Its the worst time of year for sports isn't it? Hockey is but a distant memory and training camps are weeks away and that goes double for the NBA. Baseball is at all the All Star Break and it is not like the Jays are lighting anyone's fire in a meaningful manner anyways. The team is mired in mediocrity. The tease of an 11 game win streak is long gone as they limped into the all star break losers of 4 of the last 6 on the road and not even the great Kawasaki can save them as he has been dispatched back to Buffalo. Tiger Cats? Next. Toronto FC? I can honestly say that I do not recognize one single name on their roster this year and this years group of no names is heading towards another non-play off season.
That said here are some random bullet points from past and present:
- Make sure you check out my good buddy Ed Burkholder's sit down interview with Off the Record's Michael Landsberg. It is scheduled to air all across Ontario on TV Cogeco Channels in September. Landsberg has had a well documented battle with depression and social anxiety and I know that was the main topic of discussion.
- Congratulations to Waterdown's Carter Verhaeghe who managed to pot a hat-trick during Leafs prospects camp. Verhaeghe does not turn 18 until August and will be the centre piece of the IceDogs offense this year.
- A bit dated but finally happy to see the Phoenix Coyotes saga settled for at least the next five years. What the league and Glendale have poured into this abyss is staggering, and even now they are only being kept afloat by generous loan payments, revenue sharing and a 15M gift from an already bankrupt city. Will a little stability pay off in terms of filling the seats? Only time will tell.
- That Dwight Howard sure is a piece of work. He whined and dithered his way out of Orlando and did the same with the Lakers. Now he is Houston's problem. The formerly named "Superman" has a lot of growing up to do. He's Houston's problem now.
- Leave it to the Leafs to ramp up the cheese factor. It's a well known fact that marquee signing David Clarkson is a big Wendel Clark fan and there was a groundswell of support for him to take #17, which would have been just terrible. Instead he is wearing #71, which is just as bad. An ode to Mike Foligno perhaps? Maybe a Foligno Jump is in the offing when Clarkson scores. Still, a nice off-season haul for the Buds as they grabbed Jonathan Bernier, and Dave Bolland along with Clarkson. Not too shabby
Till next time when there is hopefully something more meaningful to toss about!
Steve Clark
