One last thing before I quit...

Morning all,
I started this little foray into blogging way back in February of 1997 as part of the Toronto Raptors "Raptorschat" board (now RaptorsSpace).  I had no expectations other than intending to do more than 99% of bloggers out there, which is code for "make it last beyond three entries" and that was definitely mission accomplished.  After 488,000 hits there, moved to this forum a couple year's back and went almost daily for good stretches.  

A few of the things I've learned:

• if you want to get people to comment, just be honest about what you think of the state of the NHL

• I seemingly never tire of hammering the Toronto Blue Jays

• if you want people to comment, just post a countdown of hot ladies and sit back and watch the magic

• Bukakke likes to party

• the notion that golf isn't a sport, but a game, doesn't upset people nearly as much as I've seen in previous discussions over the years where some would act like I was insulting their wife's looks.  Maybe people get that it's not all that different to poker, darts and bowling?

• I'm pretty freaking good at betting picking prime time NFL games

And finally, I think I've learned it is time to shut 'er down.  Increasingly, have found it tough to get the time to write something that is worthy of your time and mine, though that certainly isn't for a lack of content...there's always a tonne of interesting going's on in the world of sports and beyond.  I think other things and interest in other avenues - Twitter most notably - have taken my interest in those directions.  Will I miss it?  Probably not.  I'm not shy about sharing my opinion on all matters sports with my pals over beers as it is, but maybe I will and end up quietly returning, perhaps when the NFL returns on schedule in September (it will happen).  Who knows?  Never would have thought I went almost 4.5 years on this, that is for sure.  Maybe you'll see me at The Bleacher Report, where I've been an approved contributor for months but done nothing with?

Later all, it has been fun, like anything worth doing should be.

TB

Follow along here at twitter.com/tenacioustbek, and/or twitter.com/dailyeffyou.

Canada does it the hard way

A few weeks back, we referenced the SI players poll that had A-Rod rated as the most overrated player at 18%. SI ran the same poll on Facebook and fans gave a whopping 45% of the vote to Derek Jeter.

SI ran a half-page preview of the WNBA season. Seems wasted space, no?  I did a double take to make sure it wasn't a Kentucky Derby preview.

How did the Vancouver Canucks take home so many trophies at the NHL Awards last night with all their "injuries"?  Word is Danielle Sedin was dressed in Stella McCartney.

Only Dick Griffin at the Toronto Star could take the subject of Jose Bautista leading the AL in votes with five Yankee and two Red Sox, plus Josh Hamilton, and get it all twisted into some endorsement that he's truly more popular than the rest. Guess he has never heard of the term "vote splitting"?  Let me know when he's the highest selling jersey, Dickhead.

If this doesn't get Yankees GM Brian Cashman an extension, nothing will: journeymen Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon have combined to deliver 157.1 innings pithed, with a combined ERA of about 3.20. Amazing.

Softball legend Jennie Finch is a proud mom to a boy named Diesel.  No, for real.

Four minutes from the end of Canada's Under 17 World Cup game against England, with the good guys down 2-1, Canada equalized for a 2-2 draw with the most unlikely of feats.  Awesome.  And is there a country in the world that produces goalies that make bigger mistakes than England?  Impressively futile.

Steve Nash - love that guy - has some serious game in this Chinese ad.

As Hitler references and news bloopers go, this one is one of my favs.

Toronto: Where Coaches Go To Get Fired

The NHL salary cap for next season is expected to rise by $5 million. Am I the only one that thinks the next time there is a labour war, the players are in for a far uglier time than they even saw last time?  There's no way that league should have a high end of the cap north of $60 million when a dozen or so teams are for sale and or bleeding badly.  And yes, I know it is revenue based, but that's heavily inflated by the financial performance of Canada's teams especially, and added to by a favorable currency exchange rate the last few years.

Damien Cox notes that Toronto's five pro-sports teams have burned through 20 coaches in five years. More than a few would argue Leafs coach Ron Wilson should have made it 21.

The rumoured NFL labour deal will not mandate an 18-game schedule, but will include Thursday night games each week. Me likes that muchly.  There is some talk that the league will be back in business July 15th.

The New York Post says that Donald Trump is paid $65 million for Celebrity Apprentice, a show where celebs compete to raise money for charity. Perhaps Donald ought to lead the way at that pay rate?  And no wonder The Donald has declined a Presidential run, he makes 162 times more than the President just for doing that show. Incredible.


Our boy DeKev will be taking in the NHL Awards tomorrow night at Palms Casino in Vegas.  Hilarious story today about rookie of the year fav Jeff Skinner, who technically isn't even old enough at 19 to walk into the casino. Remember DeKev, ALWAYS split 8's.

With Derek Jeter slated to come off the DL next week, and only needing 6 hits to reach 3,000, Yankees brass has to be sweating a July 1st-3rd visit to Citi Field. Can't imagine they want to see the Mets cash in on that one.  Speaking of Jeter, just noticed there's a slo-pitch team at the place me and the fellas play called "Jeter's Never Prosper".  

The 66 most overrated women of 2011.

Loved A-Rod's "Mr. Perfect" impression last week...


The worst misses of the 2010-11 season, from around the world.

Bottle Service is not cheap

The Boston Bruins had a good time celebrating their Stanley Cup win on Saturday night after their parade.  A bunch of them rang up a $156,000 tab at Foxwoods Casino.  Am sure Gary Bettman et al are thrilled the players partied at at casino.   Of course, that's not nearly as impressive as the tab LeBron James and his crew rank up at the Wynn in Vegas.  Check out some of the prices there.  Incredible, and having been there last November, I can verify that's no mock up.

Some days, articles I read elsewhere are so freakishly similar to things written here previously.  Take this one that appeared in the Toronto Sun on Sunday, that noted how UFC fans didn't go and smash up Vancouver after the card two weekends back the way hockey fans did.

 
TSN is airing an NHL mock draft featuring all of two - 2! - pretend GM's tonight. That's all I've got on that.

Why do Boston Red Sox games take 4 hours? David Ortiz had a 14-pitch, 7 minute AB last night.  That's a lot of gloves-adjusting, spit-in-the-palms and hand-clapping between pitches.

Jaromir Jagr wants to come back to the NHL, and to suit up for the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Does he have anything left?

The Florida Marlins new park will see them charging some very hefty ticket prices.  Guess they haven't paid attention to the dozens they draw game in and out, albeit in a non-baseball stadium in a brutal part of town?

In terms of fan interest, interleague baseball looks a hit.  This past weekend saw the largest collective attendance for a weekend since 2008. Helped that Florida and Toronto were on the road.

Toronto Maple Leafs top boss Brian Burke ordered Ron Wilson to change what he viewed as a "stale" coaching staff.  And why not?  Sure the Leafs had a great run the final few months of this past year, but they've had special teams issues for years so why not change now?  And hey, if you can bring in two guys that worked for the New York Islanders, why wouldn't you?  Oh, nevermind.

Terry Jones from the Edmonton Sun weighs in on why the Vancouver Canucks were not "Canada's Team" like some said and thought they were as the lone Canadian team in the playoffs beyond the first round.  This makes me laugh every time I read it: Roberto Luongo is signed through to 2022.

If you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @buckblunders.  Incredible how many mistakes Suck Martinez makes nightly.  A solid one from last night: he said Atlanta Brave Dan Uggla was continuing to have "re-production" issues.  Yeah, that or run production issues.

Check out the most blinged-out championship rings.

DeKev passes on this great bit from Jimmy Kimmel.


Also from DeKev, check out Kevin Durant getting loose in a local run this past weekend.  Wow.

Summer!

For the 17-year old Vancouverite that was photographed lighting a lit rag leading into the gas tank of a police cruiser, coming forward and apologizing takes some stones, no doubt.  It will cost very likely cost Nathan Kotylak a shot at the Olympics with Canada's water polo squad - yes, turns out we have one - but honest applause to the kid for coming correct.  Don't hear the chorus of ostriches taking back their "rioters weren't Canucks fans or from Vancouver" line yet, which might be worse than the riot itself as far as ignorance goes.

Buffalo Bills fans should be nervous about losing their team to L.A.

The Florida Marlins are now 1-18 for the month of June. Ouch!

The NBA Draft goes this Thursday night and the hand wringing in Toronto is already well in progress. I'm no fan of the "anti-Euro" view some have, but after taking Andrea Bargnani as #1 and seeing his less than rounded game, and giving the keys to that stiff Jose Caleron, I can see why some might be nervous at the prospect of another player from across the pond.

In series where the Philadelphia Phillies have visited an AL West team, they're now a perfectly terrible 0-6 in series wins. Why do I always find out these stats after?

Interleague play is going the way it typically has gone for a years.  The AL is up 50-34.

If you thought the Toronto Blue Jays playing "home" games at Philadelphia last year for the G20 meetings in Toronto was lame, how about the Florida Marlins, who later this week will "host" the Seattle Mariners in Seattle because of - wait for it - a U2 show.  But, judging by the picture at the right, it doesn't appear too many will even notice, other than the stench of "past it" emanating from Sun Life Stadium.

Speaking of the Toronto Blue Jays, the perfect storm is going to hit a home game.  No, not an opener, or the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox visiting: it appears likely Roy Halladay will pitch when the Philadelphia Phillies visit Toronto next weekend.  Likely Canada Day.  Somebody alert Jays staff at the Rogers Centre, they don't have a lot of practice with big crowds.

For all the talk of how great the Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff is or will be, it is worth noting that only three teams in all of baseball have given up more runs this year.  

NHL salary cap has increased by 64 per cent since end of lockout. Started at $39 million cap. Floor is now $48 mil. Business is that good?

If NFL pre-season football is a joke, what does that make the CFL's version?

Here's a top 10 of the most racist or xenophobic moments in WWE history.  Some of these are beauts.

Does it feel like Summer or what?

Another thing or two worth mentioning on the riot in Vancouver: more than a few hockey fans I've encountered love to crack on the UFC as being brutal, ignoring that UFC competitors do not fight with bare hands, and UFC as being a bit trashy (and there is something to that, albeit not universally).  But when the UFC rolled into Vancouver just this past Saturday, there wasn't reports of a single fight before, during or after the event, nevermind burned out cars and looted stores.  Just saying.  Another point: this whole "it wasn't fans or people of Vancouver" is a load of shit.  Get your head out of your ass if you buy that naive pap.

Left over from Wednesday is this gem of a quote: "These two teams hate each other but they despise each other".  Buck Martinez?  Nope, Donald S. Cherry, enemy of the English language and reason, between periods of Game 7.  I even rolled back the PVR to make sure I heard it right.  Damn TFC and New England had to be not only at the half, but at commercial, so ended up seeing the old dino.

One thing missed in the realignment discussion of Wednesday: two 15-team leagues would necessitate there are interleague games every day of the season so a team isn't left sitting.

Bru-win (thanks, GBVH)

I could get into how embarrassing it is for your team to show up in a Game 7 - at home - and effectively turtle in a 4-0 loss to a team you derided as inferior in goal at least.  I could mock how the league's likely MVP this season Daniel Sedin guaranteed a win, only to later backtrack and soften his words pre-game, and then produce nothing of note.  But why bother?  The Boston Bruins should be the discussion here, because they were simply the better team top to bottom.  Weeks back I said I didn't know how they were doing it with no true stars up front but maybe that was it, they got contributions top to bottom.  And then there's Tim Thomas.  There have been fistfuls of awesome goalies on playoff runs over the last few decades, and maybe it is the freshness of it, but I can't recall a performance over four rounds as awesome as that, and I've seen Patrick Roy (for me, still the most money goalie ever come playoff time), Martin Brodeur and more.

I could literally take down the internet with all my thoughts on the rioting last night so I'll try to keep it to a minimum.  I will never - ever - understand how the response to your team losing in any game is to smash your town up.  And I will never - ever - blame booze for it. I've got plenty of friends who would be listed as dependents if alcohol ever filed a tax return and not a single one has smashed up their town.  I will also never - ever - understand what is so fascinating about people smashing up their town that you want to stick around taking pics and video of it, though I'm hoping that will aid in the clowns caught on digital being sent to the Crow Bar Motel.  But for all the Vancouver snobbery I've seen and heard - and it is as beautiful a place I've ever been, maybe second to Sydney, Australia - there is these unassailable fact: Toronto never rioted when the Blue Jays won a pair of World Series' in the 90's, and Philadelphia - PHILAFREAKINGDELPHIA - didn't riot when the Phillies won a couple years back, or when the Eagles or Flyers lost.  New Yorkers didn't smash up their town when the Yankees won - perhaps that is of routine.  I'd love to know how many of the knuckleheads lobbing bottles, burning cars, smashing into stores and stabbing people have at one time or another derided soccer fans as nothing but a bunch of hooligans.  So congratulations, Vancouverites.  Way to do your city proud.  Here's hoping you make the final and lose again next year, and that the cops don't come with half the restraint they showed early on last night.

Umm, what??

The average ticket for last night's game in the resale market was $5,000.  Average!  Some knucklehead paid $7,800 for each of his pair of tickets.  Hope it was worth it!

Oh, and nice touch starting up the whining about injuries, Canucks.  Am sure the Bruins were October fresh.

Buster Olney at ESPN.com says that between now and August 17th, the Tampa Bay Rays will play the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox 20 times, and that a balanced schedule is more important to Tampa, Baltimore and Toronto than realignment.  Right, but realignment would flatten that even moreso.

I've seen some good anti-Heat pics this week, but really like this one.  Let's just hope it doesn't end up on the back window of someone's car next to some lame graphic of how many people and pets are in their families.

Going into last night's action, the New York Yankees had MLB's third-best record (.569 win percentage).  Despite being on pace for 92 wins, that would would be the Yanks second-lowest in 11 seasons.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are over .500 for the first time this late in the season since Aug 15, 1999.
Speaking of the Yankees, with Derek Jeter on the DL, it is worth noting that the alleged "Captain Clutch" is batting .179 with runners in scoring position this season, the second worst in the majors for anyone with 75 plate appearances in such situations.  His .649 OPS is ranked 138th out of 165 major leaguers qualified for the batting title.  And nobody will think any warm body will not be able to replace his defence.  Joel Sherman at the NY Post says Jeter's injury could be a blessing in disguise.

Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixera have combined for 42HRs for the Yankees, which is more than four teams - San Diego, Oakland, Minnesota and Houston - have in total.

Brock Anton, Canucks fan, can expect a visit from the police any minute now.

It has been 15 years since a Canadian QB started in the not-so-Canadian Football League. 15?!?

Word is the Winnipeg NHL franchise is going to announce its team name and colours as soon as Tuesday.  

If you saw none of the rioting videos, a small sampling below.  This one is the longest of the bunch and gives a good taste of the kind of shit going on in Van City.


Shame on you for lighting a 5-series on fire.  Nice Blake Griffin impression from some loser Canuck fan.

How about this nut shot for a Vancouver Canucks fan?


Real smart, asshole.

All 53 of Lionel Messi's goals this past season in one awesome 15 minute vid.  You're welcome.