Into the weekend: Boneyard buddies

Doing these updates from the Canadian Open, there's precious little time for blogging, but this certainly is worth a look: Boca Juniors plan a cemetery for their diehard fans:

REUTERS

Wanna be buried next to him?

Home of football greats such as Diego Maradona, Boca had already started making available coffins bearing the team's blue and yellow colours.
Now fans can buy one of 3,000 Boca plots set aside in the Iraola cemetery, some 37 miles (60 km) from the capital.

Great idea. Next up, we can plan exclusive boneyards for people who talk on cellphones all game long, Raiders fans, adult autograph seekers, Pierre McGuire, Platinum-seat holders who spend the first 10 minutes of each period nibbling on shrimp, Raiders fans, anyone who laughed during Men With Brooms ... Hey, there's a weekend assignment. What other fan groups deserve to rot alongside each other? Go to it, kids.

One last e-mail. Much rantage off this week's NFL in Toronto post, but here's Paul Smith of Delta, B.C., seriously:

I'm a longtime football fan, as are my three sons. We enjoy and support CFL, NFL and NCAA, and in the past few years have seen games in Toronto (CFL), Denver (NFL), Seattle (NFL), South Bend (NCAA) and Seattle (NCAA).
I have respect for both Ted Rogers and Larry Tanenbaum as business owners away from sports, but neither has a shiny track record with their sports ownership.
I give Rogers credit for beefing up the Jays payroll, and we as a family try to get to Toronto each summer for 4-5 Jays games, but in my humble opinion, they have fallen short with their supposed marketing clout, in putting 'bums in seats'. Hey the GTA is over 5 million, why are they not averaging 35-40,000 with a pretty interesting team?
Tanenbaum doesn't have to market the Leafs because there are so many fools out there to keep buying tickets to fill the joint - just like here in Vancouver. The Raptors need selling, but have shown that when they win, they can sell out.
In my humble opinion, the NFL has its sights first of all on Los Angeles, which like New York, could eventually support two teams. San Antonio is a large area which could support the NFL, and there are possibly another 3-4 fairly large U.S. cities that would want a franchise when the NFL expands. Keeping the NFL 'American' further sweetens the TV/licencing deals (if they can get any sweeter) for American networks, which are the ones paying extremely high prices for broadcast rights.
I'd love to see the NFL in Toronto, but not at the expense of the CFL. The present hype with MLSE/Rogers is just that...also, what about the say $500-600 million just for a stadium, let along franchise fee and ancillary costs. Someone would be required to write a billion dollar cheque I would think.

One last read. This one is making the rounds: Stephon Marbury Loves Pot Snacks, a bit from his shoe-tour rider (more like a J.R. Rider, in a BYOW kind of way), courtesy of YAYSports!:

In terms of Stephon's food request for the trip, there were no Funyuns available (none until Friday, probably). The following items have arrived and are in the warehouse in Recruitment's section (ask Regina of the whereabouts if I'm not around):
4 - regular sized bags of Cooler Ranch Doritos
4 - regular sized bags of Nacho Cheesier Doritos
4 - regular sized bags of Spicier Nacho Doritos
9 - regular sized bags of Mesquite BBQ Kettle Cooked Lays
12 - packages of Pepperidge Farm Choco Chip Cookies (Sausolito or Tahoe Chunky)
72 - bottles of 24oz Poland Springs Water (six packages of 12 in each package)
3 (or 4..) - large 1-lb bags of Skittles
4 - large bags of individually wrapped Twizzlers (each bag has a bunch of snack-sized individually wrapped Twizzlers)

Brilliant. Shame about the Funyuns, though.

Sports around town. The Argos host Hamilton Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.), while the Lynx finish their season out Sunday at Centennial Stadium (6 p.m.).

Watching. Vegetating in my usual state on Sunday (Ticket) afternoon, but apart from that, nothing really thrills. Perhaps an early lookin on Liverpool-Everton early Saturday morning (7:30 a.m., Sportsnet), but man, it's September! Stay outdoors while you can.

Punters' corner. Ditching Pro-Line for this year after the robbers tightened the screws a little more on their point spread stickup game. Here's five plays, and kids, please don't try these at home:

PACKERS (+ 3 1/2) over Bears. Chicago hires Michael Jackson to co-ordinate their Neverland-in-the-end-zone offence.

LIONS (+6) over Seahawks. Detroit assistant Cullen promises to wear clothes. Okay, he said he'd wear a thong. Maybe. Sure hope so.

PANTHERS (-5) over Falcons. Carolina just hasn't been the same since the steroids ran out. But it's a new drug day.

Ravens (+3) over Bucs. Godspeed, Steve McNair. Don't forget your flak jacket.

GIANTS (+3 1/2) over Colts. Did you know? AFC runner-ups are 0-19 ATS in first games back against NFC opposition, on Sunday nights, in New Jersey, when two brothers are matched against each other.

Comments

[Carla]

The thought of how Wasabi Onion flavoured Funyuns would taste made me throw up a little in my mouth.

[Carla]

Okay, I have brushed my teeth and feel much better now.

But I hafta get the weekend assignment done early ‘cause (unlike you, cy, vegetating in front of the tube on Sunday) I plan to be outside--enjoying the last throes of summer in September--biding my time seeking out the sunny spots in film festival lineups for most of the weekend. So. In your exclusive plots of (obviously unhallowed) ground, I would like to suggest interment of all those bitter ex-Leafs fans who ridicule those of us who still love the blue and white despite everything. I don’t mind the fact that they decided to go cheer for somebody else; I wish they would stop taking so personally the fact that I won’t. It’s not about YOU, ppl. MOVE ON, awreddy.