Roger, over and out

Top of the mornin' links to ya!

The field is complete for the final four at the WBC, and in a development both fitting and shocking, the U.S. and Roger Clemens is out after losing 2-1 to a Mexico team that was playing for pride, and a considerable amount of it, their defence and pitching the difference on the night.

AP PHOTO

Like Pat Quinn, an Irish dressing-down.

Semifinal matchups to come: Cuba vs. the Dominican Republic and Japan vs. Korea on Saturday, the two winners meeting Monday night.

When Pat Quinn played for the Maple Leafs, he used to dress for St. Patrick's Day in a big, green suit. But this St. Paddy's Day, so far away from those times, the Irishman's dressing down, as in kicking ass and taking names after his side lost 3-1 in Buffalo last night:

"We were in good shape, but both Allison and Tucker quit skating coming back. Sure, our defenceman got beat, but they could easily have backed him up on the play. It's why we're not a playoff team right now. That's the kind of play we're getting ... guys thinking, 'Well, someone else is going to do it.'"

So here's your updated eastern bottom-of-the-playoff race standing, including this overall good but not good enough effort against the hottest team in the NHL:

8 Montreal 71
9 Atlanta 70
10 Islanders 66
11 We'renotconcedinganything 66

Chris Zelkovich has a nice one this morning on the underappreciated CIS tournament in Halifax, which got underway last night with York and Laurier crashing at the first hurdle, and the three-time defending champion Carleton Ravens start today.

Another reason why Steve Nash is among the most admirable of pro athletes: He used his endorsement money from those computer ads you see to fund a hospital ward in Paraguay (via Sports Filter).

The Jays lock up Doc.

Ottawa Renegades minority owner sounds ready to throw in the towel, and perhaps the franchise is next.

Charging fringe players for tickets, driving up sponsorship deals via the media, and probably a ticket-price hike: it's the Malcolm Glazer approach at Manchester United.

LotN, NHL: Justin Williams of Carolina, two goals and two assists in the NHL-leading 'Canes' 5-1 win over Montreal. NBA: Shaquille O'Neal (remember him?) has 26 and 11 (including 2-9 from FT line) as the Heat rally from 25 down to beat Boston.

Madness on demand

Last July, My brother and I sat down and watched the entire Live 8 concert, or at least six or seven sites worth of it, in one sitting.

He was in Surrey, B.C., I was in Toronto, and via IM'ing we chatted back and forth through the whole thing. To me, it was an eye-opening experience. Never had our traditional TVs and telephones seemed so limiting.

Today the NCAA tournament is underway, and CBS's online partner, CBS Sportsline, has raised eyebrows and office-bound fans' hopes by offering up its coverage online and free, much like AOL's Live 8 webcast that simply destroyed the offerings of television outlets like MTV. It's not exactly the same, of course. CBS is the exclusive rights-holder -- unlike AOL, it is the traditional media embracing the new here, instead of annihilating it. Former CBS executive Neal Pilson calls this "a watershed event," but some companies don't feel the same way. This from the Sports Business Journal:

"With CBS’ “March Madness On Demand” offering NCAA men’s college basketball games for free online this year, “bosses around the country are taking note and employing Internet filtering software to limit employee access,” according to CNBC’s Steve Liesman. Liesman: “March Madness, it turns out, is a big and measurable productivity loser in a nation that, ironically, is obsessed with productivity.” Websense VP & Chief Counsel Michael Newman, whose company provides Web filtering and security services, said, “The idea really is to make sure that employees are productive when they’re at the office. I think everybody would agree that employees shouldn’t come to the office [and] spend all day watching basketball games” (“On The Money,” 3/15)."

SBJ also cites this piece by Thomas Heath in today's Washington Post:

While it's impossible to say how many companies are blocking Web access to the tournament, there is a growing recognition that technology is allowing March Madness to creep further into the workplace.
"It's a phenomenon that businesses have to live with forever now," said Raul Fernandez, co-owner of the Washington Capitals and chairman of ObjectVideo, a security video software company that employs 85 at its headquarters in Reston.
"We are living in a world where it's not just the NCAA, but you can watch 'Desperate Housewives' or other games remotely through the Internet. For me, it falls into the category under trusting the employees to get their work done."

If you're watching the tournament online today or Friday -- or maybe you were glued to the computer following along during one of my live text commentaries of Canada during the Olympics -- I'd like to hear from you.  Do you feel this "a watershed event"? Is this where we're going? And how much work aren't you getting done today?

Red Storey, 1918-2006

Red Storey was one of those Canadian originals who went through a number of different sporting phases in his life, from football to hockey referee to raconteur.

CP FILE PHOTO

Red Storey: All-round sportsman.

I remember him at a hockey banquet when I was quite young, telling stories and always laughing. To me, a Canadian kid reared on the lore of the Rocket Richard riots and epic football finals at Varsity Stadium, he was a larger than life figure, a link back to those times, and with better stories to tell than the ones in the books I was reading.

So I was taken a little aback this morning with the CP obit run in The Star and many other newspapers this morning -- at least this part:

In one 1938 game, Storey came off the bench in the fourth quarter and rushed for three touchdowns and 102 yards in a comeback win over Winnipeg.

One 1938 game? That was actually the 1938 Grey Cup, and the single most electrifying performance in the long history of that great game.

Storey's three touchdowns in a single Grey Cup game are a record since equalled by Jackie Parker (1956) and Tommy Scott (1980; Ross Craig of Hamilton also had three TDs in the 1913 final, and Storey and Craig share the record for rushing TDs in a Grey Cup) -- but none of them put together the concentrated burst Storey managed.

As the Star's Red Burnett noted in the sportswriting parlance of the day:

When the flame-thatched youth decided to rise and shine Argos were trailing 7 to 6 and the greater majority of the 18,846 paying customers very glum, while Winnipeg Blue Bombers' supporters were flushed with the joy of expected triumph.
Mr. Storey soon changed all that by turning in one of the greatest 15 minutes of football toting over seen on the Varsity or any other gridiron. All the 20-year-old lad, who tears along with the speed of a sprinter and the power of an elephant, did was chalk up three touchdowns and make the other possible as the brilliant Argo machine staged a thrilling 24-point rally to snatch victory from the hungry clutches of the Winnipeg gridders to retain their Canadian crown.

For a link to a pdf file of the Star's coverage of Storey's performance for the ages via Pages of the Past, click here.

Farewell, Red. Thanks for the stories.

Now undressing, Ralph Kramdenero

It's an all-blog Thursday edition of the morning links! Everybody mamba!

That was some ball game last night, Cuba beating Puerto Rico 4-3 to reach the semifinals (Korea's into the final four, too, with a 2-1 win over Japan, meaning the U.S. still has a pulse and can complete the field today against Mexico). The seventh inning had it all, including pelting rain, the tying run thrown out at the plate -- and Cuba pitcher Romero looking like Ralph Kramdenero as he stood on the dugout, his uniform top half undone, then coming out to protest a call after the Cuban manager was tossed for arguing (and his interpreter, I presume -- the poor woman's translations were a bit too good, I guess). It took me a while, but I'm slowly becoming a believer in this WBC thing, which Dave Zirin hopes is the future of the game here: "If the WBC serves as an autopsy on America's national pastime, it also shows how the sport is being reborn beyond (the U.S.'s) borders."

Related: In honour of Dontrelle Willis, There's Your Karma, Ripe as Peaches has a post on charging the mound, with ESPN's Top 10 beanball brawls embedded. (George Bell inclusion: Bell's swing and a miss; Jorge Bell omission: Where's the karate kick and a miss on Bruce Kison?)

Raptors lose to the Pistons, but they did "play hard", as Rick Carlisle of the Pacers was applauding them for the other day (and as Tas on the Basketball Jones podcast was echoing in their latest). I have a question: since when did "playing hard" become anything other than a default setting, or an assessment that anyone outside of the coaches' fraternity should take seriously? These guys make a lot of money. "Playing hard" is the minimum they can do. "Playing smart" or "Playing disciplined" or "Playing prepared" or "Playing together" are different things entirely. Can't get on 'em too much for this, though, against a Detroit team that is best in the east. I mean, they "Play defence" while the Raptors "Just pretend".

More bloggorhea:

It's like a really, really bad sequel going down in Ottawa, or as Mike Nixon puts it at OttawaFootball.com: "The league should revoke the franchise immediately and decide either to carry it for one year while searching for new owners or fold it now. Ottawa fans do not deserve this treatment."

Down in New York, the worst nickname in sports is taking on one of basketball's most passive-aggressive (and decorated) martinets. It's "Starbury" against Larry Brown. Everybody mamba! (Or at least, keep a straight face.)

Manute's Webb, with a great post on playing an NCAA pool in Canada, where March Madness is curling, follows it up with some Big Dance thoughts for today's opening -- okay, it's the picture of Scarlett Johansson that got me.

Moving to hockey, James Mirtle has a cool updating of the NHL's playoff race. David Johnson at HockeyAnalysis crunches the numbers and yes, We'renotconcedinganything is still out of the playoffs.

A Don Cherry action figure and more, courtesy of Vancouver Canucks Op Ed.

And although no one quite knows how, the USA have moved up to fifth in the FIFA rankings.

Awards We'll Never See

Last night, Joe and Harry on the Leafs broadcast were talking about how the NHL should have a Bobby Orr Trophy. Worthy sentiments and a most worthy candidate for such an honour -- except that the league already has too many awards. Or at least, not enough of the right kind of awards.

So, being an obliging kind of blog, here they are, some awards you'll never see -- and please, play along at home:

The Gerry McNamara Cup, awarded to the league's most atrocious GM. With Mike Milbury taking the pipe this year, Mike O'Connell of the Bruins (he of the Joe Thornton deal) is in charge and underlined his front-runner status by trading Samsonov away last week. But it's not over yet. That's none other than JFJ, not conceding anything, making a hard charge into contention.

The Carlton the Bore Award, given to the Maple Leaf adjudged to say the least, either figuratively or literally. Perhaps the toughest call of all. Will it be JFJ's Plan, another Mats Sundin pep talk, or is there someone else out there yet to come whose vacuousness will catch the fancy of voters? Still up for grabs. 

The Teachers Pension Trophy, awarded to the Maple Leaf who earns the most money while delivering the least. JFJ has turned this into a real horse race taffy pull. Runaway leader Aki Berg ($1.064 million, 4 points, prorated-over-80-games $177,333 per point) has suddenly been joined by new acquisition Luke Richardson ($2.09 million, seven points, pro-rated $174,167 per point). (And, if you're looking at bargains, Kyle Wellwood at a real cheap $14,581 per point is the least likely candidate for this award. )

The Snidely Whiplash Plaque, given to the NHL player adjudged to be the biggest jerk. Off Wing Opinion's Eric McErlain has already done the heavy lifting for this one with a Most Hated poll that puts Todd Bertuzzi at the top of the heap. Can't argue with that.

The J.C. Tremblay Trophy, given to the NHL player who combines offensive production with bonehead giveaways. I'm open to all candidates here.

Vaguely related: Mika Noronen, in a different life, obligingly cleans the plexiglass for an apparently befogged goal judge (Thanks to Chris Hutsul for the link).

Not related at all: Great breakdancer (the guy in the orange shirt, not the first guy).

They're not conceding anything

It's the morning links and, oh, beware the ides of March (Remember -- tomorrow's the Thursday All-Blog edition of the morning links, so send along anything you saw blogwise this last week that you liked, or even wrote yourself, and I can put it in if it meets the exhaustive criteria):

Leafs win, and playoff fever is popping up round the town like dogpoop in the melting snow. Not really. If only all their opponents were like the Bruins and especially Nick (Brainwave) Boynton. Some hasty conclusions, off an entertaining and skittish night of shinny:

1/Sundin was cut with a stick in the face late in the game. Any time is Suntory time for a good visor debate, so here's your chance.
2/After Joe Bowen's usual club-pays-my-salary intro, Dave Hodge woke me up with this zinger: "The Leafs and the Bruins can be compared in several ways, none of which compliments either team." (Well, it wasn't a zinger, but you know what I mean.)
3/Pat Quinn was coaching in his 1300th game last night. Why?
4/Ed Belfour is out with "back problems", which struck some as strange timing
 

And just so you can impress your friends at tonight's Cuba-Puerto Rico keg party, here's the latest update in the chase for the final east playoff spot:

8 Montreal 71
9 Atlanta 68
10 Islanders 66
11 We'renotconcedinganything 66

Raptors win to complete a rare MLSE daily double, cuing high-fives and a round of Grape NiHi's all around the directors' lounge. If only all their opponent were like the 76ers, missing their top player and sending out five human white flags for Chris Bosh to run over (Normally, it's a case of beware the Iverson of March, but not last night).

This World Limited Overs Baseball Classic is beginning to stir, the U.S. on the ropes and the Dominican Republic through to this weekend's semifinals. Now it's time to fill out the grid, and I'm not even going to try to figure out the tiebreakers. Let's just say Team Selig -- and maybe Barry Bonds -- is out if Japan wins against Korea,  with a pretty large Perhaps attached. Meantime, Cuba and Puerto Rico play off for another semi spot tonight. And about next time: Among the possibilities are deciding the tournament at All-Star break time.

LotN, NHL division: Tomas Vokoun's shutout notwithstanding, I'm going with Daniel Briere of the streakin' Sabres -- two goals and two assists in a comeback win over the Caps.

LotN, NBA division: Antawn Jamison's 35 and 16 are gaudy, but those were the Bobkitties he was playing against. I'll plump for Tim Thomas, who's gone from unemployed to the Suns to last night's 23 in 20 minutes, Phoenix beating the defenceless Sonics (yup, they're almost as toothless as those 'Kits).

The NFL is busy, busy, busy: Daunte to Miami, Brees to the Saints, but this might be the most amnesiac thought of all, from the Dallas Morning News: "With Keyshawn released, Cowboys could go all out for Owens." 

Inter grabs the final Champions League quarterfinal spot. And three Middlesbrough fans are stabbed in Rome ahead of today's UEFA Cup game against Roma.

A church full of friends said farewell to Jim Hunt.

Prank of the week: Fun and games with IM'ing never seemed so clever and cruel (via Robot Wisdom, although it's been around for a bit).

It's fantasy league time coming up, so here's some help diversion for you from McSweeney's.

Cuba, Cheechoo, Chelsea and more

The morning links, unseasonably mild:

Cuba loses to the Dominican Republic, but it's once again the anti-Castro messages in the stands and the sky that overshadow the day. Meantime, David Ortiz hits the ball  out of the park and Venezuela wins, and South Korea beats up on the U.S.  -- the Americans might be eliminated from the semifinals before they play their next game -- as the World Limited Overs Baseball Classic rolls on.

LotN, NHL: Jonathan Cheechoo's three goals (including one shorthanded, and a bit of everything else) help the Sharks beat L.A.
LotN, NBA: Chris Kaman goes wild with 24 and 23 (8 and 9 in the fourth quarter alone; and don't forget the three blocks and four steals) as the Clippers beat the T-Pups.

Chelsea will get Michael Ballack, and Jose Mourinho says that Ballack and Frank Lampard will form a "dream pair". And although I reckon it won't end the speculation that the two can't co-exist -- I'm not at all convinced they can, or even will get the chance to end the argument -- according to this report, Barcelona isn't interested in acquiring Lampard. (For more on the Ordinary One, and an ironic, to be sure, "I'm Not the Best Coach in the World" headline, go here).

And a video bonus: This is athletic. (Thanks to Cathal for the link; and isn't that Ryerson in the background of one clip?).

The VIP treatment

Time to start thinking about this summer's World Cup, including tickets.

And if you've got, oh, $450,000 to spare, you might want to be looking at this: a private box for six games, including a quarterfinal and the big enchilada itself in Berlin on July 9, the World Cup final:

Well-heeled fans will also have their own entrance to ensure they make it into the VIP area as smoothly as possible. Once they're in, they'll already be able to eat, drink and make merry two hours before kick-off in specially constructed hospitality tents, said Peter Csanadi, a spokesman for iSe.
(Snip)
But hospitality tent may be the wrong description for the places where the VIPs will while away their time, said Stefan Bartosch, managing director of De Boer, the company that is making the constructions for the 12 stadiums.
"We're building temporary rooms," Bartosch said. The tents are more like small cities. "This city will be many 10,000 square metres (hundreds of thousands of square feet) in size, with its own kitchens, living rooms, with deck chairs, terraces, with everything you can imagine."

And every one of those VIPs will be drinking Budweiser, right?

(Related: FIFA, World Association of Newspapers have reached an agreement on use of photos -- which means that internet websites like the Star's, among others, will be allowed to run photos of the tournament.)

It's the Bronze Baby, baby

March brings so many sporting interests to the table, including lots and lots of championship basketball. It's heavy on the hoops this morning links, leading off with some Canadian collegiate items that get very little mention in the mainstream media:

First off, UBC wins the Bronze Baby, beating Cape Breton 58-55 in a game that had 15 lead changes. Saturday at York, McMaster defeated York 95-86 to win the Wilson Cup, and the Lions open against Saskatchewan Wednesday night as the Final 10 gets underway in Halifax. Closer to home, Sheridan hosts and Humber contests the 2006 CCAA men's championship beginning Thursday out in Oakville.

Oh, and if you somehow missed the brackets for the NCAA men's tournament, here they are (PDF file). Any one with cinches for my pool sheet, lead pipe or otherwise, let me know.

Congrats out to the Brampton Thunder, winners of the national women's hockey crown  (otherwise known as the world club championship) 2-1 over Quebec.

Controversy at the World Baseball Classic, its pitchers unshackled to an 80-pitch limit but its umpires strictly minor league as Japan gets screwed out of a go-ahead run in a dramatic 4-3 loss to the U.S.

Moving to the category of overpaid and underwhelming now, the Raptors win a close one. Really, they did.

What's more of a shock: Edgerrin James leaving the Colts, or going to the Arizona Cardinals?

LotN, NHL: Marc Savard assists on a late tying goal and scores the overtime winner as the Thrashers beat the Rangers and close in on a playoff spot. LotN, NBA: LeBron James' 47 (including 24 FT makes) isn't quite enough as the Cavs lose in Miami.

I can't resist this: South Africa rings up 438 to come back and beat Australia's 434 target, sparking a national party.

 

Better days ahead

Time to clear off the desk with a nice-looking weekend beckoning, but first:

One last look. Sam Javanrouh has a nice miniature city cycling race shot, from his award-winning Daily Dose of Imagery photoblog.

See ya Sunday, Tone. Easy on the ziti there.

One last read. You may have noticed I've been feeling kind of blah, maybe even crabby, about this World Limited Overs Baseball Classic. Man, I've tried to get into it, especially after Canada beat the U.S. (which I didn't see), making a point of watching Canada vs. Mexico (which I did see, at least five innings of it), after which I'm back to being blah...crabby about it again, or pretty close to the way it's put here: "To me, it's all like seeing the 'Eiffel Tower' in Vegas or 'visiting' Japan while at Epcot." Well, there's always the promise of better days ahead with opening day just around the corner.

Breaking news. The Champions League draw for the quarterfinal round, including Arsenal vs. Juventus (Yo, Patrick!) and Barcelona vs. Benfica, was made this morning. For the matchups and schedule, go here, and for the latest odds, go here.

Sports around town. After knocking off favoured Ottawa, York U. hosts McMaster in the Wilson Cup provincial university men's final Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Tait McKenzie Centre gym, both teams already ticketed for the CIS Final 10 basketball playdowns, March 16 to 19 in Halifax, while York's women's team are in Fredericton this weekend for their national final tournament.

Watching. If you read the previous post you already know. But this being a sports blog, I have to throw in something along the lines of balls, pucks and pads, so here goes -- start with the national women's hockey final at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on TSN, then slide smoothly over and start getting ready for next weekend's NCAA tournament/Final 10 doubleheader doozy of hoops with the usually top-drawer ACC final, 1:30 p.m. on the Score. 

Not watching. Leafs vs. Tampa Bay, Saturday, 7 p.m., CBC. Let the Alek Suglobov Era begin!