damn Yankees and 8.5 behind the defending champion White Sox for the wild card.

They had a rough road trip a while back but have since played better...unfortunately it hasn't translated into gaining any ground.

Their one last realistic shot at making some noise comes the rest of this month, with 3 of 4 series against beatable teams (Tampa, Baltimore, Cleveland). If the Jays have any hope at all, they have to at least win those 3 series and ideally take two of three against Oakland.

I'm optimistic they'll do well, but not so optimistic that they'll move up very much in the standings...just too many good teams ahead of them.

Congrats to Roger Federer for winning the Rogers Cup over at York University, his 40th career victory and 17th straight finals appearance. The guy is just ridiculous...he has almost no competition, outside of Rafael Nadal, and that's only on clay.

The scary part is that he's only 25...he's already the best in recent memory, and he's on his way to etching his name with the likes of Sampras, Agassi, Lendl, Borg and the other male tennis greats.

And last but certainly not least, a big shoutout to my favourite player in the NFL, newly-retired Junior Seau. He was the most dominant linebacker of his day, going to twelve straight Pro Bowls...TWELVE. Most NFL players don't even play 12 seasons...this guy was at the top of his game every year.

He sparked my interest in NFL football and my subsequent love of the Chargers which still burns to this day, thanks to LaDainian Tomlinson and the hopes of a contending team for years to come.

And his retirement press conference wasn't the usual washed-up-football-star-gets-all-weepy affair.

"Listen, I win. I'm not going to cry. You know what? I won."

"Today is my graduation day. Retirement means that you'll just go ahead and live on your laurels and surf all day in Oceanside. It ain't going to happen."

"Respect the game. Love the game. Stop pushing the game away, youth. Because you know what? The game is going to go anyway. The game's going to leave you anyway. So why not embrace it? I loved that game."

Words of wisdom from one of the game's best. Seau deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and a broadcast career is definitely in his future. I wear the 55 on my back partly because of him...thanks Junior, you were great.

Forza Azzurri!!!

I still can't believe it.

Once again, it's all about justice and redemption.

We won despite another bullshit-of-all-bullshits penalty call in the early going (he didn't even touch that diving bastard)...justice.

Zidane's crossbar-bouncing penalty just barely went in, but Trezeguet's penalty didn't...justice.

Trezeguet not scoring...redemption for Euro 2000.

Italy winning in a penalty shootout for the first time since, well, ever...redemption.

As for Zidane's headbutt...well that was just shameful. Not the way you want to go out in the last game of your international career...certainly a blemish on his legacy.

And so closes a great tournament with the greatest possible outcome...doesn't get much better than that.

Two championships in my lifetime (I was like two months old in 82). I'll guess this means I'll be 48 for the next one.

At least this time I got to celebrate...walking and cheering amongst thousands of Italian supporters on College St and St Clair Ave...I'll never forget it.

Forza Italia...forza indeed.

Unbelievable!!!

The Azzurri are in the finals!

They soundly outplayed the Germans and deserved to win...it was a great game.

Next up France or Portugal...either revenge for 1998 and 2000, or the battle of St. Clair and College. Should be great either way.

Forza Italia!

Italy vs Germany

The final four...here we are.

I'm confident and yet pessimistic at the same time

Germany really hasn't had a tough game all tournament, and they really didn't see the best of Argentina, who foolishly sat back and tried to hold the lead instead of attacking.

And yet the home field advantage makes me think they'll make it to the finals for sure.

With all of the bad press surrounding Italian soccer between the scandal and some questionable plays/playcalling, can they really make it to the finals? If they do, one of two interesting scenarios await them.

Either France, who I'd love to beat to exact revenge for 1998 and 2000 (the amount of extra time added in the 2000 Euro final grows every year...we're up to 10 minutes now), or Portugal, who I'd love to beat to shut up the Portuguese fans and reclaim St. Clair Ave and College St as Italian territory.

The Azzurri have yet to concede an actual goal in the World Cup (the own goal against the US doesn't count), and they're more than capable of breaking down a suspect German defense.

Hopefully they will learn from seeing Argentina try and fail to play a shut-down style of game and bring the attack to Germany...if for no other reason than an exciting match.

Forza Italia...let's kick the farfennugen out of ze Germans!

Italy vs Ukraine

Worlds are colliding! It's on...this is the finals for our group of friends.

I'm predicting another 1-0 win for Italy, mostly because Ukraine will sit back like they did against the Swiss.

It'll be boring, and somewhat ugly (not as bad as some of the other games...I'm talking to you, Portugal) but a win is a win.

And oh yeah, for all the people who are bitching about the supposed no-call in the Australia game...it's called justice. Materazzi's red card was bullshit (it was no more than a yellow)...and Guus Hiddink had it coming after getting every friggin call in 2002 when he coached South Korea.

Plus if you look closely, the Aussie defender was definitely trying to impede Grosso. Just because he didn't slide tackle him doesn't mean he wasn't trying to trip him up. You might not like the timing, but it's a penalty...deal with it.

Forza Italia...let's make perogies out of the Ukraine!

Italy vs Australia

Well, Italy has already surpassed my World Cup expectations by winning their group and thus avoiding Brazil in the first round.

The Aussies will be a difficult team to play against, as they're quite aggressive and it seems the Italians have trouble playing non-European teams, ie. tying the US and the South Korea debacle four years ago. Those two teams have something in common: Australia's head coach Gus Hiddink coached the Koreans in 2002.

This troubles me slightly. However, Italy should prevail, meaning an Italy-Ukraine match is highly possible, provided the Ukies take care of the Swiss as well.

England beating Ecuador was no real surprise, however I was disappointed in the Dutch for not taking advantage of a shorthanded Portuguese squad. It was a dirty game and frankly both teams should be ashamed of their antics...it's given England a huge advantage, as Deco, Costinha and possibly Luis Figo will be unavailable for the match due to red cards/suspensions.

Germany/Argentina is going to be a classic, and Brazil/Spain or Brazil/France will also be a dandy. Ghana is a good team but I can't see them knocking off the Brazilians.

So far a very entertaining World Cup...Forza Italia, let's kick some Kangaroo ass!

The Carolina Hurricanes...2006 Stanley Cup Champions

Congrats to the Canes...they were the best team in the Eastern Conference for most of the season, made the best moves at the trade deadline (Doug Weight, Mark Recchi), and were the best team in the playoffs.

So many long-suffering veterans finally get to hoist the Cup: Weight, Glen Wesley, Ray Whitney, and the most deserving of all, Rod Brind'Amour, the definition of a class act.

I will wear my Hurricanes jersey with pride (whenever the hell it decides to show up).

Kudos to the Oilers for coming back when everyone counted them out...but they just couldn't complete the comeback. I will say that even though they're a Canadian team and I'm supposed to root for them, they knocked out my pick in the West (San Jose), so frankly, I ain't cryin for em. Plus I just can't fully get behind a team with Mike Peca on it...I hate that guy.

And so the book closes on another season of NHL hockey...let's hope they can build on this successful year and learn from the mistakes of the lockout and the boring pre-lockout style of play.

Until then...let's go Blue Jays.

Uh oh...the Oilers are in trouble.

After blowing a three-goal lead and losing Dwayne Roloson for the rest of the series, the Oilers look to be...oh what's the expression...fucked.

Here's another expression: sometimes it's better to be lucky to be good, and the Hurricanes have certainly been lucky. After beating maybe the best goalie in the league in Martin Brodeur, they took advantage of major injuries on Montreal and Buffalo (Saku Koivu, Tim Connolly and pretty much all of the Sabres' top defensemen) to move on. But let's not go so far to say it was a fluke: I recall everyone picking Carolina as the favourites to go all the way post-trade deadline, when thy picked up Mark Recchi and Doug Weight. This is a stacked offensive team, and they've beat three straight hot goalies. I'll be proud to wear their colours, and willing to withstand the boos, rotten fruit and office equipment thrown my way at work.

As for Dwayne Roloson, well...while I don't wish injury on anyone, he might have had this coming. He's been flopping around, diving and drawing penalties pretty much all postseason. Some would call them the actions of a wily veteran. I call it cheating. Perhaps Roloson will curl up with an old favourite whilst on the shelf: Peter and the Wolf. When I saw him sprawled on the ice, I wasn't immediately convinced he was legitimately hurt, and that speaks volumes about his character.

So it appears the Oilers magical run is over. They upset two Cup favourites in Detroit and San Jose, and got by another Cinderella team in the Ducks, but it looks like the Canes will be too much, especially now that they're forced to go with Conklin or Markannen (comically dubbed Conkkanen by Oilers fans). They'll be back, though...they've got a great mix of youth and veterans, and will learn a lot from this experience as a group.

In other possibly more important news, the World Cup starts this week, and is about the only thing that can push the Stanley Cup Finals to the background...(if the Jays make the World Series, then we'll talk).

The four-year buildup is over...and while many things have changed, one has stayed the same: Brazil is the clear favourite. They are just a ridiculously talented squad, and even the most blind fan of any other team has to acknowledge the Brazilians as the team to beat.

I'd like to say Italy has a chance...but frankly it'll be difficult enough for the Azzurri to get out of the group stage...and once there, Brazil likely awaits them, unless they can edge out the Czechs for first in Group E, which again is no easy task. I have the Czechs making it all the way to the finals to face Brazil (and losing).

An unlikely (but pretty cool) scenario would have the Italians finishing first and defeating Croatia in the round of 16, setting up a match versus Ukraine, pitting myself and all my Italian friends against the one Ukrainian in our group. Needless to say, serious smack-talk and various Seinfeld references will be flung around like so many pizzas and perogies.

Realistically though, Italy is out in the first knockout stage. I'm picking Holland and Mexico to join Brazil and the Czechs in the final four. As for upsets, look out for the Ivory Coast, the strongest African team in the tournament.

"The Beautiful Game" brings the world together like no other event, even the Olympics. So enjoy the World Cup, whoever you happen to be cheering for.

Imagine being in line for a beer at a ballgame...

And a retirement plan literally falls into your hand.

38-year-old Andrew Morbitzer, a San Francisco native, is the proud owner of Barry Bonds' 715th home run ball.

He caught it with one hand, after it dropped off the roof and into the concession area.

Luckiest. Bastard. Ever. If it were me, I'd sell it and allow the good times to subsequently roll...life is too short for working and that bullshit.

As for Bonds, the record means nothing to me on any level. He still cheated, he's still a jerk, and he's still second. He's 40 away from Hank Aaron, and at his current rate, he ain't gonna do it.

And frankly, I'm glad: Hank Aaron is all class. Remove the first two letters from class, and you have Barry Bonds.

Of course, congrats to the Oilers...first Cup final since 1990...and even though my Carolina Hurricanes jersey is due to arrive for the Stanley Cup, I'm backing the Oil.

Going to the Jays game after work to catch Doc Halladay & Co take on the Red Sox...after taking two of three from the defending champion White Sox and still 5 games over .500 without 3/5 of their starting rotation, they're still in good shape I think.

So go Jays, go Oilers, and um, go catching a money ball while in line for a beer.

Anaheim, Buffalo, Carolina, Edmonton

Your final four in the new NHL...yep, it's new alright.

I was 3 for 4 on my predictions...and I'm happy to do the Canadian thing and support Edmonton.

I'm going with Edmonton and Buffalo in the finals...

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm hunting for red Sabres, red Hurricanes and the alternate Oilers jerseys (black Sharks too, if I can find em).

A little basketball comment

There's been quite the debate over Steve Nash being named MVP for a second straight year, ahead of Kobe Bryant and Lebron James.

Tonight in Game 7 of the Phoenix-LA series, Nash showed why he at least deserves the honour over Kobe.

He played into the fourth quarter on a sprained ankle, completing a 4% probability comeback in Game 7.

As for Kobe? He took a grand total of three shots in the second half, in a game that was a blowout from the get go.

Advantage: Nash. Kobe is a punk.

First round of the playoffs = over.

The first round is always unpredictable, but this is ridiculous: the top 4 seeds make it through in the East, while the top 4 seeds in the West are eliminated. No one could have drawn up that scenario.

The biggest shock for me was Calgary losing to Anaheim...nothing against the Ducks, but the Flames looked good even after stretching the series to 7 games. With the other top seeds out, the Flames had a golden opportunity and squandered it.

Here's a quick look at each series, complete with predictions from yours truly:

Ottawa vs. Buffalo - This will be far and away the most exciting second round matchup. Both teams can score in bunches and are fun to watch. I really, really want to pick the Sabres in this one, but the Senators are...oh what the hell, I'm picking the Sabres. In six. I must be nuts.

Carolina vs. New Jersey - In previous years, this matchup would have been a snoozer. But both the Canes and Devils have pretty good offenses. I like the Canes a lot, but Jersey is just too hot to go against, especially with Brodeur in net. Carolina can gain the advantage in this series by winning Game 1, just to break the Devils' ridiculous winning streak and to cast a shadow of doubt. If they drop the first two again like they did in Montreal, there won't be another comeback. So either the Canes in six, or the Devils in five. Everything hinges on the first two games.

Edmonton vs. San Jose - I must say, I am impressed with the Oilers. I didn't expect them to even challenge Detroit, who decided to revert to their usual we-absolutely-suck-in-the-playoffs form. I thought that schtick would be over with Babcock behind the bench, but evidently not. Of course I had three Red Wings in my office hockey pool, which pretty much ends my chances already. So I'm both bitter and grudgingly impressed at the same time. All this being said, the Sharks are my favourite team in the Western Conference, and I think they take this series. This team was scary even while they were floundering in 10th and 11th a few months back. I remember looking at the standings and at the team's recent record and thought: How are these guys not in the playoffs yet? What do they have to do? They kept up their torrid pace and finished 5th, to which I thought: That's better. San Jose has three huge performers in Thornton, Cheechoo and Marleau, and Edmonton won't be able to stop all three of them. Sharks in six.

Anaheim vs. Colorado - Two teams I didn't even think would make the playoffs are suddenly facing each other in the second round. Give credit to Anaheim for outdefending the best defensive team in the league in Calgary. The Avs meanwhile laid a whupping on Dallas, who looked listless and uninspired the whole series. I had no feelings for the Stars coming into the postseason, and I'm glad I don't have to waste time creating any. I'm gonna give this series to the Ducks, solely on the fact that they already beat a team vastly superior to Colorado in the first round. Six games oughta do it.

Early Stanley Cup matchup: San Jose vs. Buffalo. I would watch every minute of those finals.

One final playoff thought: take a look at the starting 8 goalies in the second round...there's one big name in the bunch, and that's Marty Brodeur. Theodore is a borderline big name, and then you've got Ray Emery, Ryan Miller, Cam Ward, Dwayne Roloson, Vesa Toskala, and Ilya Brzygalov. Every single one of these guys was an afterthought going into the season, except maybe Miller, who got hurt at the beginning anyway. In my fantasy hockey leagues I seriously devalued all but a handful of goalies, because nobody knew what the scoring was going to be like, or which goalies would adjust to the new rules and equipment. I figured a bunch of no-namers would come to the forefront, and unfortunately it took until the playoffs for that notion to be correct.

Oh well...second round, here we come.

Leafs vs. Pens

Well, at least it was a good game...even though it meant nothing. Of course I would have tickets to the last game of a non-playoff season...sigh.

Anyway, here are a few shots from the game...I have a lot of great ones (gotta love 10x zoom lenses)

A disturbing discovery.

I visited my folks' house this weekend, and instinctively picked up the sports section.

I rifled through it at a much faster rate than normal, and then it hit me: I knew about everything in it already.

Wow...my sports knowledge actually beats the morning paper now. Scary.

The Jays sit at 5-4 after taking the series from Boston...ah Boston, always good for a couple beatings. We own the Red Sox for whatever reason.

Next up is the World Series champion White Sox, and the debut of AJ Burnett. What am I looking for from him in this start? Coming out of it healthy. That's all I ask...he can get torched, I don't care. We need him and Halladay (who will be back next week) firing on all cylinders by the end of the month.

As for the Leafs...well, they've decided to play their best hockey of the year after every intelligent person wrote them off, maybe as a hockey-stick sized middle finger. I wouldn't have expected them to be 3 points out with three games remaining...but I'm still not getting on the bandwagon. I will attempt to regain a foothold on said wagon, however, if three things (and I mean all three things) occur:

1) Tampa Bay loses to Carolina tonight
2) We beat Ottawa on Saturday
3) The final game of the season against Pittsburgh (which I have tickets to) means something.

The first looks quite possible. The second not so much, although there hasn't been a better chance for it to happen, given Ottawa's recent struggles and the Leafs' sudden surge. The third obviously depends greatly on the first two...either way, it'll be a chance to see Sidney Crosby and there might be free stuff, since it's the last game of the season.

It'll be an exciting week for Toronto sports...and I won't need the paper to tell me that.

2-1...Jays looking good so far.

Aside from the 13-4 second-game debacle, the Jays are off to a good start.

The new guys look great...BJ Ryan got a huge ovation for almost every pitch on Tuesday. Glaus and Overbay have gone deep already. And Bengie Molina had a moonshot to left on Tuesday...wow. They were chanting his name after that.

The best part about winning on Opening Day: 50,000+ people were entertained and went home happy, with the thought of coming back. Couldn't have worked out any better for the Jays. And the Skywalk was JAMMED with people, cheering and chanting Let's Go Blue Jays. You'd have sworn it was October 1992 again.

There are a few not-so-good things, naturally. Like bad defense...four errors in the first two games is a little troublesome.

However, I'm not worried. Because baseball is the only major sport where defense does not win you championships. It helps, sure, but it's not what gets you there. Nobody could tell me that the 2004 Red Sox were a top defensive club. And there are no Detroit Pistons or Minnesota Wilds or Baltimore Ravens in baseball; teams that are defense-first simply don't exist. Pitching and defense will get you far, but the emphasis there is on pitching, not defense.

A more important concern for the Jays is the health of AJ Burnett and Ted Lilly. It looks like we've dodged two bullets so far, but I'm not convinced until they each make it through a couple of starts. Josh Towers is a decent pitcher, but as he showed on Wednesday, he is not a #2 guy.

Next up, a three game tilt with Tampa Bay...I expect nothing less than a 4-2 record headed into Boston on the 11th.

I will leave you with a final baseball-related thought, courtesy of the great Bill Simmons of ESPN:

I think the world is separated into two kinds of people -- people who loved "Field of Dreams," and people who don't have a heart.

Couldn't agree more, man. Welcome back, baseball...let's go Blue Jays.

Opening Day!

It's finally here...I can't friggin wait.

I'm heading to the park in about 2 hours to try and get tickets...it says sold out but having worked at the Dome I know that's BS.

They always hold tickets for gameday, and two Jays cronies confirmed that for me today.

Couple of funny baseball-related items from Opening Week:

-Someone in San Diego threw a syringe at Barry Bonds...genius.
-One of the Jays' promotions at the park this year is Gustavo Chacin Cologne Day. That's right, they're giving out bottles of cologne. Those marketing guys are wacky.

Fantasy Update: A barrage of home runs gave me the early lead in both my money fantasy leagues. Thank you to Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Chris Shelton, Adam Dunn, David Wright, and the rest. Keep it up, boys.

As for my pitchers, mixed results...kudos to Curt Schilling, Jake Peavy and Oliver Perez for solid outings. Special thanks to my relievers for the added bonus of saves and garbage-time wins...Billy Wagner, Scot Shields, and Francisco Rodriguez, you rule.

As for Derek Lowe, Carlos Zambrano, Scott Kazmir Jason Schmidt, Bartolo Colon...get it together, or you're dead to me.

Stories and pictures from Opening Day 2006 to come, hopefully.

Gamblor is rearing his ugly head.

Uh oh.

20 bucks for the baseball pool at work, 15 US bucks for a Yahoo money league...and yesterday I broke a 20 at work by buying a $5 Pro Line ticket (which I already lost, thanks Detroit for losing to the Blackhawks!)

I gotta be careful here.

But you know what, why shouldn't I be betting on sports? I'm more knowledgeable than the average guy, and I've learned so much more from working at The Score.

Winning free Yahoo leagues is fun and all, but for all the time and effort I put into it, I'd like to see something back, other than an online trophy and a little bit of pride.

As long as I can keep the betting under control (which, I'll admit, could be difficult), it shouldn't be a problem.

And it's bound to be somewhat lucrative...I bet on the five least-risky hockey teams on that ticket, and would have won 36 bucks; over 7 times what I put in.

So I'm not worried, much...*resisting urge to bet on George Mason*

C'mon Leafs...give it up.

It's over, guys...quit teasing us.

Beating Carolina means nothing after laying two straight first-period eggs against Montreal (the team they had to beat twice to have a legit shot).

There is a glimmer of hope, however. I read this article and got excited: http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/sports/story.html?id=88fe637a-c56e-40aa-8301-4ffce4931d2b

Here's the gist of the article: the Leafs' plan for the future is to:
1) rebuild the team by developing young talent
2) jettison some veterans
3) not let the public know that's what they're doing

So basically they're doing what I've been saying they should do...they've just been keeping it quiet, fearing backlash from ignorant fans.

Well fear not, John Ferguson and MLSE...you're doing the right thing.

No matter how bad the team is, the Leafs will sell out every home game...so revenue is not an issue.

Quotes like these makes me feel so much better about the club's future.

Ferguson, to MLSE's board of governors 18 months ago: "Guys, we've got to be building talent, we can't just buy it anymore."

Anonymous MLSE source: "Everyone said this team was no more than a .500 team. Everyone knew this was a transition year and it was going to be painful. The club is now looking to build a solid franchise, not buy a championship at the last minute."

This means that come the 2006-2007, Quinn should be gone, Belfour should be gone, Domi and other veterans should be gone, and depending on how far they wanna go with this thing, Sundin might be gone too.

Paul Maurice will almost certainly be in as head coach, and the team will put the franchise in the hands of guys like Alex Steen, Kyle Wellwood and Mikael Tellqvist.

For years, young guys like Steen and Wellwood have never gotten the opportunity to contribute to a veteran-laden Leaf squad. They come to the big club and crack under the intense pressure put on them by and have been shipped out of town for more veterans. Now guys like Steve Sullivan, Brad Boyes, Alyn McCauley are all thriving on other teams, while the past-their-prime geezers like Owen Nolan are long gone.

It sounds like this trend is about to change, and I couldn't be happier.

So to all the Leaf homers out there...suck it up, it's going to get better, and more importantly, it's going to get done right.

It all comes crashing down...Duke and Gonzaga out.

Well, that pretty much seals it. Two of my final four out in one night...bollocks.

I'm sure there's weeping and gnashing of teeth at work tonight.

Anyway, I'll still pay attention because it's damn entertaining...and I didn't lose any cash, so it's all good.

The Jays already have their first major injury scare...and it's coming from the most likely source: A.J. Burnett.

Some scar tissue broke off in his elbow, which apparently feels just like a ligament tear...which must have given a heart attack to many a Jay (including A.J.).

We'll know by the weekend whether he's OK, but they're already preparing to not have him the first week of the season...we only need a fifth starter three times in April, so there's no sense in rushing a pitcher we have for 5 years and 50+ million.

I pray to the baseball gods that he's OK...we need him big time.

12 days till Opening Day!

75% success rate = why didn't I bet on this thing?!?

Damn...I could have been sitting on quite the pile of money right now. You just know that I'll do it next year and lose big-time...that's the way this stuff works.

Anyway, I picked Northwestern to beat Iowa, which not many people did (including no one in my friendly pool...take that!) I got a couple more upsets right, including NC State over California and Bucknell over Arkansas.

Of course, I was not without blemishes...Kansas screwed me over in the Oakland bracket, which would have been perfect otherwise. I also blew two more in the Washington bracket, my worst bracket by far, with only 50% right (thanks a bunch UAB and Michigan State). However, a lot of people got screwed way worse than me by Iowa, Kansas and Michigan State...some folks had them going as far as the Final Four.

Therefore, with newfound yet relatively unearned confidence, I present to you my picks for Saturday:

Duke (already won), Syracuse (eliminated in the 1st round), UCLA, Gonzaga, Tennessee, Illinois, Florida, and Boston College (all still to come).

Let's see how the second round treats lil' ol' me.