A blowout weekend

Consider this the last big blowout weekend of the playoff season. By next weekend, we'll be down to a more manageable, eight combined NBA and NHL series. Sleep patterns will be returning to normal. I will be able to purge the PVR, and re-introduce myself to solid foods.

CHARLIE RIEDEL/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brother Derek: Derby fave and JABS pick.

But first comes this: Another round of NHL starts up - Buffalo-Ottawa is must-see, and I'll be especially looking in on San Jose as well; the Kentucky Derby; the world hockey championships start; as many as three Game 7s in the NBA; the Jays, back at home; OHL Final begins tonight. And it's tape-delayed Sunday night, but Arsenal says goodbye to Highbury with the final game at the old relic. Truly, something for everyone. Enjoy it. And please, don't forget to stock a little extra Viseine.

Breaking news. Seven more inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Now, if only the Hall could find a home.

One last read. If you've last this long with The Sopranos, congratulations. But they're losing me, and I'm a Day 1'er. I'm beginning to think the Vito storyline is an elaborate fantasy, with its stilted dialogue, fairyland setting and large question marks (like, what does Vito do now? How does he earn a living, or is it really just johnnycakes and romantic waddles through the village green?). Here's Alan Sepinwall's latest review:

Either last night's Dartford scenes were a deliberate homage to Sirk or writers Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider went overboard trying to illustrate how different Vito's new world is from the one he abandoned. There were times where it didn't just feel like a different world, but a different show.

Okay, okay, one last sports read. Via Tom Benjamin, here's Jamie Fitzpatrick's grades on entertainment value for the NHL's first round. I especially liked his take on the Sabres vs. the Flyers:

Like watching a pack of young hyenas bring down a fat, aging, lame wildebeest.

Sports around town. The Sporting Life 10K goes Sunday morning on Yonge just south of Lawrence, the route ending up hard by the Rogers Centre. A nice day, the largest field of the year, good crowds watching -- and downhill all the way.

Watching. The Kentucky Derby, Saturday, 5 p.m., NBC. I find it hard to go by Brother Derek here, but he's the favourite and he looks to me like he can handle this competitive group and maybe even that lousy post. But be warned: I haven't picked the Derby winner since Thunder Gulch (at 25-to-1, hey!).

Not watching. PGA Wachovia Championship golf, Sunday, 3 p.m., Global, CBS. If Miguel Angel Jimenez isn't in it, JABS ain't interested.

Big Phil says no to England

With the wires just about melting down with Reggie Bush updates, it's the cue to get the heck outta here before tomorrow's NFL Draft brings the next load around.

Associated Press

Scolari: Staying in Portugal?

One last look. It's reassuring to know that in an age of podcasts, Photoshopping, video on demand and on and on, there's still a place for good ol' fashioned coloured pencils.

One last view. Top former prospect Delmon Young tosses his bat after being called out on strikes, is suspended indefinitely.

Breaking news. After fans' anger and 'crisis talks' in Lisbon, Portugal manager Luiz Felipe Scolari may well be getting a contract extension after taking himself out of the running for the post-World Cup England job:

“I don’t want anything more to do with this England matter because in the space of two days ... my life was invaded, my privacy was disrupted. Today there are still 20 reporters outside my home,” Scolari said.
“This is not part of my life and it never will. If that’s part of another culture, it’s not a culture I’m used to.’’

What now for England? This is a major blow. Scolari was easily the best possible choice.

Sports around town. It's the Canada Life CN Tower Stair Climb for WWF Canada, Saturday all day. Online registration is closed, but show up before 10 a.m. Saturday to register in person.

Watching. Phoenix at Lakers, Sunday, 3:30 p.m., ABC. This Kobe-Nash thing just might be getting personal.

Not watching. NFL Draft, Saturday, 12 noon, TSN. I might look in to see who the Browns took, but geez, the three hours worth they're showing here seems 2:59 too long.

Hands Across the Country

Time to wrap up an eventful week around here. If you haven't been to Rawk the Puck!, check it out and get yourself eligible for a Marty Brodeur bobblehead or a CD -- we don't scrimp on the swag here. But before heading into the usual Friday stuff, some thoughts of the think-you-got-it-bad?/misery-loves-company variety from e-mailer Paul Smith of Delta, B.C.:

MLSE, like Orca Bay here, know they have some of us by the gonads, so who cares what the product on the ice or court looks like? The joints are full every night!
At least in Toronto you have the Jays and Argos a couple of blocks away, and the Rock in the ACC. Here, we have the B.C. Lions after the Canucks, and that's it folks.
The only time an owner gets the message is when the stadium is half full, and concession sales are 'way down. Hit them in the pocketbook, and they pay attention.
Go Jays Go!

One last suggestion. Over at Off Wing Opinion, Eric McErlain imagines a new Stanley Cup ritual that's about the best idea I've heard since at least this morning:

GORDIE HOWE, heretofore obscured underneath the stands, shuffles onto the red carpet to sustained and adoring applause before taking his place beside BETTMAN.
BETTMAN: Steve Yzerman, come and get the Stanley Cup!
STEVE YZERMAN steps onto the red carpet and mugs for the cameras as HOWE hands him the Cup.

One last read. Dave Feschuk's column from this morning's Star was pretty good end-of-season stuff, especially this part:

If you want defence, Mitchell has said more than once, you must acquire some defenders. And to the coach's way of thinking, that's the end of the story.
(snip)
Said Colangelo, questioned on the club's biggest weakness: "You could argue that defence is a mindset."

Now there's a faultline that Raptor seismologists will be keeping an eye on.

One last view. Well, it opened today, so take note: The Rocket, the new movie about Maurice Richard. Having avoided the CBC miniseries about the '72 Summit Series a couple weeks back, I'm really looking forward to this one, so this time I'm avoiding the reviews, as I always do with films I plan to see.

Okay, really one last view, and a read. This Guardian article immediately made me think of this gem.

One thing we missed. At the end of the NHL bloggers roundtable, James Mirtle actually took a day off from work and was away from his computer (that's his story, anyway). Here's James' playoff predictions, and they're well worth a look 'cause, like the rest of the roundtable, this guy knows his stuff.

Breaking news. Not exactly, but you'll notice that JABS has finally begun work (haltingly) on a blogroll. It's sort of like the road construction season around here, which brings us to ...

Sports around town. The Gardner is closed this weekend, so it's more like 'gridlock around town'. Now here's breaking news: It's not going to be closed after all, roadwork called on account of rain.

Miguel Angel Jimenez. JABS' official golfer and common man is playing in the Asian Open this week, but top Jimeneth story of the week has to be the Mechanic's Cuban cigars being confiscated by U.S. Customs: "It's an outrage. An affront to my civil liberties."

Watching. Flyers at Sabres, Saturday, 7 p.m., TSN. When these two teams play, they ought to be given something to go with those dry-ice intros -- a bat flying around, maybe. And Jim Lorentz.

I remember the Mechanic

Before riding off into the sunset of a long weekend, a little theme music to back a getaway post (except for the weekend surprise, that is, but you'll have to wait till Saturday for that).
When it comes to overhyped sports on TV, a good rule of thumb is the Four Days After rule, as in: what has stayed with you four days after investing some of your life in a sports event?

CHRIS O'MEARA/AP

Miguel Angel Jimenez: The common man's golfer.

Sports is the ultimate in-the-moment activity, whether you're participating or watching (or writing a weblog, actually, blogs being partly about immediacy). Thinking back on it, questioning it, checking for any little pieces of brain that remain -- I spent three hours watching the Leafs and the . . . Blue Jackets, was it? Who was that the Raptors started at centre against Golden State? etc. -- is a useful exercise in self-flagellation perspective.
So I applied the Four Days After rule to last weekend's Masters. And the result is: very little. It was as mundane and sparkless a sporting show as I've seen this year - but not a total loss. I do remember Miguel Angel Jimenez: the little pot belly, the yellow-and-brown colour combinations and the Naomi Klein approach to sponsorship, the baseball cap with the ponytail sticking out, the shoulders-back, chest-forward walk, the mild obscenity caught by the boom mikes as his tee shot on the 12th flew the green, his round falling apart. He looked like the guy who shows up midafternooon at Scarlett Woods, just coming off shift (his nickname is "the Mechanic") and hooking up with a group that's got a spot open.
Miguel Angel Jimenez, you're just regular folk -- common people -- and will be henceforth welcomed here: JABS' designated golfer/Google Alert.

One last look. Another year, another baseball season, and David Wells continues to morph into Brando's Col. Kurtz. Is it the end of the line for Boomer?

CHARLES KRUPA/AP

David Wells: "The horror . . . the horror . . ."

One last view. This was going to be the weekend surprise, but I'll put it up now 'cause it's that good: Mystic Ball. Just gorgeous. Big thanks to World Cup Blog for this one.

One last read. SI's Kelly Dwyer rates every NBA announcing team, giving a B to the Raptors (He gives higher marks to Seattle's Kevin Calabro, who I've always felt to be the best around, but a guy who's never been given the national platform he deserves). Meantime, True Hoop's Henry Abbott, who passed along the link to Dwyer's piece and thanks for that, has a great post on his day with Team Hollywood:

The regular coach is not here.
His name is Newt. By all reports, he’s a real character—someone who will say anything to anyone and is scared of nothing. In a pinch, Pete can coach instead.
This is not the real coach. And this is streetball. The players have a complex understanding of the game, but the coaching is unbelievably simple. This is an actual quote from Pete’s pre-game talk:
"Rebounds, gentlemen. Defense."
Here’s another one:
"Listen up: rebounds… defense… blocked shots."
And one more:
"REEEEEEEBOOUNDS. Ok? Can you get some rebounds, and play some defense?"

Breaking news. Another one via the World Cup blog: Iranian soccer star has two wives. Check that. He had two wives.

Sports around town. This didn't take first time around, but better late than never: In Brampton, the Battalion face elimination tonight, down 3-1 against the Barrie Colts. And at Humber College, it's the Canada Cup floorball championships.

Watching/not watching. Taking a pass on TV this weekend, with Mrs. JABS and I off to New York for a mini-vacation. Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy It's-Springtime-and-Long-Weekend (check whichever applies).

Spring Running-Off

Time to wrap it up around here with a Sports around town note.
Saturday morning High Park will be buzzing with the annual Harry's Spring Run-Off, Harry Rosen having taken over the sponsorship of this annual in its 28th year -- actually, it's two races, the 8K sold out and the 5K, as of Friday, still open.

RICHARD LAUTENS/TORONTO STAR

Harry's Spring Run-Off: Beware the Spring Road hill.

There's spring training for runners, too, and this is opening day, one of the best events on the local running calendar. If you're not in it but find yourself in the neighbourhood, there are worse things to do than grab a coffee and stand on the Spring Road hill watching the agonized faces toughing it out up the final 200+-metre uphill to the finish. Excruciating, whether you're a spectator or a runner.

Breaking news. Still on the roads, local distance runner Michal Kapral will be contesting the Boston Marathon in a couple of weeks -- while juggling. He's actually going up against Zach Warren, who broke the "joggling" record Kapral set at last year's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, both raising money for children's charities: A Run for Liane, raising money for a new childhood cancer care centre at the Hospital for Sick Children, and the Afghan Mobile Mini-Circus for Children. Running a sub 3:10 marathon and juggling at the same time and raising money for a worthy cause -- go for it, fellas.

One last look. Greg Norman, mentioned in numerous Masters previews and posts because it's the 10th anniversary of his Sunday collapse for the ages, has a $70 million yacht (thanks, Norris). (UPDATE: Norman sold the yacht in 2004 to Florida millionaire and sports owner Wayne Huizenga -- thanks to Victor for the e-mail and the link).

One last read. Weedy McSmokey, a great web handle from the SportsFilter crowd, has a dead-on essay on the Leafs, as we count down to the moment where they finally stop not conceding anything (thanks, Sean):

There is a constant paradox to this team. Technically, the Leafs are the second most successful team in the history of the sport -- yet so comically and legitimately unsuccessful that people who have never seen a victory speak of them in songs despite the fact that they occurred decades before they existed (the primary reason why The Tragically Hip will never attain true coolness. Being a Leaf fan is not cool. It is fun, but never cool. Mike Myers is a Leaf fan. Enough said.). It is a franchise that has been so buoyed by national radio and TV coverage for the better part of a century that it has bullied its way into being the favourite son of the land of hockey, boasting legions of fans from coast to coast -- fans who are unquestionably loyal, despite having been given every reason to question that loyalty. Self-loathing and celebrating unite every Saturday.

And this wicked bit:

The Leafs are principally owned by the Ontario School Teachers Pension Fund. So, that asshole math teacher that tormented you fifteen years ago is profiting from your yearly misery. That's the kind of attention to detail that you have to respect. The extra, almost unnoticed, Marquis de Sade-esque, exquisite nipple-twist cherry on the crotch-kick sundae.

Watching. The Masters (final round), Sunday, 2:30 p.m., CBS, Global. I promise, this is the last time I put golf in this spot.

Not watching. Canada Russia '72, Sunday and Monday, 8 p.m., CBC. I've seen enough and heard enough about this series to last me several lifetimes, and the blathering shows no signs of letting up. Now I'm supposed to sit down and watch the TV-movie version? Please, make it stop.

They're at the post

Time to wrap things up around here, right in the middle of our Blue Jay bloggers roundtable, but before dispensing with the usual send-off into the weekend, a note pointing ahead to next week -- specifically Tuesday, in conjunction with the Jays' 30th season opener. If you have any opening-day memories, stories and anecdotes send 'em along and we'll have some fun -- you might even win a prize from the library for it. Oh, and speaking of opening day . . .

Sports around town. It's Woodbine, back in the saddle on Saturday, with lots of talk about the installation of a Polytrack surface this summer (how long until the drums start beating for year-round thoroughbred racing in these parts? They're kicking around the artificial dirt even in better climes like California). Here's one to check in on from time to time: Longtime Star handicapper Jennifer Morrison has her own blog.

One last look. Andrea Bargnani - the next Nowitzki?, and another clip over at Raptorblog. One thing we do know: Bryan Colangelo likes him a lot, and he's not alone among the NBA GM fraternity.

Two One last read(s). Following on Bargnani, Raptors HQ has its latest European update, and to augment your Final Four viewing, check out Scott Carefoot's top 10.

The highest-valued sports club in the world has the Red Devil Airbus A380 to prove it (thanks to Alex Della Rocca for the picture).

Factoid. Combining those Forbes franchise values from Thursday, here's the top 10 franchises overall (soccer, and the four top North American pro leagues) plus some others of interest (US $):

Manchester United $1,373 million
Washington Redskins 1,274 mil.
Dallas Cowboys 1,063 mil.
New England Patriots 1,040 mil.
Real Madrid 1,012 mil.
Philadelphia Eagles 952 mil.
New York Yankees 950 mil.
Houston Texans 946 mil.
AC Milan 921 mil.
Denver Broncos 907 mil.
Plus:
Boston Red Sox 563 mil. (No. 2 in MLB)
New York Knicks 543 mil. (No. 1 in NBA)
Toronto Maple Leafs 325 mil. (No. 1 in NHL)
Toronto Raptors 278 mil.
Toronto Blue Jays 214 mil.

Watching. LSU vs. UCLA, NCAA semifinal, Saturday, 8:30 p.m., Sportsnet/CBS. Lots to choose from this weekend, but LSU look to me like the class of this tournament -- which means they're probably going to lose, the way this tournament has gone.

Not watching. Friday Night Fights, Saturday, 8 p.m., TSN. If it's Saturday, why are they called Friday Night Fights?

Spring is in the air

Things are looking up here in the T-zip - I walked over to St. Lawrence and back at lunch, and I can still feel my nose. So cheer up, sports fans! I can feel my nose and MLSE has almost left the stage, which means that spring is almost here! Bring on the weekend!

One last look. Remember that link to the Colbert Report from last Friday? Here's the "Rejazzebration" with Kareem on bass.

One Two last read(s). Colby Cosh has a chart of NHL salaries according to position on the depth chart, and an anagram for Toronto Maple Leafs: "Plan for Team to Lose." Beauty, that. Oh, and I'll vouch for this review of last night's game from Sisu Hockey, and especially this paragraph:

Joe Bowen provided an entertaining play-by-play. Bowen is like that Leafs fan buddy of yours. You know the type - fridge full of Molson Canadian, loves the Tragically Hip, and for some unknown reason just can't seem to grasp that no one really gives a shit that it's Todd Gill's birthday today.

Breaking news. Former Madison Square Garden boss Dave Checketts buys the St. Louis Blues, but the real big one around here is that Toronto will host the 2007 National Ultimate Championships.

Sports around town. Lots of junior hockey with the playoffs underway -- tonight it's Barrie at St. Mike's and just out of town, Belleville at Brampton (both 7:30 p.m. starts). And if you're in Hamilton Sunday morning, keep an eye out for the oldest distance race in North America - the Round the Bay. If you're running it, good luck and above all, save something for the final 10K.

This week on the Sopranos: The Book:

Edie Falco polishes off her Emmy acceptance speech: 1 to 9
With Tony on the DL, Vito comes out of the closet and makes a play at becoming the boss: 5 to 1 (dropping)
Haunted by ghosts of Adriana and Cosette, Christopher turns to Scientology for solace: 99 to 1

Watching. CIS men's hockey championship, 10 p.m. Sunday, TSN. One more dose of Canadian college finals, and this is always a good game -- too bad it's tape delayed, which kinda sucks on its own, aside from the way-late hour. If you want your college pucks live, TSN has Alberta vs. McGill (I'm pretty sure that's the matchup) in one of Saturday's semifinals at 6 p.m.

Not watching. Oakland vs. Chicago Cubs, 3 p.m. Saturday, WGN. Call me a purist, but I think interleague play is a bad idea, even if it's spring training.

This post = $168.21 in lost productivity

Time to clear off the desk, visions of bouncing basketballs, baseballs and hockey pucks dancing in my head. Of all the weekends on the calendar, this one looks like the heaviest for us armchair athletes -- until the next one, that is.

One last read. You know those studies you read about this time, quoting the billions and billions of dollars lost in productivity from office workers watching the NCAA tournament, say, or playing Snood? They're all full of it.

One last look. Steven Colbert's Hiphopketball: a Jazzebration (thanks to True Hoop).

One last listen. The Argos have started podcasting (QuickTime).

Breaking news. The UEFA Cup draw is in ... and oh, that bomb scare at the NCAA's yesterday? Never mind.

Sports Around Town: Belleville at Brampton, Sunday, 2 p.m. Outside of the London Knights, no one is hotter in the OHL than the Battalion, moving into the national junior rankings for the first time at 10th and on a franchise-record 12-game win streak.

This Week on The Sopranos: The Book.

Junior moves into Green Grove ... 2-to-1
With Tony on the DL, Vito comes out of the closet and makes a play at becoming the boss ... 20-1
"I'm just the Lawn Mower guy" returns with the Russian, takes out Paulie ... 999-1

Watching. Whew. You really want to know? Let's start at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon with Cuba vs. the Dominican Republic in baseball on Sportsnet. Switch over at 5:30 for the CIS men's semifinals from Halifax (it's on the Score, so I'm packing Viseine). Then at 10 p.m., it's back to baseball and Korea vs. Japan on Sportsnet. With cut-ins to the NCAA's wall to wall coverage starting at 1 p.m. (CBS). And oh, I forgot about the curling (1 pm, CBC and 4:30 p.m., TSN), and Barcelona's on at 2 p.m. (GOL TV) ...

Not watching: The best hockey game of the month isn't on in these parts (Buffalo-Ottawa on Saturday night) and with all that other stuff going, why waste time on the Leafs and Rangers?

 

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!

Heavy metal curling

Time to clear the desk off and with the Olympics drawing to a close this weekend, get back to our regularly-scheduled blogging next week. Between the editing, the live-blogging, and hittin' the mute button whenever those animatronic beavers show up, it's been hit and miss these last two weeks, but promise it'll be back to the usual blend of the trivial and the inane on Tuesday.

AP PHOTO

Rock 'n roll: You might regret this, Anette.

One last look: These crazy Swedish curling women, banging heads and tossing rocks. Anette Norberg and her partners in leather and brooms may well regret this, when years from now someone digs it up and throws it back at them -- sort of like these guys.

One Two last read(s): Bloggin' colleague Antonia Zerbisias doesn't think much of sportswriting, or at least most of it, I'm not sure what her point is. I've always thought that some of the best writing in the paper is generated by a group unfairly disparaged as the toy department -- while ascribing to Theodore Sturgeon's law, Revelation, when someone suggested to his that 95 90 per cent of science fiction was crap crud. "95 90 per cent of everything is crap crud," he answered (at least, that's the Wikipedia version of the story).

First, Dave Perkins goes to Milan fashion week:

Again, remember you're talking to someone who suspects fashion style means wearing a brown necktie to complement yellow teeth. Occasionally something elegant would emerge, hanging from another pair of bony shoulders, but much of the stuff only Ronald McDonald's wife would buy.

And here's Cam Cole's post-mortem on the Canadian men's hockeyists (although I could've pointed out Marina Hyde in the Guardian, Rob Hughes in the IHT, Steve Brunt and Al Maki in the Globe, and on and on -- there's a lot out there):

A very large majority of Canadians said -- loudly and with righteous anger and well in advance of the fact -- that it would be a mistake to put Todd Bertuzzi on the Canadian Olympic team; that quite apart from his penchant for taking the bonehead penalty at the wrong time, he was not morally qualified to wear the colours and represent who we are in an Olympic Games.
And guess what? Those people might be the only ones in the country exchanging high-fives and told-you-sos today.

Breaking news: The AP and a number of newspapers are refusing to run stories or photos of LPGA events until a dispute over the use of photographs is resolved. This will become an even bigger international issue this summer, and comes at the same time that FIFA may face legal action from the World Association of Newspapers over its restrictions on photographs taken at the upcoming World Cup.

(UPDATE: AP, LPGA reach agreement.)

Sports around town: The Ontario women's volleyball finals go Friday and Saturday at the Sports Gym. Tonight's semis have U of T facing Laurier at 6 p.m. and Ottawa-Windsor at 8; tomorrow the semifinal losers play off for bronze at 6 p.m., with the winners in the championship at 8. Go Blues!

Watching: Olympic gold medal hockey, 7 a.m., Sunday, CBC. Earlier this week the Star had an in-house auction of five Olympic jerseys, and my bid on an autographed Mikael Tellqvist away No. 32 in Tre Kronor blue did the trick. So I'm a fan! And I'll be wearing it for this one, while desperately trying to avoid spilling my latte on the sleeve.

Not watching: Boca Juniors at Argentinos, 10 p.m., Fox Sportschannel. There are 11 soccer games on TV on Sunday, and this is the last one. I have to draw the line somewhere.