Dry Cold

2003-09-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

Whew!

Word comes today that Ranger defenseman Brian Leetch has an ankle injury that could keep him out for about half the year. Now I'm really glad the Oilers didn't resign him.

2003-09-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

Comrie on block?

The big discussions around Edmonton water-coolers today centred on this story. (click here for the Journal's take). Basically, star centre, and local boy, Mike Comrie is said to have demanded a trade. The given reason is that there's too much pressure playing in his home town, as Comrie was the subject of a fair bit of critiicism after last season's loss to the Stars, especially from GM Kevin Lowe. Nobody is confirming or denying, and Lowe offers this cryptic comment, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the situation: "You know the old saying, expect the unexpected. Who knows where it's at? I guess we'll find out in the next few days.''

I suspect this is just a negotiating ploy, and as I type this, star Edmonton Journal writer Jim Matheson is offering the same opinion on the radio. I don't think the Oilers should trade him, but that seems to be a minority opinion. If Edmonton is to be successful, they need players exactly like Mike Comrie, young players with talent. That kind of player is in short supply in Edmonton already. But when I gave this opinion at work today, I was pretty much the only one. So what if he didn't play well last year in the playoffs? He's young, and besides, he's a big part of actually getting the Oilers to the playoffs in the first place. I don't understand the fans' opposition to this guy. It'd be a terrible shame if the fans run him out of town like they did Tom Poti.

2003-09-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

Winnipeg 36, Saskatchewan 18

Another week, another uninspired performance from the Roughriders. It's hard to imagine a team playing in front of 40,000 screaming fans and coming out absolutely flat. They were outcoached, outplayed, outhustled, and utterly embarrassed.

There was no emotion for the first quarter, and the Riders got absolutely smoked. Nealon Greene was his usual disappointing self, and apparently suffered a bit of a leg injury, so he was pulled at half time. The anointed savior, Henry Burris, had more rust on him than a 1978 Toyota Corolla, and proceeded to miss his first 5 passes. By the time he got untracked, the Riders were out of it.

I wrote a few weeks ago that the Riders were a very good team. I don't believe that anymore. They haven't put together a really good game in weeks, and they are clearly below the first tier of teams in the West. I think the best they can hope for is a .500 record, which might get them into the playoffs on the Eastern division crossover.

2003-08-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

Fun with Numbers, Part 2

Just for kicks, I took Henry Burris' stats from the 2000 season and plugged them into the same formula I used below. The results were a little surprising, and I feel obligated to report them for reasons of fairness. Henry comes out at 7.5, which is better than Nealon, but not by that much. Two or three more completions per game by Nealon would probably put him in that range. Henry's QB rating was just under 80, which is worse than Nealon's is this year, and doesn't factor in Nealon's superior running abilities.

All this to say that Henry may not be the magic bullet everyone's looking for. But's its also hard, as I point out below, to say that Nealon's been doing such an amazing job that Henry shouldn't even be given a chance.

2003-08-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Fun with Numbers

Two bits of mathematical analysis for you today. First, the good news. I did a little strength-of-schedule analysis for the top 4 teams in the Western Division. Of the 4, the Riders have the easiest remaining schedule, with an opponents' winning percentage (OWP) of .475. The Bombers follow with an OWP of .500, the Eskimos at .550 and the Lions at .613. I count six legitimately winnable games for the Riders, which would give them a record of 12 and 6 and get them into the playoffs, perhaps even with a home playoff date.

Now for the bad news. There are people contending that Nealon has done a reasonable job at QB this year. So I decided to test those claims. I took a look at Nealon's production, calculating the yards he generates either by passing or through running the ball, then compared it to 9 other CFL QBs. (All the other teams' starters, plus Kevin Feterik.) Nealon finishes 2nd-last in this analysis, generating 6.9 yards per play. The league leaders are Dave Dickenson and Anthony Calvillo at 10.0 and 9.1 yards per play, respectively. The remaining QBs are bunched from 8.3 to 7.3 yards per play.

There are a couple arguments you could make in Nealon's favour. One, the Riders scheme is very conservative and doesn't allow him to generate a lot of yards. I suppose it is, but then Nealon's completion percentage should also be much higher than 59%. Adding a few more completions per game puts Nealon's yards per play in the middle of the pack. You can also argue that Nealon couldn't succeed in a different scheme because he doesn't have the skills. The other argument is that the receivers and offensive line are at fault, too, but I'd counter that Saskatchewan's talent in both those areas is probably top 5, if not better. It's difficult to make a case that Nealon has done an effective job at QB. He might not lose many games, but he's not winning many either.

If the Riders can get good defense and production from their running backs, average quarterbacking isn't a big problem. When those other things aren't working (as they haven't been in the past three weeks), and you need your QB to step forward, Nealon is probably not the man to hang your hat on.

2003-08-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

Right on Schedule

You just knew this was coming -- the Marty York column (scroll down to the second-last item) noting the Rider QB controversy, complete with the whisperings of disgruntled players.

2003-08-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Renegades Release Davis

Word comes that the Ottawa Renegades have released running back Darren Davis for several violations of team policy.

It's too bad, really. Davis had two very good years with the Roughriders until he was traded to the Eskimos for Nealon Greene. He was absolutely dynamite running the ball, and nearly impossible to tackle on the first try. But injuries took their toll on him, and I suppose the discipline problems were the last straw.

But I'll always remember him because of this Rick Reilly column. Seems that Davis took the Wonderlic test -- the aptitude test given to NFL prospects -- and reportedly scored a 4 out of a possible 50. The average score for NFL prospects is 19. Goes to show that you don't need a lot of book learnin' to be a fine running back.

2003-08-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Free Henry!

Looks like the looming QB controversy has finally erupted. Serious questions are being asked of Danny Barrett's decision to keep QB Nealon Greene in Saturday's game against the Eskimos. As noted earlier, Nealon had a decent second half, but an atrocious first half, going 7 of 15 for 68 yards and 1 interception. I think it would have been entirely fair to lift Nealon -- 3 points in a half is simply not acceptable, and it's not like there's a dearth of quarterbacking talent on the Riders. What's the point of proclaiming you have the best depth at quarterback in the league if you never get past the starter?

The case for Nealon seems to be that since he's 6-3 as a starter, he should keep being the starter. Not exactly the strongest argument, in my view. Nealon has played well at times this year, and he is certainly missing his security blanket, receiver Travis Moore. He's talented, but also erratic. The case for removing him as starter permanently hasn't been made, but that's only for lack of evidence. Other than the Montreal game, I've yet to see him play well for more than two quarters a game.

I'd really like to see what Henry Burris could do with this offense, and Saturday's game provided an excellent opportunity to find out. What's the harm in trying him out for a half? Worst case, you lose the game, which was probably going to happen anyway. You take some risk of damaging Nealon's psyche, but since when has football become kindergarten? And as Darrell Davis points out in his article, protecting Nealon like this carries the risk of angering other players. Maybe Danny's worried that he'll create a QB controversy if Henry does well, except the QB controversy was guaranteed the moment Henry was signed. I've got no predictions on when Henry might see action -- Danny is just bull-headed enough to stick with Nealon no matter what, and Nealon's numbers always seem to look OK enough for him to get another chance. But the Riders need to do better than just OK. Henry might just provide them with the spark to make a move in the West and grab a home playoff date for the first time since 1988. Or maybe not. But at least let him try.

2003-08-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

Random Vacation Thoughts

Things that popped into my head as I was driving around various parts of Manitoba, North Dakota and Montana:

Saw an article in the Winnipeg Free Press (sadly not online) talking about some guy's dream to bring the NHL back to Winnipeg. Naturally, he has no money, but he does have a website. This fellow is of the opinion that the economics of the NHL are going to be changed so much that Winnipeg will be able to support a team again. I think that's very optimistic. That's not happening unless the players union is broken and beaten to a bloody pulp, or if Bob Goodenow suddenly pulls an Alan Eagleson and becomes corrupt. I wouldn't be laying bets on either of those outcomes. Winnipeg just doesn't have the local revenues to make a go of it. Edmonton barely makes it right now, and Winnipeg is a poorer and smaller market, with less of a corporate presence.

Not that I was ever likely to refer to hockey as one of the four major sports in the U.S., but I'm even less likely now. Based on a totally unscientific survey of a couple of North Dakota sports apparel stores, NASCAR is way bigger. Actually, outside of the occasional reference to NCAA hockey, I didn't see or hear anything related to hockey. This seems a bit surprising, since North Dakota is hockey country, and they're not that far away from Minnesota.

I spent several minutes listening to a gripping debate on Minneapolis' major morning sports radio show concerning a growing controversy over the price of North Dakota duck hunting licenses. Any claims that Minneapolis has to being a worldly and cosmopolitan city must now be viewed with extreme skepticism.

And finally, a word to the wise: if you're ever in Havre, Montana, do not purchase any University of Montana paraphernalia. It's Montana State territory, apparently. I stopped to buy a Grizzlies T-shirt and darn near had an incident with the sales clerk. I was half expecting a posse to come after me, so I made a beeline for the Canadian border.

2003-08-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

Edmonton 49, Saskatchewan 31

Walking to Commonwealth Stadium yesterday, I remarked to my brother in my usual pessimistic fashion that I was just waiting for the Riders to get blown out this year. He noted that I might not have to wait very long, a prediction that proved all too prescient. It was an ugly game, my friends. The Riders were never really in it, and only some bizarre drama at the end of the game (more on that later) kept the game from being absolute failure.

Simply put, the Eskimos outplayed the Riders in every facet of the game. The Riders defense played poorly for the second week in a row (90 points in 2 games) which tells me that this defense is not even close to being the best in the league, as was suggested earlier in the year. They had no pass rush, which allowed Ricky Ray plenty of time to find open receivers. They couldn't play against the run either, letting Mike Pringle get over 100 yards. Not a good combination if you expect to stop anyone, and the Riders didn't. The Eskimos only had to punt 3 times all game.

On offense, it was almost as pathetic. It took them a whole quarter to get one first down, and they only had 3 points at the end of the half. Granted, they did get 28 points in the second half, but the game was out of reach by then. 2 touchdowns came in the last 3 minutes. Nealon Greene played average at best, completing 20 of 34 passes, but for only 217 yards. Nealon rushed for 51 yards on 10 carries, but none of his runs really sustained a drive. It was OK, but not good enough. Average is not what you need when you're fighting for a playoff spot. There was no move to put in Henry Burris, even though he might have provided a much needed spark. In any case, there's going to be a full blown QB controversy this week.

Since the Riders were never really in the game, it wasn't much fun to watch. Too bad, because there were a whole lot of Rider fans at the game -- maybe 10,000 or so. A good effort from the Riders would have been a lot of fun. The fans were just looking for something to cheer for, which probably made for the aforementioned drama at the end of the game. Since Saskatchewan had beaten Edmonton by 18 points in their first matchup, they needed to lose by 17 or less if they wanted to win the season series. The Riders needed some late heroics to go behind by only 15, and if you didn't know any better, you' would have thought it was for the game. As it turned out, the Eskimos kicked a field goal on the last play of the game to put the margin of victory to 18, which ties the season series.

2003-08-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hiatus

I'll be on vacation until August 23, when I promise to thrill readers with harrowing accounts of my trip to Commonwealth Stadium to watch the Riders take on the Eskimos. Until that time, you'll have to go elsewhere for your semi-daily dose of slurs and innuendo. (But please come back)

But before I forget, go read Dan Barnes' column. He's got good stuff on the Mark Messier-to-Edmonton rumours (won't happen), the fledgling Federal Hockey League (is it just a scam to bilk players out of money under the pretense of tryout camp fees?) and alas, the women's world cup of baseball, coming to an Edmonton diamond near you in 2004. Guess I won't have to go away for vacation next year.

2003-08-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

Bendrops Strikes Again!

From the Ottawa Citizen's account of Ottawa's 34-29 loss to the Blue Bombers yesterday:

The Renegades fell 34-29 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before 26,232 at Canad Inns Stadium in a game that could have gone to overtime if not for an inexcusable drop by Demetris Bendross.

I'm sorry, what was that again? Demetris Bendross dropped a key pass? That caused the Renegades to lose? Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Anyway...

2003-08-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

I Come to Bury Commonwealth, Not to Praise It

Mark Spector writes the tribute to Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium on the occasion of its 25th birthday. One thing he forgets to mention: it's a terrible place to watch a football game. The stands are too far back from the field, and unless there's 40,000 or more fans attending, there's no atmosphere because of all the empty seats (plus, you have to watch the Eskimos, though that's not the Stadium's fault). No, give me Regina's Taylor Field any day. Great atmosphere and it's got a good setup for football.

Sure, it has grass, but what good does that do anyone? Come late fall, the field becomes unpleasant, if not barely playable. And having a grass field only serves to foist the horrendous sport of soccer on the fine folks of Edmonton. Thanks to our grass field, we had the misfortune of hosting some Women's Soccer Championship last year and were in the running for the Women's World Cup this year after China lost it because of SARS. (To quote Jim Rome, "China's gain is [the U.S.'s] loss." Again, give me Taylor Field, where the crappy Astroturf is barely good enough for football.

2003-08-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

Big Busts and Being Underrated

ESPN's Page 2 has had two solid weeks. Here, they're discussing the top 10 worst ideas in sports of all time. Top 3: The XFL, the White Sox in shorts, and Disco Demolition Night. Damian Penny has already chimed in with the Canadian version, which includes, among others, CFL expansion to the United States, the glowing hockey puck, and Olympic Stadium. I'd add the Vancouver Canucks' yellow home jersey, every two-bit league since the WHA, AFL and ABA, and public financing of stadia (a terrible idea, unfortunately, also a popular one).

And last week, they were discussing the top 10 underrated teams of all time. No hockey teams, to my surprise. At the risk of getting drummed out of the Edmonton Oilers fan club, I'd suggest the mid-to-late 1980s Calgary Flames. Unquestionable talent, including present and future Hall-of-Famers such as Joe Mullen, Doug Gilmour, Al MacInnis Joe Nieuwendyk and Brett Hull, and that's not including players like Hakan Loob, Gary Suter, Gary Roberts, Theo Fleury, Mike Vernon, Mike Bullard, that damned Neil Sheehy (I hate that guy!) and Lanny McDonald. 2 Cup Final appearances and 1 win, so maybe they weren't considered underrated enough. But if not for the mighty Oilers, they might have been the Alberta team winning multiple Stanley Cups.

2003-08-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

Return of Bendrops

One of the big stories leading up to Thursday's game was Demetris Bendross and his desire for revenge on his old teammates. He guaranteed victory, and trashed Danny Barrett for not being nice to him, and Rob Vanstone for calling him names ("Bendrops"). Nevermind that he wasn't very good, and would probably be the fifth receiver on the Riders now. Anyway, Ottawa seems to think he's a good player, so it set up the revenge angle pretty well.

Bendross then went out and did little to back up his guaranteed victory. He caught 3 balls for 49 yards, but dropped 4 (What was that nickname again?) and had a ho-hum game on kick returns. If the Riders wouldn't have lost, it would have been thoroughly enjoyable. I'd love to be sitting behind Ottawa's bench when they visit Taylor Field. I'm sure I'd learn lots of new words and phrases involving "Demetris" and "Bendross".

2003-08-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

Blecch

Ottawa 29, Saskatchewan 24. I think the Riders spent the week reading their press clippings, because they sure weren't ready for this one. Other than the 3rd quarter, the energy just wasn't there. And luck wasn't on their side, either. Lots of goofy plays that went the Renegades' way -- Nealon Greene fumbles after running into the ref (and what's he doing in the middle of the play 15 yards downfield?), a bad punt that bounces perfectly to Ottawa's punter, allowing them to recover and kick a field goal at the end of the half, plus a WR to QB touchdown pass.

Yes, there were key injuries. Travis Moore, LaDouphyous McCalla and Nate Davis are all important players. Yet the Riders still could have, and should have, won. They took the lead in the third quarter, but surrendered it late in the fourth thanks to poor defense. I don't think you can call yourself the best defense in the league if you give up two touchdown drives late in the game to the second-worst team in the league.

And the offense was average at best. Nealon looked like a man wanting to lose his job, with 2 picks and a fumble. The vaunted Kenton Keith didn't do much outside of a few runs. He's not as good in getting the tough yards as Sedrick Shaw is. The Riders have to do a better job of taking advantage of his outside speed. All in all, they played just well enough to lose.

Rob Vanstone has a pretty good summary in his column. Upshot: yes the Riders sucked, but don't panic. I agree. Looking at the schedule, I think 11 wins is a reasonable target. That gets the Riders into the playoffs, and maybe into a home playoff game (knock wood).

2003-08-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

Glen Suitor, Moron

It's not like me to criticize ex-Riders, question their mental faculties, etc. I feel a certain loyalty to those who've worn the green and white. But somebody needs to stage an intervention with Glen Suitor, and hopefully it's a pink-slip waving VP at TSN. I've never thought of him as a top-notch colour commentator, but I'm now seriously questioning his objectivity and his analytical abilities, based on the fact that his man-crush on Damon Allen has finally gotten out of control.

Last week's Toronto - B.C. game was bad enough. You could almost hear Suitor slobbering as Damon approached and passed the career mark of 60,000 passing yards. And when BC linebacker Ron Ockimey pushed Damon out of bounds, causing Damon to slam into a TV truck, Suitor almost had a seizure. Ockimey was entirely innocent, but Suitor was blaming everything on him, bizarrely suggesting that Ockimey should have factored in the proximity of the TV truck when forcing Allen out of bounds. You got the feeling that if Suitor was on the Warren Commission, some evidence would have been found that placed Ockimey on the grassy knoll.

But his preview of this week's games (Somebody with a sense of humour entitled the column "Insight and Analysis") is the proverbial last straw. Suitor devotes his entire preview of the Toronto -- Edmonton tilt to an impassioned defense of Damon Allen against all the "so-called experts" that don't appreciate his true greatness. It's worth quoting in full because the looniness can't be adequately summarized in a single blurb. As they say in blogland, it's time for a little fisking.

Let's start by congratulating Damon Allen of the Toronto Argonauts.

Such a modest start. Too bad he never stops congratulating Damon Allen.

Last week versus the BC Lions, on a throw to Mike Morealle inside of the three minute mark, Allen added his name to a very elite group. Warren Moon, Dan Marino and now Damon Allen are the only three quarterbacks in professional football history to throw for over 60,000 yards. Moon did it in both the CFL and the NFL, Marino of course with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL and Allen in the Canadian Football League. It has been suggested by some of the so-called experts that you can't compare stats from one league to another but in saying that, you would in some way be taking away from Allen's accomplishment. Football is football, whether it is played north or south of the border and at this level the game is played by grown men who are getting paid to perform. Debate the pros and cons of both leagues all you want, but to suggest that Damon Allen's milestone is in someway not as prestigious as Marino's would be is to admit stupidity. Anyone who would say that has no idea what it takes to play at this level and no clue of the quality of athletes on the field in Canada. In nineteen seasons Allen has gone where only two others have gone before. Period.

I guess I'm one of those so-called experts who'll have to admit stupidity. All together now: there is no way you can compare throwing for 60,000 yards in the CFL to doing it in the NFL. To somehow equate Damon Allen with Dan Marino is idiotic. The level of competition isn't even close. Saying that football is football is like saying that Jock Callander was one of the greatest hockey players of the 1980s and 1990s because he had over 1200 points, even though he did it in the IHL.

Perhaps more importantly, the style of football is different as well. The CFL is a passing league, and was even more of a passing leage when Damon was in his prime. I believe it was Doug Flutie who said that you needed to discount CFL passing yards by 20 to 25 per cent. Whoever said that, it rings true. You simply cannot take CFL passing yards and equate them to NFL ones. It's irresponsible and ignorant and any "expert" like Suitor should know it.

It is a colossal milestone, and it reflects Damon Allen's durability, his athletic ability and his competitive edge -- all from a quarterback who, again according to the so called experts, wasn't a passer and could only run the football. It is also a reflection of number nine's mental toughness. He has never been named to a CFL all star team and yet has led three teams to championships and in two of those games was named the MVP. In the last three years he was told by the majority of the fans in BC and eventually Lions' management that he was too old, and yet at 40 years young he continues to weave his magic game in and game out.

I'll grant you that Damon was a great QB, and remains a decent, if erratic, one. But there are at least 2 QBs who played during his career that I'd take over Damon in a heartbeat, those 2 being Doug Flutie and Matt Dunigan. I'd probably take Jeff Garcia and Dave Dickenson over Damon as well. All 4 were better in their primes than Damon was in his. And to insinuate that BC made a mistake by choosing Dickenson over Allen is pure lunacy, and suggests that Suitor hasn't been watching the CFL this year. Dickenson is the best QB in the CFL right now, bar none. Allen is probably better than Danny McManus and whoever Calgary starts, but that's about it.

This game should be a great match up, both teams are loaded in talent and both have identical records. However, maybe more importantly, this game is a chance for football fans to get another look at one of the most entertaining athletes to play in this country. Congratulations Damon it has been a pleasure to watch you play over the years and I think I speak for all real football fans when I say I look forward to a couple more great ones.

I guess I'm not a real football fan, because I'd like to see Damon retire right now, if not sooner. At a minimum, it saves me the aggravation of having to listen to people like Suitor fawn over him. If I was actually a fan of either the Argos or the Eskimos, I'd be a little upset that Suitor didn't get around to actually talking about the game, but at the same time, it's nice to see him stop babbling. I know that commentators have their favourites, and plug them in their columns, but this is over the line. There's more unrequited love here than in a 16th century English sonnet. TSN, and any serious journalist, should be thoroughly embarrassed.

I spent some time searching for an e-mail address so I could send my thoughts to Suitor directly, without any luck. If anyone knows an address, please send it to dry_cold-at-hotmail.com

2003-08-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

CFL Review

As we're just over one-third of the way through the CFL schedule, I thought it might be appropriate to go back and assess my predictions for the year. (They are here.)

I don't think I've done too badly. I probably underestimated Montreal, but in my defense, it's not easy to assess teams that bring in a lot of new talent. They're the class of the East at 6-1, and they might have had the toughest schedule of anyone in the league so far. Toronto looks OK too -- the defense and Damon Allen are good enough to keep them in most games, and they'll win their share. Not as good as Montreal though. Ottawa and Hamilton bring up the rear, though Ottawa actually has talent, plus they've ditched Dan Crowley in favour of ex-Seahawk Kerry Joseph. They'll win some games, but I don't they're talented enough to make the playoffs. Hamilton is wretched, which I didn't quite see coming. Danny McManus is two years past his expiry date, and the fact that there's no other talent on offense doesn't help much. They'll win 2 or 3 games, maybe.

As for the West, it's too early to tell. I think I underestimated the abilites of Saskatchewan and B.C., while overestimating those of Winnipeg and Edmonton. I'm as surprised as anyone to see Saskatchewan at the top of the division. But they've played pretty well in every game, and could be 7-0 with a little luck. Their defense is the class of the league, and the offense is good enough to put them in a position to win. B.C. has looked very good too. Dave Dickenson is amazing -- watch a B.C. game if you get the chance because he's the best QB in the league by far. I think it's too early to get down on Winnipeg and Edmonton. They haven't played well, but there is talent on both teams and they have the potential to turn it around. Calgary just isn't quite good enough to play with any of these 4 teams, and should finish 5th. Injuries and poor quarterbacking will doom them to missing the playoffs for another year.

It's too early to revise my prediction of a Winnipeg -- Toronto Grey Cup because anything can happen. But if the playoffs were held right now, I'd put my money on Saskatchewan and Montreal meeting up. I'm surprised as anyone by that sentence, and I'm vigourously knocking wood right now.

Top Performers: Dave Dickenson (MVP), Reggie Hunt (Defensive Player), Andrew Greene (Lineman), Frank Cutolo and Kwame Cavil (Rookies), Don Matthews and Jim Popp (Coaching and recruiting)

Disappointments: Ricky Ray, Khari Jones, pretty much every Hamilton Ti-Cat, Tom Higgins

2003-08-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

Saskatchewan 27, Calgary 11

The Riders are now 5-2, in sole possession of first place in the West, have won 2 games on the road already (1 more than all of last year) and snapped a 14-year regular season losing streak in Calgary. Does anyone else have the Twilight Zone theme running through their head?

2003-07-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

Brave New World

Saw this quote in this Edmonton Journal:

The Renegades plan to follow the example of the Saskatchewan Roughriders...

Have I been transported into some kind of alternate universe? Sure, many teams have followed the example of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but nobody's ever bragged about it before.

2003-07-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

More Mess

Following the usual rumour chain (which goes non-local tabloid, local tabloid, local broadsheet), the Edmonton Journal jumps in on the Messier-to-Edmonton story. Jim Matheson has the just-the-facts piece, which unfortunately veers off into a rather starry-eyed list of all the reasons Messier would be great here. Matheson's usually pretty good, but this article makes him sound like a 15-year old girl waiting for the latest boy band to come to town. Unfortunately, Dan Barnes' more sceptical column isn't on line yet -- I'll link to it when and if it's posted.

Matheson reports some interesting facts, including: Kevin Lowe has approached Doug Messier, Mark's dad and agent; Messier hasn't been contacted himself, and sounds pretty non-committal; and that Brian Leetch signing (which happened today) with the Rangers would increase Messier's chances of signing there as well.

2003-07-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

Getting Messy

Oh, dear. Looks like the Messier-to-Edmonton rumour is gaining a little currency, as demonstrated by this Edmonton Sun article. Robin Brownlee nicely articulates more reasons why the Oilers should run and hide from this affair:

- If Lowe shudders at the possibility arbitrator Elizabeth Neumeier will rule in a salary arbitration hearing Aug. 14 the Oilers must pay Ryan Smyth $4 million next season, and Lowe does, how can he justify paying Messier anything near $3 million? He can't. Mess is a 45-point player now.

- If Lowe and MacTavish want leadership, former captain Kelly Buchberger makes more sense. Bucky has a Stanley Cup ring or three and he'll play for $600,000. He's on his way here as coach of player development when he hangs 'em up, anyway.

- Messier's influence on Ales Hemsky, Mike Comrie and Jason Chimera might not be what MacTavish envisions. The bottom line is results, and if Messier can't deliver out on the ice, he's just an old man flapping his gums. Players will tune him out.

- What happens to captain Jason Smith? Does he peel off the "C" and hand it over? I think not. If Smith keeps it and Messier is supposed to be the man, it divides the dressing room.

- Playing Messier would mean taking a young player out of the lineup and retarding his development. Shawn Horcoff is blossoming. Does Jarret Stoll wait another year? Bad plan.

If Lowe is thinking about spending even $1-2 million on Messier, he's got more money than he needs. Better to use the same cash to either sign someone young and useful or use it to grab someone at the trade deadline. Or he should have used it to sign Todd Marchant for another year. Anyway, it's the Rangers that are supposed to take on everyone else's retreads and pay them too much, not the other way around. When they think a player is too old and/or too expensive, it's probably best to avoid said player at all costs.

There's obviously a strong nostalgia component to this rumour, and to Lowe's interest as well. It's hard to deny Lowe those feelings -- it's the biggest reason why he and MacTavish have jobs here. And usually I tolerate it because those are pretty good memories. But it's time to live in the present, folks. If Messier can't legitimately help the team, and I don't think he can, then he shouldn't be on it, memories be damned.

2003-07-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

Mess to Edmonton?

Larry Brooks is writing that Mark Messier is done in New York, and a good place for him to find a home would be in Edmonton. (Link via the Hockey Rodent)

Three or four years ago this might have been a decent idea, but Messier's good years, nevermind his best ones, are now long past. From what I read on the Hockey Rodent, it sounds like Messier isn't exactly aging gracefully:

1) Moose is no longer an inspirational force. Instead, he polarizes the team and creates a fractious locker room environment.

2) He can no longer play hard through an 82-game season. While it might be argued that he sacrificed his body to help the team through the disasterous injuries of December, the fact is that he went minus-14 in that stretch from November 28 through January 6; a statistic that suggests he was not the solution... certainly not a $4M per year solution... particularly when no other active Ranger was worse than minus-5 over that period.

Remember that despite his quick start one year ago, Messier scored a mere 8 goals after Thanksgiving.

3) His backchecking is atrocious, particularly in the third period. And it stems not just from physical attrition, but from mental lapses (as he confessed to after an overtime loss in Ottawa on March 13).

To sum up, a 42-year old that can't adjust to a diminished role, doesn't play defense, and is injury-prone. Yep, just what a team that has no margin for error needs. Luckily, Kevin Lowe's too busy griping about his ability to sign his young players to open the vault for an old one. Messier costs too much, and gives little in return. The only way Messier puts on an Oiler jersey this year is if he retires and plays in the Heritage Classic Legends game against the Canadiens.

2003-07-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Blogroll News

Added The Hockey Rodent to the blogroll. It's a pretty good site. If you're interested in hockey generally or the New York Rangers specifically, you'll enjoy it.

2003-07-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome, Henry

As I alluded to below, Henry Burris is confirmed to have signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, thus ending one of the longest running items in the history of this site.

You can never have too many QBs, especially when your current starter has a history of inconsistency and injuries. I'm not sure when or how Henry will see action. Despite what the columnists might say, Nealon has not played great in the past two games, though he has played good enough. Henry will need some time to shake off the rust and learn the offense. The Riders will also have to adjust their offense to fit Henry. He's got a much better arm, so the near-total reliance on the short-passing game will have to be reworked to some degree to take advantage of that.

As it happens, the Riders have two weeks on the road before heading back home again. I don't think we'll see Henry on the field before that, unless Nealon gets hurt. However, I implore Danny not to institute some kind of two-quarterback system. Find a guy, and stick with him.

This is unquestionably a good thing for the Riders, which can only worry me. The nature of being a Roughrider fan is to see your hopes dashed time after time. Years of sustained losing have built up a thick coat of pessimism. There's a dark lining to this silver cloud -- I just haven't found it yet.

2003-07-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Riders 34, Eskimos 12!

It's always a good day when the Riders trounce the hated Eskimos. For one thing, it makes it easier for me to go to work on Monday (attention co-workers: you will be taunted).

The Riders did reasonably well in all aspects of the game. QB Nealon Greene had a so-so game passing, but a fine game running, with 7 carries for 89 yards. The defense was the story of the game, holding the Eskimo offense to only 175 yards and no touchdowns. This was a major league effort against a good offensive team.

For those Eskimo fans already complaining about Coach Tom Higgins, you'll get a lot more material from this game. Higgins insists on deploying a two-quarterback system, a system that has been so successful that no one else uses it. As a result, he put in second-stringer Bart Hendricks in with about three minutes left in the game and the Esks down by 9. This is his last chance, and he's putting in the backup? Hendricks took the opportunity to throw a quacking ball that was intercepted by Davin Bush and returned for a touchdown.

The Riders are now 4-2, and tied for first in the West. They've got three winnable games coming up, which would put them at 7-2 at the halfway mark. That would be outstanding, and would probably get them a playoff spot, barring total collapse. And if two field goals go the other way, the Riders are 6-0. This is a very good team, folks. With Henry Burris finally in town (yes!), things can only get better.

2003-07-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

Oh, Crap

From an Edmonton Sun story on Ryan Smyth's contract negotiations:(Link via HockeyPundits)

Despite Smyth's distinguished tenure in Edmonton and his popularity with fans, the timing for extracting a long-term deal from Lowe couldn't be worse.

Framed by a backdrop in which the NHL average salary has surpassed $1.7 million, at a time when several teams, like the Oilers, are bleeding red ink and just trying to survive until the expiry of the current collective bargaining agreement with the NHLPA, Lowe isn't inclined to wait 13 months for economic sanity to prevail.

His market has already changed.

"I don't even want to talk about today's market anymore because nobody can make sense of what the market is," Lowe said. "It's all over the map. There's a bunch of lunatics out there throwing money away. I'm sick and tired of it. It's lunacy.

"Punch me in the head and tell me I'm stupid, but that's the way I feel. There's no sense to it any more."

It's pretty depressing to see a story like this. Hockey observers are calling this the most responsible free agent signing period in years. Collusion has even been mentioned. If Kevin Lowe is throwing around words like "lunacy" when referring to the current market, the Oilers are in big trouble, and a salary cap won't help them, either.

2003-07-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

Chemistry -- Who Cares?

King Kaufman takes a mighty shot at the fabled idea of chemistry:

The argument for boot-camp style training camps is that they build team chemistry. "As a player," says Titans coach Jeff Fisher, an advocate of the newer approach, "I never understood how, when you loaded the car up with the quilt your grandmother made and the box of cookies and the boom box and the TV and drove three hours to camp and moved into a dormitory and shared a bathroom facility with 12 other players and roomed with another player for a month, how that translated into chemistry."

I'll take that a step further and say that team chemistry is a lot of hogwash in sports. It's something like a superstition. It's a handy explanation when a team performs better or worse than you thought they were going to: Well, they had great/lousy chemistry. It's bunk.

2003-07-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

Burris Watch...Again

If I had more faith in their competence, I would swear this whole Henry Burris thing is a conspiracy between the CFL and the Canadian sports media to drive me slowly insane. Two websites are reporting that Henry has indeed signed with the Riders, yet one of my local sports radio shows reports that the Riders are denying any such deal. My guess is that an agreement has been reached, but the lawyers are putting the final touches on the contract. Who knows why the Riders would want to delay the news otherwise? But the CFL does work in mysterious ways.

2003-07-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

Glen Suitor's Rough Guide to Europe

Heard this line on TSN's Saskatchewan-Hamilton telecast on Sunday. I swear I'm not making this up.

blah blah blah the Leaning Tower of Pizza blah blah blah

Hmmmm...where would that be, exactly? Sounds like a misguided effort from the Kenosha, Wisconsin Rotary Club to get into the Guinness Book of Records.

2003-07-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

Burris Watch

Alas, no news on the signing of Henry Burris. Numerous people have said he could be a Rider by tonight, but no word as of yet. The only other public suitor, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, just signed their backup from last year, Pat Barnes. So it would appear that they're out of the running. (Barnes had been hanging out down South until now. Perhaps the Bombers' offer to Henry was meant to leverage Barnes into signing more than anything else.)

Meanwhile, Calgary lost their starter, Marcus Crandell, to a hamstring injury, and Hamilton might be in the running following another cover-your-eyes-awful performance by Danny McManus. So there are other places for Henry to show up, but no one seems to be making any noises. Is this just a slam dunk for the Riders? One would think so, but the longer it goes on, it seems the less likely that Smilin' Hank will be wearing the Green and White.

2003-07-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

Burris Watch

No news from the Riders on the Burris front. It's a wee bit stressful, what with all the anticipation, and the LeaderPost isn't helping much, either. Opened up the Rider News site this morning to see the headline "Burris expected to join Riders", only to discover its just Hamilton coach Ron Lancaster opining that he thinks Burris will end up in Saskatchewan. Work with me here, people.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have entered the sweepstakes, which is a little surprising at first glance. It makes good sense, though. At a minimum, they light a fire under all-star QB Khari Jones, who has been average at best this year, and has just come off a game in which he threw 5 INTs. They also raise the price for the Riders, an important thing when faced with limited resources, and may just keep a good QB away from a major competitor.

2003-07-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

Hey, Lama, how about a little something, you know, for the effort?

The best line I read today, in David Vecsey's column on SI.com:

It's every American male's God-given right to quote Caddyshack wherever and whenever applicable.

Absolutely correct. Yet another addition to my list of constitutional amendments that will be added should I ever become Prime Minister. (Oh yeah, you might want to read the column to get the context. It's a funny story.)

2003-07-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

The Professor of Baseball

Great read in the New Yorker about baseball stats guru Bill James, now performing his wizardry for the Boston Red Sox. It's chock full of interesting details, but here's my favourite paragraph:

Theo Epstein, the new Red Sox G.M., was a fourth grader at Brookline Elementary School in Brookline, Massachusetts, when he discovered James, in 1984. “I remember reading the Abstract and thinking, God, after reading one book I’ve changed the way I look at the game on the field,” he said the other day, while watching batting practice at Fenway Park. “I never thought that could happen from reading a book.” Epstein was twenty-eight when he was appointed to his post last year, making him the youngest G.M. in baseball history.

I'm the same age as Epstein, but I only discovered Bill James at the age of 13, in 1988 (for a time, I actually wanted to be a sabermetrician). Sigh -- four years earlier and maybe I'm the GM of the Red Sox.

2003-07-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

All Hope is Lost!

Marty York has weighed in on the Burris situation. He guarantees that Henry will be in a Rider uniform by Sunday's game against Hamilton. As long time York watchers know, this couldn't be worse news for Rider fans. Once Marty reports something, you can bet it isn't true. Why couldn't he have stayed out of this one? Won't someone please think of the Rider fans?

2003-07-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Burris Watch

Big news in Riderville today. Ex-Rider QB Henry Burris was waived by the Chicago Bears yesterday, paving the way for his return to the CFL. There's lots of speculation having him go back to the Roughriders, fueled in part by Henry's stated desire to return, as well as Coach Barrett's saying that the Riders are interested in getting him back.

But should the Riders want him back? Rob Vanstone ably covers this territory in his column:

The decision would likely be easier a month from now -- but the Roughriders are not afforded the luxury of time.

Near midseason, the Roughriders would have a much better idea as to whether Greene, Glenn or Butler is THE answer.

Greene is clearly the best of the three right now. But he is also coming off another injury. And who knows if he can string together a series of performances which rival his last two?

Questions also surround Burris. He recently underwent knee surgery. He has received limited playing time since leaving the Roughriders for the NFL following the 2000 campaign. Not only that, he could end up costing twice as much as the moderately priced Greene.

From a financial and practical standpoint, it would be difficult for the Riders to retain Burris and Greene -- both of whom deserve to start in the CFL.

So, once again, what do you do?

Either way, it is a gamble.

If the Roughriders were to unload Greene, he could easily come back to haunt them. He is maturing into a quarterback -- as opposed to a glorified tailback -- while silencing his detractors.

If the Roughriders were to pass on reacquiring Burris, he could easily make them regret that decision (especially in August, when Saskatchewan has back-to-back games against Ottawa).

Burris has the potential to be a marquee player for the Roughriders -- and for the entire CFL.
When you combine his ability and personality, he could be a once-in-a-generation presence, a la Michael (Pinball) Clemons.

That is the most compelling argument in favour of signing Burris.

Burris took this province by storm three years ago. The phenomenally popular pivot's personality evoked comparisons to Glenn Dobbs.

On the field, Burris' productivity rivalled that of Dobbs, who threw 28 touchdown passes in 1951. Dobbs and Ron Lancaster shared the Roughriders' single-season record of 28 scoring tosses until Kent Austin came along.

Austin and Burris are the only quarterbacks in Roughriders history to throw 30 or more touchdown passes in a single season. Austin had three such seasons.

Burris is in esteemed company.

It should be noted that Burris has yet to equal the feats of Lancaster, Dobbs or Austin.

However, Burris has the potential to do so.

He is that kind of player.

And he wants to be here -- with a Regina-based Grey Cup looming.

How can the Roughriders say no?

I agree there's a risk in signing him, but as Vanstone points out, there's risks in not signing him too. The current QB situation is no sure thing. Nealon has played well, but he's only done it for two games, plus he's injury prone. While Burris has to be somewhat rusty, and would need sometime to adjust to the Rider offense, he would be an upgrade. Add in his immense popularity in the province, and I think the Riders have to get it done.

2003-07-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

Jesus 1, Body Shop Owners 0

As it turns out, Deion Sanders only has to pay the divine-sanctioned amount of $1,500, not the $4,267 the body shop owner was claiming. Note to Deion: next time, just say that you only paid $1,500 because that's all you authorized for repairs, not because it was all Jesus said you had to pay. Makes you look a little saner.

2003-07-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

Fun with Headlines

Seen on CNNSI.com:

Stars fill Hatcher hole with longtime Bruin Sweeney

Now, given the respective sizes of these gentlemen (6'5", 235 for Hatcher; 5'10", 186 for Sweeney ), never mind their playing abilities, I would humbly submit that you would probably need two or three Don Sweeneys to fill that hole.

2003-07-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Sports and Religion, Take 2

Noted theologian Deion Sanders is in the headlines again:

A judge listened to testimony Monday and is expected to rule soon whether former Dallas Cowboy Deion Sanders owes money to a body shop for work done on his vintage 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible.

State District Judge Joe Cox took the case under advisement after the one-day trial, said court administrator Donna Bouthton.

The owner of the repair shop said Sanders wanted to pay only $1,500 of the $4,265.57 bill, saying that Jesus had informed him that was all he needed to pay.

This brings several (vaguely blasphemous) questions to my mind. For example, who knew that Jesus was such an excellent estimator of repair bills? Does He have his own body shop? Are members of other faiths eligible for similar advice? And what about the atheists? No doubt the ACLU is filing a lawsuit as we speak.

Seriously though, I think Deion and the Man Upstairs need to get on the same page here. Now I'm not privy to Deion's conversations with God, and I suppose such a thing could have happened. But receiving a service and refusing to pay the asked price sounds a lot like theft to me, and I'm pretty sure God had something to say about that, too. Maybe that's next week's conversation.

2003-07-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

Football Update

Football, unlike baseball, is not made for radio. It's hard to get a sense of what's going on without seeing it live, or on a screen. Anyway, I laboured through the Riders-Blue Bombers game tonight. The system performed much better than expected, with only a few glitches. Alas, my prediction about the game was much better. Riders lost 29-27 -- the difference being a Winnipeg field goal by Troy Westwood, and once again, the game wasn't decided until the last play. But there was no stake through the heart like the game against Montreal. The Riders were extremely fortunate to be in any kind of position to win the game. They had no offense until the final drive that put them ahead, they got two touchdowns off turnovers, and blocked a field goal.

Still, it would've been nice to come out with a win. The Riders could be 4-0 if two field goal attempts had gone differently, but are 2-2 instead. That puts them right in the middle of a logjam in the CFL West. It's going to be a long (and stressful) season.

2003-07-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Slate X 2

Another interesting column from Slate, this time from Josh Levin on the underachieving New York Mets. The following lines are some of the funniest I've read in a long time:

If rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for General Motors, then rooting for this year's Mets is like rooting for a used Oldsmobile with a persistent urine smell. Maybe it used to have flash and run well, but my God, what the hell happened in there?

2003-07-10T18:07:00.000-07:00

All-Star? Game

The fine columnist Allen Barra makes an appearance over at Slate, thrashing the All-Star lineups. It's a typical Barra column, extolling the virtues of the good old days in his usual contrarian fashion, but in an intelligent and well-written way. Let's hope this is the first of many appearances.

Read it all, as they say.

2003-07-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

There but for the Grace of God...

Folks, I know we've all felt the urge to take a Louisville Slugger and bash a mascot upside the head, especially when there are four (!) sausage mascots on the field. But we've got to resist those ugly impulses. Violence just radicalizes and polarizes people, and gives a bad name to us moderates, who just want to achieve the modest, and dare I say moral, goal of banning the whole mascot industry.

(you can also see the video of the incident here)

2003-07-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

I Hate TSN

So why, when having to choose between two games to televise, has TSN chosen a game between two mediocre Eastern teams instead of a battle between the two top teams in the West? Stupid larger TV markets. Though are the ratings really better for Ottawa and Toronto than for Winnipeg and Saskatchewan. Given that the CFL is way more popular in western Canada, you'd think the TV ratings would be higher too.

At least I can listen to the game, via the good folks at CJOB who're streaming the audio on the Internet. It's not exactly the perfect solution, though. I'm putting the odds on a complete system crash at about 2 to 1, with the over/under on system crashes at 10.

As for the game itself, I'm predicting a Winnipeg win -- too many injuries for the Riders, especially in the secondary. Not good when you're facing the #1 pass and catch duo (QB Khari Jones and WR Milt Stegall) in the league.

2003-07-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

#@*$!

Funny how things work. I was having a perfectly fine weekend out near the mountains with some friends, seeing some great scenery, playing some cards, and having a great time. I came back fully relaxed and ready to go back to work. Then I watch my tape of the Riders-Alouettes game (Alouettes 32, Riders 31) and suddenly, I feel like crap, totally stressed, and in dire need of a sick day. This is one of those days when I absolutely, positively, hate sports.

I won't go into the ugly details, but suffice it to say that the Riders should have won, and not only that, could have won it on the last play of the game. Meanwhile, the injury toll was pretty bad, with the Riders losing their starting running back, starting QB, and two safeties for various parts of the game. Did I mention that I hate sports?

2003-07-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

Brave New World? Hmmm, Not so Much

Remember all that talk about the quiet free-agent signing period in the NHL? I don't even think it lasted 24 hours before being proven false. Talk about a fast news cycle.

Lots of stuff today: Kariya and Selanne to the Avalanche in what might be the most shocking transaction, both in terms of pure "holy-f--k"-ness and in the oddity of the numbers, in a long, long time. Sounds like the two just wanted to play together. Kariya makes it happen by taking a huge paycut to $1.2 million, which also has the effect of making him an unrestricted free agent next year because he'll be 10 years in and below the league average salary. Also, a three-way trade between the Sabres, Flames and Avs which I think leaves the Flames in pretty good shape. Warrener and Reinprecht are quality players, though Drury is probably a better forward than Reinprecht right now. Almost forgot about Derian Hatcher signing with the Wings. And finally, Toddy Marchant heads south to the Columbus Blue Jackets for $15 million over 5 years. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure the Jackets overpaid for Marchant. Sure, he'll fit in well as a second-line centre, but $3 million per? Only if he continues his 60-point performances, which seems unlikely for a player who'd never even hit 50 points before.

2003-07-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

Brave New World?

Lots of commentary on the unfolding NHL free agency situation (see, for example, Mark Spector, Mike Heika, and Ray Ratto). There's lots of talk about how we're in a new era and that it's a buyers marketplace, though I appreciated Ratto's comments about how it's easy to say no in July.

They have taken The Pledge. No more cash will be burned before its time, and its time will be in 2006.

Well, fine. It's your dough, boys, and if it's worth savaging the sport you all say you love so much, you go.

But maybe nobody noticed that the Wings just exercised their 2003-04 option on Dominik Hasek, who spent last season watching barnacles grow on his legs. Hasek's option for $8 million, which leads us to think that, even if they can find a taker for Curtis Joseph, who has been fingered for not being sufficiently Jiggy in the playoffs this past season, they still are going to burn a little cash this summer.

And if they are, you can bet that the other big spenders are going to start bargain-hunting as well.

Before you know it, there's a SALARY GAP, with a few haves and a lot of have nots, and the only way to make the game competitive for everyone is to destroy the system (i.e., crush the players union) and start again.

Well said. I'm not sure there won't be a few big buyers out there.

I find it a bit curious, though. If teams continue to stick with the no-spending pledge, doesn't the owners' case become a little weaker? Part of their argument on the need for a new economic structure for the sport is that costs are out of control and going higher, spurred on by some big spenders. But if NHL teams can take even a moderately hard line this summer and not give out too much, doesn't that imply that the owners can in fact control costs simply by behaving rationally? In this case, there's no need for a salary cap. If you're concerned about competitive balance, all you need is revenue sharing. Everyone has similar resources, and since everyone is behaving rationally, costs will remain under some kind of control.

I don't really buy this argument myself, at least not totally. The hockey business has some fundamentally non-rational things about it, like the drive to win championships, that force salaries upward. There is a need for some kind of external discipline (in connection with revenue sharing, of course) to counteract this. I think most people are instinctively siding with the owners, but there might be a bit of an opening for the NHLPA here, if they're smart enough to exploit it.

2003-07-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

Sports and Religion

If you're interested in sports and religion at all, read this excellent column by Gregg Easterbrook over at ESPN.

2003-07-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

Vancouver Gets the Olympics

Well, it was close, and the competition came from an unexpected source, but Vancouver has got the Winter Olympics, in a 56 to 53 vote. The big surprise was the first ballot -- Pyeongchang only 3 votes away from an outright victory, with Salzburg bringing up the rear with 14 votes. Looks like my predicted phenomenon of Europeans staying away from Salzburg because they want the 2012 Games in Europe (or more possibly, absolutely do not want the 2012 Games in New York) happened in a big way. Pyeongchang was the least technically sound bid, but partly because of its semi-bizarre plea that the Olympics would help unite North and South Korea, it had strong support. The IOC seems to be prone to the kind of woolly-headed thinking that overstates the importance of the Olympic Games as a political statement (e.g. Beijing). Luckily, pretty much everyone who voted for Salzburg came over to Vancouver on the second ballot, giving the victory to the most deserving city.

Lots of excitement already here in Canada. I think its great -- Toronto's even more expensive bid is torpedoed for at least another 20 years (yippee!!), plus Vancouver is close enough that I may just take in a competition or two. It'll take me the 7 years to save up for the hotel room.

2003-06-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Let the Games Begin

Here I am in a nice pre-Canada Day fog, and the Oilers go and make a trade. The Oilers have temporarily acquired Brian Leetch for Jussi Markkanen and a conditional draft pick. But don't go buying your #2 Oiler jerseys just yet. Leetch is an unrestricted free agent, and so is only Oilers property for another (checks watch) 4 hours and 35 minutes. The Oilers get the 2nd-round draft pick when Leetch signs somewhere else. As for Markkanen, I was originally a little worried about dumping hom for essentially nothing, but then I learn from Sportsnet that the Oilers weren't going to sign him anyway. Welcome to the NHL, Ty Conklin!

Sigh. Nothing more than the usual pre-free agency jockeying. But word is the Oilers are holding a press conference in the next few minutes. This had better be good. Hate to be disturbed from my no-hockey reverie for nothing.

2003-06-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

Riders 32, Lions 30!

Just finished watching the game on tape, and I'm way too jazzed up to sleep, so I thought I'd get my recap in.

Definitely the best game by the offense in a long time -- maybe since they thrashed Edmonton early last season. Nealon played very well, which will probably silence the critics for at least a week. He was hitting his receivers and running effectively, neither of which he's done well in a long time. I think he was off target on maybe 2 or 3 throws. Moore and Dominguez got some good catches and made some good YAC too -- very important in an offense built on short patterns. The line was fantastic. Only 1 sack, and probably 2 or 3 pressures over the whole game. Two great touchdowns from Shaw and Czarka, both of whom ran 20+ yards untouched into the endzone. If the offense approaches this level for the rest of the year, the Riders are in business.

Still, the Riders could've easily lost because the defense was only average. Dickenson played very well, and each play was basically a race between the Riders getting to him, or Dickenson completing a pass. 5 sacks sure helped, but the Riders blitzed a lot, so that's probably expected. It was the defense's game to lose, and they almost did.

The good. The whole offense, Eddie Davis, DT Scott Schultz, DE Shont'e Peoples (He's 20 pounds lighter this year, plus he says he's no longer a Jehovah's Witness, which apparently lets him express his anger a little more. Whatever, it's sure working well.) Even CBC had a good game. In my opinion, they are head and shoulders above TSN in analysis and presentation. Granted the Riders were winning, but there was no obvious muting opportunity. Chris Cuthbert is much better at telling you what's actually happening than John Wells, and Chris Walby usually explains what happens, sometimes even coherently. He's actually quite good at analysing the line play. I am feeling so positive about the CBC right now, that Heritage Minister Sheila Copps herself could come to my door and I'd invite her in for a beer. (Honest folks, I'm not even drunk right now, which is a little scary.)

The Bad. The return game was marginal. The Riders were losing the field position battle on pretty much every possession. All-star returner Corey Holmes was missed. I'm not going to include the secondary here, because the Riders game plan left them hanging for a lot of the game. For the most part, they held on long enough. Lastly, the red zone offense has to be a little better. In the first half, the Riders were getting field goals while the Lions were getting TDs.

The Ugly. I can't even think of anything to put in this category, which frightens me even more. The Riders are not meant to do well -- the football gods just won't allow it. I think they're still paying off for that 1989 Grey Cup run. Their impressive play so far will only make the inevitable crash all the more spectacular.

2003-06-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Romulus and Remus

King Kaufman ventures into dangerous territory, laying the smackdown on the ubiquitous Jim Rome. (You'll have to register to get the article. Yes I know I complained about this a couple of weeks ago. Appreciate the irony.) No doubt the "Clones" are spending their weekend crafting their e-mails to Kaufman, assuming they can work a keyboard.

OK, OK. Full disclosure: I enjoy Jim Rome. In fact, I'm listening to one of his archived "takes" right now. I spent last Friday in stitches listening to the annual Smackoff -- an event where his best callers phone in with their best stuff. Absolutely riveting radio. It's a great as a comedy show that uses sports as its common language -- much as Jon Stewart's Daily Show builds its comedy around politics and current events.

But as a straight sports show, it's not so hot. Rome's a shameless suckup to athletes, and his analysis of the daily sporting events is nothing special. I never come away from the show feeling that I've learned something new. I like this bit from Kaufman:

It all sounds great, but really, how tough is it to shoot straight and not pull punches when you're talking about sports? On last week's "Rome Is Burning," which airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, Rome took swipes at Jeff Kent for not realizing until after the fact that his Astros teammates had thrown a no-hitter at the Yankees; Phil Mickelson for not winning another major; Tim Duncan for being dull and the Harlem Globetrotters for being a tired act. Whoa, what a bruiser.

But when he had heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis sitting right next to him in the studio and saying with a straight face that he's in Muhammad Ali's class as a fighter, all Rome had to say was "much respect." Where was the Jim Rome "smackdown," as he likes to call it? Wouldn't a straight shooter have said something like, "Lennox, Ali never got knocked cold by a journeyman like Oliver McCall or Hasim Rahman, and he beat Liston, Frazier, Norton and Foreman. Putting aside your tendency to get stretched by one punch, who have you beaten?"

2003-06-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

D Minus 4 Days, and Counting

Just a few days until the host of the 2010 Olympics is announced. (Count down the seconds here.) The faves are Vancouver and Salzburg, Austria. Seems like its too close to call. I think Vancouver'll get it, because Europe has the bulk of the votes, and I suspect they'll let Vancouver have the 2010 games so Europe can get the 2012 games.

That's what I'm hoping for, anyway. My desire to see Vancouver get them is only partly based on patriotism. It's surely not the economic benefits of the Olympics because I don't think there are any. It's not the much-ballyhooed "legacy" since Canada's already got the world-class facilities from the Calgary Olympics. How many Olympic-calibre luge tracks does one country need? No, I'm hoping Vancouver gets the games because that will prevent Toronto getting the summer games for years to come, thereby preventing an even greater expense from being foisted on the taxpayers of this country.

2003-06-26T05:16:00.000-07:00

Eskimos, Rats Leaving

Marty York's column sure contains an interesting nugget this week. Seems that a disgruntled Eskimo phoned Marty up and vented about the disastrous atmosphere currently prevailing over at Commonwealth Stadium. Problems include the treatment of QB Ricky Ray, the cutting of LB Terry Ray, and new addition RB Mike Pringle. Here's a sample:

"If you ask me," the Edmonton player said, "our whole situation is sad. Things looked so promising for us last year. Then it looked like we were making some good moves in the winter. But, now, there seems to be a lot of negatives around us.

"And, by the way," the player continued, "I know most of our players feel the same way as I do. I just wanted to share this with you so that you can tell veryone that we don't like what Campbell and Higgins are doing. Maybe if people know, they'll be embarrassed and they'll smarten up. The information should be out there."
Oh, sweeter words have never been spoken. As a devout Eskimos-hater, I love this. Nothing would please me more than a nightmare of a season that ends with the Eskimos missing the playoffs.

Alas, there's no confirmation that it's more than one malcontent. He claims to have support, but who knows? York loves to set the cat among the pigeons this way, and don't forget that he and Eskimos Prez Hugh Campbell had a fairly publicized dispute last year. And it is after just one game. Besides, if Marty's reporting it, the story has to be false, right?

2003-06-26T05:06:00.000-07:00

A New Day Dawns?

Things sure have changed in the NHL, haven't they? We've gpt teams giving up on their captain and best defenseman, teams trying to trade overpriced stars, and an NHL finalist is asking their captain to take a pay cut. Everybody's looking at the bottom line now.

So what's behind this new austerity regime? Are people actually coming to their senses and behaving like homo economicus? Yes, in part, anyway. Most teams have hit the wall in terms of salary. Just looking at the trade coverage, it's clear that there's only a few buyers (say New York, Washington, Detroit, maybe Philadelphia and Toronto) out there, and most of them are only buying if they can sell something first. Perhaps teams are taking a closer look at a player's salary and what they can get for that salary (see Jagr, Jaromir).

But teams are also reticent to take on new salary because they just don't know in what kind of operating environment they'll be come next year. Why take on Jagr's contract when there might be a salary cap coming? No doubt that the Commissioner's Office has been involved here. I'm sure the word has come down to avoid spending a lot of money. It's tough to make a case for hardship in your upcoming negotiations when you've got teams spending like drunken sailors. It's also tough to get a salary cap when you've got a lot of teams that would be hurt by it.

And it's not certain that taking on big contracts will help you win. The success of Anaheim, Minnesota, Ottawa and New Jersey in the playoffs has to have GMs thinking that they can construct a Stanley Cup winner without spending huge gobs of money. (The upshot of that is tremendously boring hockey, but that's a story for another day.)

2003-06-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

Do You Believe in Miracles?

Riders 20, Toronto 18! I don't think I've ever watched a game like that. The first 58:30 was just depressing, and angering. Between an otherwise terrible game by QB Nealon Greene, the questionable reffing, and the terrible TV coverage from TSN, the Bad Word Ratio was pretty high at my house. But the last 1:30 -- HOOO-AHHH! Talk about your amazing finishes. Two touchdowns in the last minute is absolutely phenomenal. Big props to Corey Grant, with 2 big touchdowns, one on an fantastic 53 yard pass and (mostly) run play that sealed the game for the good guys. Still not sure how the Riders won that one, but I'll take it. But is it an omen of a miracle season to come? Or will the Riders learn all the wrong lessons from this game, mistakenly conclude that they're better than they are, and stumble around for a couple more games before getting it right?

The Good. Corey Grant, obviously. Matt Dominguez was the Riders' leading receiver, plus he recovered the onside kick. A definite playmaker. The Riders defense looked to be in good shape. The D-line got some good pressure and mainly held against the run, though they couldn't contain Damon Allen at times. The secondary played well, as usual. This defense will keep the Riders in ballgames.

The Bad. Nealon, despite the last 1:30, didn't move this team at all. An offense that's built on short passes requires a QB that's pretty accurate to keep the chains moving on 6 yard gains. Nealon is not that QB, or at least he didn't play like one for most of yesterday. I don't think he's scrambling very well, either. Vegas is posting the over/under on when Kevin Glenn comes in at 2 games. The reffing was its usual suspect self. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I could probably work up a fairly long treatise on favouritism shown to the Argonauts.

The Ugly. Corey Holmes is injured, though no word on how long. Travis Moore might be gone too. TSN's coverage is just brutal. Little analysis, though they spend lots of time fawning over certain players (e.g. Damon Allen) and talking to guys in the crowd.

2003-06-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

Pete Wysocki

Saw the news of Pete Wysocki's passing on Eric McErlain's site yesterday. Turns out that, in addition to being a Redskin, Pete was a a Roughrider during 1973 and 1974, and a conference All-Star in 1974. RIP, Pete..

2003-06-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Sportsnet Idiocy Watch

I hadn't even considered a Sportsnet version of my TSN Idiocy Watch. Marty York is wrong 90% of the time, but he writes well and usually makes a believable argument. But then Sportsnet goes and adds Jim Lang's "analysis" to their CFL preview. (Scroll past Marty's reasonable take to get to Lang's.) Here's the offending passage:

Forget a quarterback controversy -- the real issue is on Defence. Shonte Peoples, Nate Davis and Scott Schultz give the Riders some decent talent on their D-line -- however they are very thin at LB and at Cornerback.

Now anyone who actually watched the Riders play last year will recognize that statement as almost entirely wrong. The Riders' D-line is actually the weakspot of the defense. While OK against the run, linemen only accounted for 9 sacks last year (1 every 2 games), which is really pathetic. On the other hand, their linebackers are fairly talented -- Jackie Mitchell has had sniffs with the NFL the last two years, and Reggie Hunt will get one next year. And their secondary is probably the best in the league. They had the fewest pass TDs scored on them and allowed the fewest yards passing per game, despite the lack of pressure from the front line. Cornerbacks Omarr Morgan and LaDouphyous McCalla are probably the best of the bunch. Nobody throws on them, and they wrap up ball carriers very well. Morgan was a CFL All-Star last year, for cryin' out loud! Again, with only 9 teams in the league, you'd think the poeple who are getting paid to watch these things would actually pay attention. Is that too much to ask?

This is one of the things that separates the CFL from the NFL. Pretty much every national NFL commentator knows at least half the league like the back of his hand. The ignorance of the Canadian commentators is just embarrassing, and unprofessional to boot.

2003-06-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

TSN Idiocy Watch

In what I hope will become a regular feature here at Dry Cold, I will cast an occasional eye over at the CFL "gurus" on TSN and pick out the dumb statements, the bald assertions and the pure moron-ness of the commentary, all for you, the home reader. I'm confident that I won't lack for copy.

First off the mark, Chris Schultz's CFL Preview. No doubt, Schultzie's probably a nice guy, he's got lots of football experience, but he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. He's going to be a regular target. (Plus, he wears the most mesmerizing suits. He'll wear some navy pinstripe job on the CFL telecasts, and I swear, it's like having a test pattern right in the middle of the screen.)

The biggest problem with the preview is that it's just bland. Not surprisingly, since TSN is one of the CFL's broadcasters, and it's unseemly to trash the product. But Schultz just stays with the tried-and-true analysis. Everybody's above average -- must be the Lake Wobegon Football League. It's hard to catalogue stupidity when nothing gets said. I'll just pick on one statement he makes in the Riders preview: Considering that they allowed Linebacker George White to go to Calgary they must feel that have a replacement for him.
Yes, they do. His name is Reggie Hunt, and he only played the position all last year! Led the team in tackles, too! When there's only 9 teams to follow, you should be able to keep track of who's starting where. If this is all the knowledge Schultz has, it's a little scary. Hope he works cheap.

2003-06-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hall Inductions

Grant Fuhr and Pat LaFontaine get elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame this past week. For once, the Hall makes some good picks (or rather, doesn't make any bad ones). Fuhr was the backstop to 4 of the 5 Oiler cup teams while LaFontaine was a classy, skilled centre who put up big points but had his career cut short by injury.

Notable by omission: Bernie Nicholls, Guy Carbonneau, Dino Ciccarelli, Glenn Anderson and Brian Bellows. Aside from Carbonneau, these are all guys who put up most of their points in the go-go 80s, which makes the traditional benchmarks of success (500 goals, 1000 points) less meaningful. I'm sympathetic to Dino because he's got 608 goals, he scored 40 or more in seven seasons, and he did it on some average teams. But he mainly floated below the radar. Sure he stayed around for a long time, but was he one of the top 5 at his position during his prime? It's the age-old question: is it better to burn out than fade away?

I'm also sympathetic to Glenn Anderson, just on the grounds that he played for the Oilers. Plus he's got 498 goals and he was a pretty good playoff performer. But he only got over 40 four times, and he was playing right next to one of the greatest centres of all time in Mark Messier. Also, you can't put too much emphasis on the playoff stats. It's a factor, but why should he be given an advantage just for playing on a good team? Of all the Oilers with Hall credentials (others are Gretzky, Kurri, Fuhr, Messier, Coffey), he's the weakest one, and so should only get in after all the others, if at all. On the other hand, if Clark freakin' Gillies -- a guy who played on the same line with Mike Bossy and Brian Trottier, and still never hit 40 goals even once -- can make it in, why can't Anderson?

2003-06-14T05:56:00.000-07:00

CFL Previews

The Globe and Mail's CFL preview came out today. Here's their primer on the big moves in the off-season.

The way I see it, the West has two tiers -- Edmonton and Winnipeg fighting it out for first, then everyone else fighting for the remaining two playoff spots. Saskatchewan might have an edge because they've got an easier schedule. But both Calgary and BC have upgraded their talent -- I'm not sure you can say the same thing for the Roughriders. Nevertheless, these might be the best 5 teams in the league. They should all get to make the playoffs. Prediction: Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Saskatchewan, BC.

Over in the East, Montreal has dominated for years, but they've been hemorrhaging talent this year. They're planning to go with a Canadian running back, which is a novel solution for the CFL and usually guarantees the running game will be an afterthought. Toronto has upgraded at QB with Damon Allen, but he's streaky, and this might be the year he loses it totally. They are a decent team, and should be as long as they keep getting paid. Hamilton stinks, but Ottawa is even worse. In a quarterback's league, you can't go into battle armed only with Dan Crowley. Prediction: Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, Ottawa.

Grey Cup: Winnipeg over Toronto.

2003-06-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

Site Changes

Did some sprucing up on the blogroll, adding hockey guru Damien Cox and sports-media columnist Chris Zelkovich. I took off Allen Barra and King Kaufman, two Salon guys that I haven't read since Salon went to the goofy subscription model. Also, I've added a "Greatest Hits" section, which links to some of my better posts. And there's a new site description. Big prizes to whoever can guess the reference.

2003-06-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

Rider Recap

I was deep in enemy territory on Thursday, watching my Saskatchewan Roughriders lose their last exhibition game to the Edmonton Eskimos 17-10. Not much to see, really. It was a fairly boring game, plus it was cold and windy. Even the drunks were a little rusty. (By the way, is there anything more pathetic than getting all liquored up for an exhibition game?)

Some highlights:

The announced crowd of 31,450. It must have been Hallowe'en, because a lot of those people came dressed as empty seats. I think I could've introduced myself personally to everyone there.

The Rider offense did not look that impressive. Neither Kevin Glenn or Nealon Greene looked great at QB, and the offense looks as predictable as it was last year. Big newcomer Travis Moore dropped a pass and fumbled once. Plus the running game sucked. In other words, they're in mid-season form already.

In the receiver battle, I'd have to say Matt Dominguez looked impressive with a couple of grabs and some good yards after the catch. Kamahl Roy dropped some easy ones, so I'm betting he'll be gone. Kevin Nickerson had a so-so day, fumbling a punt return, but also returning one for 31 yards, setting up a Rider field goal. Former NFLer Charlie Jones was invisible.

On defense, the Eskimos were getting good yards through the air and on the ground for most of the game. The secondary gave up some long ones, which is a bit uncharacteristic. No pressure from the D-line either. I'm a little worried that the defense might be slipping a bit, but it's not easy to get a good reading in exhibition.

Less than two weeks until the opener. Go Green!

2003-06-04T04:36:00.000-07:00

Found, One Contrarian

Chris Corrigan over at HockeyPundits makes the argument that it's really not so bad in today's NHL: Okay, there's been a lot of talk about the NHL's goal scoring drought and the clogged up neutral zone and that fact that an average of around 5.5 goals per game is not enough.

But I've long suspected that pining for 1981-82, when the league average was something like 8 goals per game is misplaced. And today I dug up the above article, that makes my point: the 1980s were an historical anamoly...Fac is that for most of history, the average goals per game has hovered between 5.5 and 6.5. Some years it's higher, some years it's lower.

It's not the NHL that is the problem. I think it's the expectations of fans. The game has always been this way. 100 point scorers are not the norm. We just got used to it with Gretzky and Lemieux around for all that time. 100 point scorers should be thought of as freaks of nature, because that is what they are. And we should really celebrate the fact that when a player reaches 100 points he is doing something really, really special.
Alas, I can see several problems with this argument. First, Chris doesn't quote the statistics for the last two years. (For the stats, see the Internet Hockey Database.) If he had, he'd see that things have gotten worse. There was an average of 5.24 goals per game in 2001-02, and 5.31 goals per game in 2002-03. If you graph it out, you'll see that the NHL is not in an era where goals per game fluctuates between 5.5 and 6.5 -- it's settling into a nice plateau that hovers around 5.3 goals per game. (By the way, goals have dropped even lower in the playoffs, when everyone seems to be complaining. There's an average of 4.64 goals per game in the current playoffs, which is down from 4.76 last year and 4.8 in 2000-01.)

Second, the focus on goals is somewhat misleading. It's not the goals that bother people so much, it's the style of play. A wide open game that ends 3-2 is probably exciting. But a 3-2 game between two trapping teams can be boring. Goals are only a proxy measure for entertainment.

Finally, why should the 1980s be considered an aberration? You can argue that there were revolutionary changes to hockey in the 1980s -- the influx of European players and perhaps more importantly, European training methods and systems of play. Without the counter-revolution of the mid-1990s, which was characterized by expansion, big goalie equipment and the introduction of the trap, it's reasonable to assume that scoring would have stayed at about the same level it was in the 1980s. And even if it was an aberration, so what? It was entertaining hockey, and there's no reason that the NHL shouldn't hold it up as the standard that they are trying to meet.

2003-06-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

Ducks are Evil, Cont.

Nice to know that someone agrees with me on the absolute need to hate the Mighty Ducks, even if he's only a nine-year old American.

Myself I cannot get seriously interested in a Stanley Cup final from which the Maple Leafs have been eliminated, but my New York born, Washington-bred son is fiercely cheering for the New Jersey Devils, a team in which he’s never before shown the slightest interest. When I asked him why he felt so strongly, he explained that nobody would ever take his beloved game seriously again if the championship was won by a team with such a stupid name as the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

The Ducks are of course owned by the Disney Corporation, and named after a mites-league hockey team in one of Disney’s movies. It’s notorious that Disney does a much better job of marketing to girls than to boys – think Little Mermaid, think Beauty and the Beast, think (shudder) of Pocohantas and Mulan – but it takes a special kind of obtuseness to compete for the allegiance of 9-year-old boys nationwide with a team named after a waddling, paddling, quacking bird.

I'll take the support wherever I can get it.

2003-06-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

Cue the Fat Lady

Well, it was a good run, but with Scott Gomez' points last night, I am officially out of the money in my hockey draft. I'll finish fourth, which is actually very impressive considering I had no players left after the second round. With a little luck (mainly a quick Senators sweep) I could have finished second. Overall, I'm happy with my strategy of hedging my bets and picking top guys off of a variety of teams-- not my fault Dallas couldn't beat the evil Ducks.

2003-06-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

Dangit! Peaked too Soon!

Riders beat the Blue Bombers 51-17 to open the exhibition season. Bombers left most of their starters at home, so it means absolutely nothing. Too bad, because I'd be willing to bet that this'll be the Riders' most lopsided win of the year. The Leader Post continues to live in the dark ages by not offering a Sunday edition, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to read the analysis.

2003-05-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

The Death of the NHL, Reconsidered

I'm not sure what's caused all this crying and moaning about the state of the game. Granted, it isn't great hockey. But it isn't any worse than it was last year. I think all the media attention is due to the fact that there's no other story to cover. How many people think that the entire Canadian media would be bemoaning the state of the game if the Toronto Maple Leafs were in the final? Canadian TV ratings would be up, and the Toronto media colossus would be treating us to indepth profiles of Corey Hirsch and Pat Quinn's cigar dealer.

One alternative explanation is that people are finally fed up. The NHL tried to make things better this year by calling obstruction, an effort which had disappeared by the latter half of the season, to the surprise of very few people. Add to that the success of the Devils and Ducks, both of whom got where they are through defense. But still, if it was two more offensive teams in the finals, nobody would care. The counter point to that argument is that the system rewards defense, so the chances of two offensive teams getting to the final aren't that great.

2003-05-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

Back With a Moderate Amount of Vengeance

So I’m back. No doubt all 6 of my readers will be happy about that. What can I say? Many distractions over the last month, plus hockey has been so frickin’ boring that my inspiration has gone down to…umm…errr…well, it’s gone down to something. See, I can’t even dig down for a moderately witty and/or obscure pop culture reference.

Believe me, I would dearly love to write a brilliantly contrarian piece about how these playoffs haven’t been that boring. Colby Cosh came close last week. And maybe they haven’t been that boring compared to the last few years. Maybe all they need is an exciting story. There is something to that – if Ottawa were in the finals, I’d be a lot more pumped to watch some games. But overall, the hockey itself hasn’t been particularly interesting either, unless you are, as one columnist put it last week, a Canadian Hockey Association-certified coach. And I think there’s something to that. The game has become more about the system, and less about the players (see Kariya, Paul). The fact that teams win like this makes it even worse.

This has to be a PR nightmare for the NHL. It’s the time of the year when you’re in the centre stage, and half the media coverage is about how crappy the product is. I guess the NHL should be thankful that they don’t have much a profile in the States to destroy.

2003-05-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

Red Alert! Red Alert!

Eric McErlain just woke me up from my nap, metaphorically speaking. Looks like I'm going to have to start posting something about the playoffs. I was hoping I could sleep right through them.

2003-04-29T17:28:00.000-07:00

Another Reason to Watch the Playoffs

In the last few days, I've discovered something surprising, something that I've been repressing for about 10 years. What is this recovered memory, you ask? Why, it's unreserved hatred for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Frankly, I'm a bit shocked by the depth of my hatred. And it's not just because they could cost me $70 either.

My hatred goes back to when the Mighty Ducks came into the league in 1993. This was a time when the NHL was becoming increasingly "fan-friendly", to the dismay of the hardcore fans. That a team would take its nickname from a Disney movie was just another sign than the NHL cared more about marketing and cool uniform colours than it did about the quality of the game. It wasn't worth hating the Ducks in past years -- what was the point? But now that they're successful, nothing less than full-out rage will do. If you need more reasons to hate the Ducks, you can talk about their hideous maroon and green uniforms, which seemed to usher in an era of even more hideous uniforms (Nashville, Phoenix, etc.), their pretentious "official" name of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and the fact that they play in a "Pond". Yes, this menace must be stopped.

2003-04-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

My Summer is Saved!

I don't know about you, but I was absolutely relieved when I heard this news.

2003-04-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Shooting Fish in Barrel, Al Davis Division

Raider owner Al Davis had a lawsuit laughed out of court on Monday. The suit was brought by Davis against the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for wearing black and silver, and having a pirate logo, respectively. Copyright infringement, you understand. Michael Silver offers this hilarious take on the issue, including this paragraph:

With his clean-shaven head, gravity-defying game and flashy moves, Michael Jordan developed a signature look that has been copied by so many other hoopsters -- most blatantly by Toronto Raptors star Vince Carter, MJ's fellow North Carolina grad. I'd say MJ has a case, except he probably wouldn't have much luck arguing trademark-infringement in Canada, which once boasted a nine-team professional football league that included the Ottawa Rough Riders and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Always happy to see one of the more embarrassing parts of Canadian history noted for the whole world to see. No such thing as bad publicity, right? Right?

2003-04-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

NHL Playoffs, the Happy Version

As the first round ends, I'd like to take a moment to review the playoff situation from the only point of view that really interests me anymore, money. I've avoided writing about my hockey pool team until the first round was over, mainly because I didn't want to bring a lot of grief onto myself (you'll see why in a minute). As you'll recall, my strategy going into my draft was to focus on the Stars, Wings, Blues, Senators and Devils, with some top scorers from other teams thrown in for variety. But my basic strategy in any hockey draft is to figure out who's undervalued, and go after those players.

We held the draft on the second day of the playoffs, after the Oilers took game 1. Combined with the inevitable hometown feelings, this had the effect of overvaluing Oiler players, and undervaluing the Stars. I took Modano with my first pick, and didn't look back, adding Brenden Morrow and Jason Arnott in later rounds. I'm still waiting for the bolt of lightning to strike. There was 11 people in my draft, so my strategy of focussing on certain teams didn't really hold up. So I moved to my alternate strategy of picking top scorers off of various teams, especially those in the East. I ended up with Roenick and Gagne from the Flyers, and Lecavalier and St. Louis from the Lightning. I also picked Shanahan and Larionov from the Wings, plus Glen Murray just in case the Bruins won.

At about the midpoint of the first round, I was in big trouble -- all 10 of my players were on teams that were losing in their series -- and, as I do every year, I went around complaining about my chances and saying how much I hated my team. But thanks to some key comebacks, I'm looking pretty good, and no one in my office will ever take my whining seriously ever again. Right now, I'm in first place, plus I have 7 players still alive. The upsets sure helped -- a lot of guys went heavily for the Blues, Wings and Avalanche. It's funny, but I have no real predictions about might happen from here on in. I think the Stars will come out of the West, but I don't think it's as much of a sure thing as it has been in the past. From the East, I suspect the Devils will bore their way in. Although if the Flyers play anywhere near like they did in Game 7 against the Leafs, they'll make the finals, and make me some cold, hard cash.

2003-04-23T05:25:00.000-07:00

Post-Mortems

I've been avoiding the inevitable discussion of What Went Wrong for a few days now, but I guess it's time to go back to the Oilers. As far as the playoffs go, it's sad to see the Oilers lose in a series where there was a glimmer of hope that they could upset the Stars, but I don't find it particularly unexpected. I thought they'd lose in 5, so losing in 6 is actually a better-than-expected finish.

Looking back over the season, there were some good things that happened. I was impressed with the way in which some players played themselves into a starting job. Alexei Semenov, for example, came up from Hamilton in mid-season and never went back. He looked OK in the 3rd pairing, and there were some moments that made you think Wow. And there were some forwards that really made their case for sticking in the lineup. In the last few years MacTavish has rotated about 5 forwards in and out of the lineup just because nobody seemed to be better than anyone else. They were all kind of the same, except they had different haircuts. By the end of the year, though, the scratches were developing a pattern. It looks like Ales Hemsky, Marty Reasoner, Shawn Horcoff and perhaps even Fernando Pisani have grabbed spots in the starting lineup. Other players, like Comrie, York and Smyth, played well when healthy. And Marchant should be the team MVP this year.

On the bad side, I think Tommy Salo had some problems this year. Sure, there were good stretches, but there were some godawful ones in there too. I found Colby Cosh's thoughts on this matter particularly interesting. Not sure if I'm ready to endorse Colby's position of getting rid of Salo and installing Markannen as starter, but it has to be said that Tommy probably isn't getting any better. I'm just not sure if Jussi Markannen is Finnish for "Roman Turek".

Another bad thing is the financial situation. It simply won't allow the Oilers to develop past a certain point in the short term. For example, when Carter was traded (and I still think those were bad trades, even if the Oilers won two in the playoffs), there was much talk about how Hemsky had developed enough to take his place. This doesn't happen on most teams. On most teams, talent is added, not merely replaced. Right now, the Oilers have got a team that will get into the playoffs most years. It'll take each player upgrading their game for the Oilers to get better. That could happen if the owners allowed it, since the Oilers are the second-youngest team in the league, but more likely, the best players will get traded away, and the Oilers will be right back where they started from.

It's all very frustrating, which leads me to the worst thing about this season. I think many people are reasonably satisfied with the Oilers' season. It's the attitude that says "Sure they didn't win in the playoffs, but they played pretty well, and we got three home games" Heck, some days you can include me in that group. The financial situation is starting to create a culture of mediocrity, and it can only be so long before it infects the hockey team.

2003-04-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

Revenge is Sweet -- Pretty Cold, Though

Back in 1988, when Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal at the Seoul Olympics, I remember there being a fair bit of talk among Canadians about how the much-hated Carl Lewis (who took the gold when Johnson was banned) was also on the juice. I guess there was a lot of sour grapes among Canadians at the time, and the talk rumours seemed to morph into nothing more than sheer paranoia. Then comes this story:At the 1988 Olympic trials [Carl Lewis] tested positive three times for small amounts of banned stimulants found in cold medications: pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine. After first disqualifying Lewis from the Olympics, the USOC accepted his appeal on the basis of inadvertent use. Lewis went on to win gold at Seoul in the 100 meters and long jump. Lewis could not be reached, but his longtime manager, Joe Douglas, said Lewis had not taken anything to enhance his performance.
Hmmm...a sprinter using stimulants. Don't you think that would provide a little advantage? Apparently, even paranoids have real enemies.

2003-04-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

Southpaws and Portsiders

One of the most common searches that lead people to my site seems to be some combination of "left-handed", "nhl players", "golfers" and "percentage of". In light of Mike Weir's victory, Colby Cosh has picked up the theme, with a link that explains why hockey players are predominantly left-handed.

The dominant hand in hockey is the one on the butt end (top) of the stick. For years most people playing the sport shot left-handed which in most cases,not all, meant that they were right hand dominant (right hand on top). Conversely right hand shooters were mostly left hand dominant. This situation held until perhaps the 1980’s. It really made no difference what you were called when you held a stick years ago because they were all straight, they could have called left hand shooters "right hand shots", but they did not. So when a youngster picked up a stick, usually with the dominant hand and started to play, since most people are right handed, they were left hand shooters.

Interesting point, mainly because it confirms what I've thought for years. I'm a right-hander, yet I bat left, shoot left in hockey, and golf left. I can't claim physiological genius for this -- two of my older brothers did everything from the left side, and they were the ones who taught me how to bat, golf and play hockey, so it was only natural that I follow in their footsteps. But it's nice to know they were doing the scientifically right thing as well.

I've mentioned this here before, but it bears repeating. I would bet that Canada has a greater percentage of left-handed golfers than anywhere in the world, due primarily to hockey. Golf is a second sport for most, and if they've played hockey, they're more likely to shoot left-handed, and thus there's a greater chance that they'll golf left-handed as well.

2003-04-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

O Canada!, Part 2

What a day! A great start with curling and golf. Then mix in a rerun of the best Simpson's episode of all time. And for the finale, a 3-2 Edmonton win over Dallas. This might just go down as the best day of TV in my life.

Anyway, on to the game. Easily the best one I've seen the Oilers play in a while. Right from the start, you could tell they were really into it. The forwards skated and crashed all night long, creating a number of good chances. It took until the 3rd period for them to score, but after Laraque got the first one past Turco, the floodgates opened. Two very nice goals from Pisani and Dvorak followed. Actually, I thought the line of Reasoner, Moreau and Pisani had a great game at both ends of the ice. They were on Modano for much of the game, and they shut him down almost completely. That makes Pisani the star of the game in my books.

Meanwhile, Dallas didn't have much at all. Arnott had a decent goal, but their second one was the result of a bad bounce off Scott Ferguson's back. And when the defense let down, Salo was there to make the stop. His glove save on Lehtinen in the 3rd period was just huge. Things are looking pretty good, don't you think?

2003-04-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

O Canada!

I am setting new records in horizontality today, but it's been so worth it. First off was the World Mens' Curling Championship. Canada had a rough start -- it wasn't as though they were terrible, but they were off slightly, and with the Swiss skip playing so well, Canada was down 6-4 at the halfway point. But great teams find ways to win, and Canada did just that. They scored 1 in the 6th end, then stole 2 in the 7th to move ahead 7-6, stole 1 in the 8th end and to end it all, stole 2 in the 9th. Switzerland threw in the towel at that point, giving Canada a 10-6 victory. It was an impressive win -- even more impressive was the way they did it. Switzerland had the last rock advantage from the 7th end on, but Canada made tremendous shots and forced Switzerland into tough situations which they couldn't convert. Take a bow, Randy Ferbey, Dave Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer and Marcel Roque.

Next up was the Masters, where Mike Weir became the first Canadian, and first lefthander, to win. Watching the last 6 holes or so, I was just so impressed by Weir's absolute unflappability. That man has cold, cold, Canadian water running through his veins. He didn't necessarily make a lot of great shots, but at the same time, he didn't miss any either. Weir made some very clutch putts at the end, especially on the 18th to save par. They were tricky 4 to 6 footers, the kinds of putts that often decide championships, and when missed, tend to haunt a player for the rest of his career. I was a bit disappointed in the anticlimactic ending. I guess I was hoping for a big birdie putt, but Weir only needed a bogey to win it all. Len Mattiace put on a clinic in how to botch a playoff hole, putting his second shot behind a tree, then banging the ball around on the green like a weekend duffer. No matter, it's great times up here in Canada.

Let's hope the magic continues -- game 3 of the Edmonton-Dallas series is in 30 minutes. Time to order the pizza, and reacquaint myself with the couch.

2003-04-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

Game 2 Recap

Sorry, you won't be getting an educated recap on Game 2 from me. I had to attend a birthday party last night at the home of non-hockey fans (yes, they do exist in Edmonton). I think there should be some sort of social convention that automatically cancels all plans made before the release of the playoff schedule. I'm not surprised at what happened, though. It sounds like the Stars came out firing, and I guess you have to expect that from a good team that played poorly the other night. The reffing sounds like it was particularly egregious, but that's not really surprising either. You can count on the zebras to clusterfarg about one game per series.

Listening to the post-game wrapup on the local radio last night, you could tell the Oilers were pretty disappointed about losing this one, though they were saying all the right things. I think they're also happy to get back to the friendly ice of Skyreach Centre. It will be an absolute madhouse in there on Sunday. TURRRR-CO! TURRRR-CO!

2003-04-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

Recap, cont.

Now for the really important questions:

1. What was the deal on Don Cherry's suit? I swear, I've never seen a red velvet suit (!) before. Somewhere, somebody's old drapes are missing.

2. How come Dallas gets a saxaphonist to play O Canada? Can't they find anyone to learn the words? At least there wasn't any booing. Let's hope Edmonton fans act with the same kind of class on Sunday.

3. My first question after learning B.J. Thomas sang the American anthem was: he's still alive? I thought it was Michael Bolton with his hair dyed brown.

4. When Don Koharski's announced as a referee for any game, does anyone else automatically flash back to Jim Schoenfeld's comment from 1987? Have to say, though, Donny didn't look like he'd had too many donuts lately.

2003-04-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

Game 1 Recap

Hey, so what do I know? It wasn't a pretty game, but the Oilers came out on top 2-1. After a rough 1st period, the Oilers started to skate. More importantly, they changed up their forecheck, going away from the hard wraparounds to get the puck away from Turco. And they got some chances as a result, and capitalized on two of them.

Meanwhile, they were shutting down the Stars attack. Hard to believe, but Dallas didn't have many good chances all night. I only counted three good ones for Modano, and two of those came in the first period on power plays. I think they were missing Guerin and Turgeon -- which I probably didn't factor into my predictions as much as I should have. And the end of the game was particularly sweet. Dirty players Claude Lemieux and Derian Hatcher taking amazingly bad penalties. The Stars were short-handed for the last 3:50 of the game, and two men down for about 20 seconds of that time. Very undisciplined for a veteran team, and it cost them.

MacT should be proud of the boys tonight, but there's lots of work to be done. This was a bad game for Dallas, and they'll come back even harder on Friday night. The Oilers need to capitalize on their chances more than they did tonight. And can someone loan them a power play, please?

2003-04-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

Playoff Pools

As the NHL playoffs start, offices around the country are holding their playoff drafts. Mine's tomorrow, and I thought I'd spend some time providing some of my tips and strategies (I won the regular season pool, so that makes me an expert, right?). Actually, I'll just link you to Eric Duhatschek, who says everything I'd want to say. The key, of course, is to pick the conference finalists, and then pick the top scorers from those teams -- you should finish in the money if you do that.

Easier said than done of course, and especially this year. I think the East is wide open -- any one of the top 6 teams could make the finals. I could even see the Bruins delivering an upset or two with the talent they have up front. I'm focussing on the Devils and the Senators, though I will probably try to pick top scorers off the Flyers, Lightning or Capitals. (I refuse to pick Leafs, because if I do, then I have to cheer for them. Then again, it might help me win money. It's quite a moral dilemma.) In the West, I like the Stars, though not as much as I liked the Wings last year. The Wings should beat Anaheim handily. After that, I'm not sure. Colorado should win, but I also think Minnesota is primed for an upset. I think my fellow draftors will probably take the three big Canucks early, and if you don't get Naslund, Bertuzzi or Morrison, there's not much point. St. Louis is intriguing, and might be a sleeper candidate.

That's is how I'd like it to go. In reality, I'll probably miss out on all my top picks, take too many Europeans, and end up with two players on both of the teams in a first round series. More to come.

2003-04-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

Playoff Preview

As I write this, it's 35 minutes until the puck drops on Dallas-Edmonton, so I thought I'd get my predictions in. Let me start by stating the obvious: Dallas is the better team. They have better forwards than the Oilers, their defense is just as good if not better, and their goaltending is probably better as well. They are better coached and more suited to playoff hockey. They should win handily.

Now having said that, the Oilers can still win, but several things need to happen. First, and most important, Tommy Salo has to have the series of his life, and he has to be much better than Turco. If Turco is average, the Stars can still win because of their offensive abilities and choking defensive system. If Salo is only average, the Oilers go home in 4 or 5 games. Second, the Oilers need to create chances. The forwards need to use their speed and strength to hammer the Stars' defensemen and get in on Turco before he can handle the puck. And they can't give up, either. They need to skate, skate, skate. Ryan Smyth and Mike Comrie have to play to their abilities. Third, the Oilers have to find an answer for MIke Modano. I'm still having nightmares of Modano's games against the Oilers from playoffs past. The defensive pairing matching up against Modano is perhaps more important than who lines up against him at centre. It sounds like Cory Cross and Eric Brewer will get the call. They also must play the series of their career. Finally, the Oilers need to convert on special teams. In the tighter checking environment of the playoffs, power play goals (and preventing them) become more important. Unfortunately, I don't know how they can fix this now. Hemsky might be able to provide some answers from a playmaking perspective.

So my heart is saying yes, but my head says no. Who wins? Let's put it this way -- I'm still picking Mike Modano first in my office hockey draft tomorrow. Though the Oilers will win one at home and keep it close for most of the way, the Stars are better, and better teams usually win. Stars in 5.

2003-04-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

Brief CFL Interlude

I'm in a bit of a lull, sports-blog wise. The Oilers have clinched, but there's still over a week until the playoffs start. Baseball has started, but I couldn't care less. (Though I heartily recommend this article about Oakland GM Billy Beane that appeared in the New York Times Magazine. Thanks to Off Wing for the link.) Also, a kind reader has sent me a link to an article that compares the economics of the four major sports. It's a big and informative article, and I'll post a full response in a day or two or three. So in the meantime, and in between time, I'm going to look to the Canadian Football League for a little material.

The word came out today that the Saskatchewan government has granted a loan to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, on very favourable terms. It doesn't appear to be new money -- it's just a reshuffling of existing debt. But the government gives much better terms than private banks do. The Riders only have to pay interest for the next five years, and they have until 2024 to pay off the loan. This also replaces a $3.1 million loan guarantee that the province had issued. I can't see the policy reason behind the loan -- the case for the subsidization of sports teams is pretty thin -- but if a government is determined to throw its money away, I'd rather they subsidize failing football teams than, say, failing potato farms.

2003-03-27T17:13:00.000-08:00

Reconsidering the Trades

So now that the Oilers have clinched a spot in the playoffs, is it time to rethink the deadline deals made by Kevin Lowe? There's been some talk of that around these parts, and Robin Brownlee wrote a column about it. As you'll recall, I came out pretty hard against the trades. My objections were basically on two grounds -- one, the timing stunk, threatening to throw the Oilers into all kinds of disarray at exactly the wrong time, and two, that the trades themselves were questionable.

I think the best you can say about the trades now is that they haven't caused the Oilers to go into a big tailspin as I originally feared. The Oilers are actually 6-1-0-1 since the trade, but they've also had guys recovering from injuries, plus Tommy Salo has played pretty well during the time period. I think it's a big stretch to say that the trades improved the Oilers. It's way too soon to say that the deals were a success -- they have to be judged over a much longer time period than a few games. And even then, it's a bit of a wash. Dvorak and Cross have looked OK so far, but Isbister has not. There's no need to trade for fourth-line wingers. Of course, looked at through the perspective of the salary dump, the deals look better. Much better than the Doug Weight trade, anyway.

2003-03-23T08:18:00.000-08:00

Goggles Strikes Again!

Oilers beat the Caps 5-3 as local boy Fernando "Goggles" Pisani scores 3, his first hat-trick since junior hockey. From what I saw, the Oilers played quite well offensively, with plenty of chances, though they did have some defensive lapses. More or less, good Oiler hockey.

By the way, if I do only one thing with this blog, I'd like it to be full acceptance of Goggles as Pisani's nickname. His nickname with the rest of the team seems to be Fernie, but Goggles is just way better. (See this page if you don't understand my obscure blatherings.)

2003-03-21T16:25:00.000-08:00

Regehr Nominated for Masterton

Great story on Calgary Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr. He's a young guy, so why's he being nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy, an award that usually goes to an older guy who's been around for a long time? Here's why: Remember, the Rosthern, Sask., resident stunned the hockey world by returning to the ice only 11 weeks after a horrific car crash during the summer of 1999 had shattered both of his legs. Just 19, he cracked the Flames' lineup.

"Looking back, I really didn't think a whole lot about it, to tell you the truth," Regehr said of his brisk recovery. "But people were approaching me and saying, 'Wow. You did a great job.' It was just a bunch of things that fell into place. I was very lucky to come back and play."
I suppose a little explanation is in order -- after all, since when does a die-hard Oiler fan praise Flames players? I think a lot of Canadians have a connection to a hockey player or two. You might be related to him, or gone to school with him, or lived in the same hometown. Regehr's one of my connections. I graduated from the same high school as he did, lived in his hometown for two years, and while I don't know him personally, I know people who do. So I'm glad when good things happen to him, even if he does play for the Flames.

2003-03-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

Habs Fans, Meet Habs Owner

So a fair number of Canadiens fans decided to boo the Star-Spangled Banner the other day. Wonder what George Gillett, who happens to own Les Habitants, and who also just happens to be an American, thought about that? Could that have anything to do with the speed at which this occurred?

2003-03-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

Ftorek Ftired

So Robbie Ftorek has been fired once again. Talk about a bad coach -- most have a shelf life of about three years, but this guy couldn't get past two years in any of his jobs. And yet he kept getting hired, which is more amazing to me. This has to be the end of the line, unless maybe the Rangers want to keep their string of making disastrous decisions going.

Then again, was it really all Robbie's fault? Stephen Cannella offers a dissenting view: But the Bruins' biggest problem -- lack of talent, especially on the defensive side -- has more to do with O'Connell and his superiors than with Ftorek's shortcomings. This is a franchise in chaos. Boston management was unwilling to spend what it took to keep the club's top goal-scorer (Bill Guerin), top goaltender (Byron Dafoe) and most bruising defenseman (Kyle McLaren) after last season. (The Bruins have also played most of the season without sparkplug Sergei Samsonov, who had wrist surgery in December.) In fact, ownership has told O'Connell not to sign anyone beyond September 2004, when the current collective bargaining agreement expires.
Hard to disagree with that analysis, either. But there's some precedent to say that Ftorek had already worn out his welcome, just like he had in Los Angeles and New Jersey.

2003-03-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

Oilers 5, Predators 3

That sound you hear is Northern Alberta collectively exhaling after another exciting game. This is exactly the kind of game the Oilers have specialized in losing over the last few years, but this time they pulled it out in the end. Being on the pessimistic side, I was predicting an overtime loss, but I'm glad to be wrong in this case (reverse jinx, anyone?). I've been saying privately for about two weeks that Nashville's already peaked and wouldn't threaten the Oilers, but they played pretty hard tonight, and showed some guts in coming back twice to tie the game up. Still, with the Oilers' magic number at 6, there'd have to be a pretty impressive collapse for them to miss the playoffs.

2003-03-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

Mascots, The Other Side

Patrick Hruby delves deep into the seamy underworld of mascots. It's all there -- the problems of hot weather, the enormous funkifying stench of the mascot uniform, a long list of injuries, and an even longer list of legal troubles. Horrifying quote:

"A lot of mascots have stories about getting hit in the 'nads," said Dr. Edward McFarland, director of sports medicine and shoulder surgery at Johns Hopkins and the author of a study on mascot injuries. "That's just about the right height for kids to punch. They think they're aiming for the stomach. But they're not."

For me, it's just more reasons to support the outright ban of all mascots. If I'm ever elected to political office, this would be the first constitutional amendment on my agenda. Don't worry Quebecers, I'll exempt Youppi from my ban on distinct society grounds. (Note: The preceding sentence was a lighthearted reference to Canadian political history. If you didn't understand it, feel free to ignore it, and consider yourself lucky.)

2003-03-11T16:25:00.000-08:00

Wrong Trade, Wrong Time

OK, now that I've got that sarcasm out of my system, let's take a (slightly) more rational look at the trades. As I see it, the Oilers are trying to do two things: one, get bigger; and two, dump salary. I understand the need for the salary dump. It's an inescapable fact for the Oilers, though I don't like being reminded of it. But why do it now? You're telling me you can't get similar value in the off-season? The only teams that dump salary at the trade deadline are teams that are waving the white flag on the season.

And I'm not sure about the desire to get bigger, either. I've already written about how I think it's a stupid idea to restructure your team in this fashion so close to the deadline. This changes the entire team philosophy, in my view. Bigger is not necessarily better, either. Dvorak, Torres and Isbister had better be able to score, or else they've just traded for three more Ethan Moreaus.

UPDATE: Colby Cosh posts his reaction. It's a lot like mine.

2003-03-11T16:14:00.000-08:00

Can We Trade Kevin Lowe?

To recap: The Oilers trade their top scorer and their top defenseman for a big guy that has yet to show his potential, a first-round pick from 2000, a forward whose best seasons may be behind him and a hulking defencemen who was so much in demand that he sat at home for half the season before signing a free-agent contract. So that's two sure things for four question marks. Bravo, Mr. Lowe. Craig Button couldn't have done it any better.

2003-03-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

More Trade Talk

On one of Edmonton's drive-home radio shows, Mark Spector of the National Post mentioned the possibility that the Oilers will trade Janne Niiniimaa to the Leafs for Darcy Tucker, Richard Jackman and perhaps a draft pick. The Oilers apparently figure they won't lose much on defense -- Jason Smith and Alexei Semenov pick up some extra minutes, Jackman comes in as the sixth defenseman, plus they gain Tucker's offense and agitating ability. And never forget, Janne Niiniimaa is one of the highest-paid Oilers at $2.9 million (and due for a raise), so the Oilers can dump some salary at the same time.

Not sure what I think of the deal on its merits, but I don't care for the timing. Better to do this kind of deal in the off-season. And there's some other things that bother me about this deal, not least of which is the ethical dilemma involved in cheering for Darcy "His Nickname Rhymes With" Tucker.

2003-03-09T15:32:00.000-08:00

Traitor!

I feel a little treasonous today. In the day's bigger sporting events, I'm cheering against teams from my home province of Alberta. In the Canada West University hockey finals, I'm cheering for my alma mater, the University of Saskatchewan against the University of Alberta. And in the all-important Brier (the Canadian Mens Curling Championships), I'm going for Nova Scotia against Edmonton's own curling maestro, Randy Ferbey. Ferbey'll probably win -- he's got the best rink in curling right now, but Nova Scotia is skipped by Mark Dacey, a former Saskatonian like myself. It's hard to change my allegiances to the hometown teams. Maybe in a few years, but for now, the Saskatchewan attachment is still strong.

That reminds me, the Brier's already started -- better get to the couch. Go Dawgs!

UPDATE: My treason was to no discernable effect. Huskies lost 5-2 to the U of A. And Mark Dacey lost 8-4 to Randy Ferbey in one of the finest curling games I've ever seen. Those Edmonton boys sure curled well. I counted about 5 or 6 shots that they missed over the whole game. And when I say missed, I don't mean missed outright, I mean that they weren't perfect. Dacey played pretty good too -- against anyone else he would have won -- but Ferbey had a few more shots under his belt.

2003-03-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

Any Oiler Trades?

As usual, with the trade deadline looming, the papers are rife with trade speculation. I can't see Lowe making any deals this year, except maybe of the 10th forward for 4th round draft pick variety, though Lowe has been known to surprise. The speculation about Niiniimaa and Carter being on the block may be true for all I know, but I just can't see Lowe dealing integral parts of the team at this time of the year. Marchant will stay. While I'm sure there are teams that would like to get him, they won't offer that much for the chance to rent him for the rest of the year. He's worth more to the Oilers if he plays out the season and leaves as a free agent than what the Oilers would get in a trade.

The Oilers need lots of things, of course. Scoring wingers, a big centreman, a strong stay-at-home defenseman, but name me one playoff team that isn't trying to deal for those things. Even if the Oilers were actually in a position to make some deals, it would be a tough haul. But what do I know? Does anybody think that the Oilers will be active in the market by Tuesday?

2003-03-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

CFL Salary Cap, Take 2

Colby Cosh takes issue with my take on the CFL's salary cap. Calls it "bellyaching". See, Colby's a diehard Esks fan, and therefore, he won't let my accusations of cheating go by without a fight. He's not denying that they went over the cap, but he repeats the line recently peddled by Esk CEO Hugh "The Godfather" Campbell that the Esks were barely over the cap, by only $50,000.

A few points in response. First, the only people who believe Hugh Campbell anymore are Eskimo fans. And even some of them aren't buying it. Check out Dan Barnes' recent column on this issue. Barnes points out that the Esks own annual report puts them some $700,000 over the cap. Granted, some of this would be for injured players and thus does not count. But not the whole $700,000.

Second, the Eskimos (and other teams) are commonly known to pay athletes in other ways -- instead of paying them more in salary, they'll pay for their housing, or a car, get them good sponsorship deals, etc. This certainly violates the spirit of the salary cap, if not the letter.

Third, while I may be taking a backhanded shot at the Esks, I'm not really blaming them. It's a perfectly rational response on their part. They see others cheating to get a competitive advantage, there's no penalty for cheating, and they've got the resources. Heck, if I were an Esks fan, I'd be pissed off if they weren't cheating. I blame the league more than anyone, because there's no enforcement.

Finally, I think there's a very real danger that the Saskatchewan Roughriders could fold. They've already come close once or twice. Fan support is good right now, but not great, thanks in part to people like me who move out of the province and therefore can't go to home games. If the Riders don't start winning soon, there'll be a real crisis, which makes salary cap enforcement all the more important. Losing the Riders because of inept management is one thing, but losing them through the negligence of the league is a lot worse.

2003-03-06T16:46:00.000-08:00

Those Trade Winds Blow

Big story in the Edmonton Sun this morning about trades the Oilers are considering, including Anson Carter to the Islanders for Dave Scatchard and Brad Isbister. I find it hard to believe Lowe is even considering it. The idea of Carter going to the Isles for Scatchard and Isbister (and hopefully somebody else) reminds me of a lot of Oiler trades -- one first-liner going from the Oilers in exchange for a couple of second- or third-liners. It also brings to mind the bad image of a salary dump, since Carter is probably looking at a big raise for next year. Maybe the idea is to get bigger, but giving up Carter's offense is too much for a team that has trouble scoring. Two (barely) average forwards do not equal one above-average forward.

Besides, if Lowe is looking to make a major deal like this, he should do it in the off-season, not with 16 games left in the regular season. By the time the Oilers adjust to the new personnel, the season's over and they probably miss the playoffs.

2003-03-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

Making the CFL Worse

Much as I don’t want to write about the CFL in the off-season, current events are conspiring against me. The off-season has not been kind to my Saskatchewan Roughriders. So far, they have lost seven players, including their best offensive player last year (Derick Armstrong, to the Houston Texans), two linebackers (George White and Jackie Mitchell, to the Stampeders and 49ers, respectively) and some solid Canadian talent (Shawn Gifford and Sheldon Napastuk). This by itself is not terrible – teams always go through some turnover in the off-season – but what makes it worse is that the Riders have not been at all active in the free agent market. There have been no significant signings to replace what has been lost.

Meanwhile, other teams are going about their merry way in signing players and probably violating the CFL salary cap. Armed with a $3.6 million profit from last year’s Grey Cup, the Eskimos are on a shopping spree. I have no doubt that they are significantly over the cap. Ditto for the Argos and the Alouettes. I expect that all teams were over the cap last year, but most teams are minor offenders.

I understand where the major violators are coming from. It’s perfectly rational behaviour on their part – a textbook case of cartel economics. The teams make a pact to hold down salaries. Each team faces the same incentive. Cheating, by spending more on players, gives them a competitive advantage. And there’s no strong central body (in the form of a commissioner) to enforce the rules, so there’s no penalty for cheating. Teams will cheat if they have the resources to do so (Edmonton, Montreal) or those that think a more competitive team will be worth it to them in the form of increased revenues (Edmonton, Toronto, and perhaps B.C.).

Part 2 of this scenario is that continued cheating eventually brings down the cartel. Small market teams like Hamilton and Saskatchewan need an enforced salary cap to remain competitive. Continued losing will likely drive the fans away and kill the franchises. Losing 2 out of 9 teams would be a major blow and could kill the league for good.

In part, this has been a winter of good news for the CFL. They’re coming off a successful season, there’s a good buzz in the air, and the new TV contract is a good one. But the last time things were this good was the early 1980s, and that time, a few good years of revenue brought increased spending on players, but when the revenues dried up, teams were in serious trouble. The CFL escaped, but I fear the consequences will not be so good this time.