Beckett, Hamels and Pujols

Being a professional athlete is a dream that most children aspire to, and I’ll be the first to admit that I was no different. I grew up watching athletes do amazing things, but I was too naïve to understand that, like in every other job, being an athlete has its good days and its bad days. Sometimes the press and the fans can make life difficult for an athlete, especially when they are not playing as well as their inflated salaries demand they do. No man (even athletes) is perfect, and fans need to understand that there will be good times and bad times for every athlete and team. But that won’t stop some people from jumping all over certain players and ripping them. Sometimes athletes need to be humbled, learn from their mistakes and carry on, but rather than lecture about it, let’s take a look at a few examples of players who have suddenly become public enemy number one to their fans. Right now the game isn’t as fun as it used to be for these men.

1. Josh Beckett (Boston Red Sox, SP) 

Josh is not in a good place. Last year, he was one of the players who was scolded for drinking during games between starts (Meanwhile, on the diamond, The Sox blew an eleven game lead and ended up not making the playoffs). And, already this season, Beckett has managed to find new ways to anger his fan base and make the boo birds come out during home games.

Beckett was scratched from a start because he complained of muscle pains in his shoulder. A few days after that scratched start, he was seen on the links, playing a game of golf. To baseball fans, this is equal to someone wearing a neck brace out in public then getting caught dancing when they’re at home. Considering the Red Sox are in last place, this is the last thing they needed: more bad press.

To make things worse, when Beckett did return to the mound, he was creamed by the Indians and was booed by his own fans after he was removed from the game by manager Bobby Valentine. Sox fans are known for making themselves heard, and that night they let Beckett know that they were not happy with their ace at the moment. The fans were right to bring out the boo birds that night, because that kind of behaviour is unacceptable from any athlete, but this is also coming from one of the players who was drinking on the job (so to speak) during last year’s collapse. Beckett didn’t help matters by attacking the press for ratting him out for playing golf, stating that what he does in his free time is no one’s business. Not the best response considering the satiation.

Beckett doesn’t understand what the big deal is, and that angers the fans even more. Even though I don’t doubt he had just reason to not make a start, playing golf just a few days later would suggest that Beckett might have exaggerated his muscle woes and that kind of work ethic is unbecoming in someone who is being paid to play a game and is supposed to be a professional. I doubt Beckett will get anything more than a talk with management, and I don’t think that’s enough. If I was the owner of the Sox, I’d be telling management to fine Beckett for his off-field antics. After last season’s drinking scandal, management needs to step up and get their ace to start behaving a little more like a professional rather than defend his immature off-field antics. Will that happen? I doubt it but one can hope for Sox management to grow some minerals.

2. Albert Pujols (Los Angeles Angels, 1B) 

Mr. Pujols isn’t very popular in two cities at the moment. St. Louis is still reeling over losing their franchise player for next to nothing, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. The Cards didn’t do enough to keep him and were, quite frankly, was too cheap in their attempts to get their MVP back. But the other city that doesn’t like him too much is the one actually he plays for, that being Los Angeles where the fans are none too pleased with the struggles he’s thus far this season.

When you’re coming off a World Series win and sign with a new team, fans are going to flock to see you play, roll out the red carpet and wave the signs with the hopes that you will bring a bit of that playoff glory to their city. Pujols left the World Series-winning Cardinals to sign a colossal contract with the Los Angeles Angels, and to say the fans are disappointed with Albert so far would be an enormous understatement. His poor play this season is out of character for someone who has been one of the most consistent players in the game, but Pujols is off to a rough start a month and a half into the season, and it’s starting to look like a long season ahead for the Angels who are currently, like the Red Sox, in last place in their respective division.

I can understand how Angels fans feel right now The team shelled out an colossal two hundred and sixty million dollars to obtain Pujols in the hopes that he would bring some of that post-season magic to their team, but two months is way, way too early to judge this contract, which is ten years long. There’s no guarantee that Albert is going to get better and this could quite frankly be the worst season of his career, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to go on for ten years, at least I hope not. Next season could be the best year of his career and this time next year these first two months could be a distant memory. Albert has moved to a tougher division, so I’m willing to give him a little slack, but I understand where the frustration is coming from. If the Angels were in first place, no one would care about Albert’s struggles, but as long as they are in the division basement we will continue to hear the fans jump all over his backs for not putting up his usual numbers.

3. Cole Hamels (Philadelphia Phillies, SP)   

Unlike Beckett and Pujols, Hamels hasn’t done anything to upset the fans, but instead he has drawn the ire of the league itself in the form of a five game suspension. During a game against the Washington Nationals, Hamels plunked rookie sensation Bryce Harper. After the game, Hamels admitted to hitting the rookie on purpose, stating that he was doing it to send an ‘old school’ message to Bryce. While plunking players to back them off is nothing new, Hamels has to realize the reason why pitchers in the days of ‘old school’ were never suspended for their actions was because they kept their mouth shut and never admitted it.

Then again, did Hamels’ suspension really make a difference? To a starting pitcher, missing 5 games really means nothing compared to what it would mean to someone who plays first or the outfield. Hamels only plays once every five games, so he would lose one start or just wait an extra day or two before his next start. Talk about a slap on the wrist.

But the reason why I mention this is because I want to compare Hamels to the previous two players to show the difference. Not a single Phillies fan is booing Hamels for what he did and the reason is painfully obvious: the man is throwing a killer season and has been lights out most of the time he’s taken the mound this year. Fans are willing to let immature behaviour go when the player is doing well. While his team isn’t doing too well, most can’t fault Hamels for that. Pitching has been doing all right, it’s offence that is non-existent in the city of brotherly love. If Hamels had a 3-4 record and the ERA of a cheap lunch, trust me, Phillies Fans would be booing him out of every game. Compared to the previous two examples, we can see that fans are willing to let some stuff go as long as you’re doing what is expected of you.

In conclusion; while I don’t think all three of these players deserve the backlash they are getting for what they did, I hope they learn from this experience and use it as an opportunity to grow as a player and professional. When your team’s not playing well, you had better be doing your best or your actions and off-field antics are going to put you in the crosshairs of fan backlash. I am confident that all three of these stars are bound to recover from these incidents and continue to be adored by their fans, but that is only going to happen when their teams start winning again and go back to the playoffs. So far this season, that doesn’t seem to look that good for some of these teams, so I would recommend these players try their best not to give their fans an excuse to get on their backs and make them the scapegoat for the team’s woes. If things don’t get better, while some players might prefer to have a change of scenery, that’s not an option when some players have contracts that are too large to move. Suck it up guys, this is the dream and while it may have its good times and bad times, there are millions of people who wish they were in your shoes.

Baseball is a team sport, however, so to blame one person regardless of their antics is unfair and the entire team needs to accept responsibility for their play. If I was a member of the Red Sox, I would stand up for Beckett. Whether or not I agree with what happened or not, he shouldn’t be blamed for everything that’s not gone right this year for the Sox. The team as a whole is not working and the fact that no one has stood up for any of the players above is a bad sign of where these teams are right now as a collective unit. Buckle up, fans because these three teams are not going anywhere this year.

Not that I have much room to talk. Like every fan who doesn’t like to watch their team lose, I have a few people I will not hesitate to blame when my team doesn’t make the playoffs this year, but I’m going to save that for another article, which I guarantee I will be posting the day my team (the Blue Jays) is mathematically eliminated.

I, too, was a little puzzled by the incident, but I started to comprehend, while doing a little investigative work online, that Seau was not the first player to commit suicide in such a manner. In February of last year, former Chicago player Dave Duerson also shot himself in the chest. His family is currently suing the NFL for wrongful death, stating that the league didn’t do enough to prevent or treat numerous concussions that they believe severely damaged Deurson’s brain. The family of another player, former Atlanta Falcon safety Ray Easterling have also joined in a concussion-related lawsuit against the league. They claim that Easterling was suffering from depression and even dementia for years before shooting himself as well at the age of sixty-two.

This trend is not something anyone, let alone the NFL, wants to see grow in the coming years. We don’t want to see more players take matters into their own hands to deal with an issue that both the league and the players union need to take much more seriously. While it’s hard to think about it, these players have been shooting themselves in the chest so that their brains can be studied to see if there was anything going on in there that might have contributed to their state and what eventually happened to them.

Seau was one of the most feared men in the NFL, at least by quarterbacks across the nation.

Even though Seau never had to be carried off with any severe concussions, many believed he suffered a few mild concussions that were never treated. Rather than rest and take the time to heal from his collisions, Seau just kept playing. His family have decided to donate Seau’s brain to science to see if the regular wear and tear of the NFL was enough to scramble his brain. If there is such damage without the presence of a huge concussion to cause it, the NFL could find itself in a bad spot, both with the public and the courts.

If Seau’s brain comes back and shows signs of severe damage, this is going to be a fundamental crossroads for the league. Goodell has been accused of softening up the game- which, according to some die hard NFL fans, is the same thing as ruining it. The question I have for all these die hard fans is how many more suicides or players suffering from dementia years after their retirement do they want to see before we really take a hard look at what we’re doing to the brains of every player every time they get hit on the field? This issue goes beyond the NFL, as players in colleges and highschools across America are pounding each other just as hard and causing decades of continuous brain damage that will cause major problems for most of these players later in life.

The NHL is in trouble right now for not doing enough to protect their players from concussions and the conditions they cause, and the NFL is going to be on the hot seat too- three dead retired NFL players are three too many. I really hope that Goodell and the League take measures to make sure that more players in the future don’t feel the need to take matters into their own hands, feeling there is no where else they can turn. If any good will ever come from the tragic end of Junior Seau, it will be that his brain will help scientists learn what football does to the brain and how it may be avoided by future players as they try to make their mark in the NFL.

While he suffered no serious concussions throughout his career, each hit might have contributed to something serious, like cracks in a dam.

While Seau isn’t the first player to have his brain donated to investigate what impact the game had on it, he certainly is one of the highest-profile players to do so. In the NHL, recently deceased Red Wing Bob Probert donated his brain, and it turns out the infamous goon had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). It will be interesting to see if the brains donated by NFL families will turn out to have similar results. While it’s chilling to believe that these players are shooting themselves in the chest so that their brains will remain in tact for future study, we at least hope their donation to study will bring forth change that will save future players from suffering a similar fate.

Junior Seau was a player that many enjoyed watching throughout his career with the Chargers and the Patriots. While I take the time to express my heartfelt condolences on their loss, I would also like to pass along my heartfelt thanks to the Seau family for making a decision that was likely extremely difficult to make in considering what to do with Junior’s remains. It was a selfless act that I personally hope will makes a profound difference. Even in the end, Junior Seau seems to be giving everything to further the game that was his life. One can only hope this effort brings change to the NFL and protects the brain a lot more in future seasons for the sake of future generations. Seau will be missed by many, but here’s hoping that future generations will look to the man as a player who used his head to help others in more than one way.

One of the biggest free agents available this off-season in the NBA is two-time MVP and BC native, Steve Nash. A few days ago, Nash played what could be his final game with the Phoenix Suns. On July 1st, he’ll be free to sign with any team of he likes, and this is where Bryan Colangelo needs to step in. There shouldn’t even be a single moment of hesitation. Mr. Colangelo should be in his office at midnight on July 1st so that he can contact Steve Nash’s agent at 12:01am and make him an immediate offer.

This is the jersey Raptor fans want to see on the court at the ACC next season.

Any deal (no matter how rich) would pay itself off in less than two seasons. The fans would come out in droves to see Nash in a Raptors uniform and, unlike in past off-seasons, the Raptors are in a unique position to make it happen. Except for the Phoenix Suns, the Toronto Raptors are the team capable of offering Nash the most money. In a very weak Eastern Conference, Nash could and likely would elevate the Raptors to the playoffs and a chance to contend for a championship, which is what Nash is looking for. Combine his signing with a possible top ten pick in the upcoming draft, and the Raptors’ odds of going back to the playoffs look a lot better. For Mr. Colangelo and the Raptors, this is their definition of a no brainer: they have to sign Steve Nash.

Maple Leaf general manager Brian Burke is now in a very similar situation. Word has come around that Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo has placed Toronto on his short list for teams he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for. Goal is a definite problem for the Leafs and was one of the issues that lead to last year’s big collapse. Now, one of the best goalies in the league is not only available but is open to the idea of being a Leaf. If Brian Burke wants to build a winner for next season, this is the ideal place to start.

The Leafs in net last season were something that fans would like to quickly forget. It looked very promising at the beginning, but crumbled into nothing and the Leafs were again outside looking in when the playoffs began. The pressure is on Burke to build a winner now and not start the whole process over again. The Leafs do have a good, young and very fast team that is capable of great things, but they need a go-to goalie. Luongo wants a team that will not question him and will have the confidence to make him the starter day in and day out. The Canucks have won the president’s trophy two years running, and yet their fans blame Luongo for their inability to succeed in the post season. With a better defence in front of him, Luongo would be a better fit in Toronto.

Since Gustavsson is a restricted free agent, the whole monster-in-net experiment will finally be over. It’s in the Leaf’s best interest to just let the Gustavsson go and pursue a new number one goaltender. An ideal situation would be to keep Riemer as the backup and allow Luongo mentor him into the goalie of the future. This way there is less pressure on Riemer and he can ease into the role of being the starter while Luongo makes his run for glory. This is the way the Leafs could handle their situation in net and it would appease many disappointed Leaf fans this off season.

If the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to take on a ten year contract without making Vancouver eat any of it in the process, the Canucks can’t shoot for the moon with their demands. That 5th pick in the upcoming draft should be untouchable. Offering a second or third round pick along with one decent player and paying the entire contract should be enough to entice the Canucks. With Schneider becoming a restricted free agent this off-season, the Canucks desperately need to clear some cap space and moving Luongo for players that will not eat up any of that space plays into the Maple Leaf’s hands. Burke has the opportunity to get what he wants and not pay too much to get it. Add on to the fact that it appears Luongo might be willing to waive his no-trade clause for the Leafs, this should be all the incentive Mr. Burke needs to make an offer to the Canucks.

The general managers for both the Maple Leafs and the Raptors have an enormous opportunity and they need to be all over it like a fat kid on a smartie. They have the ability and the inside edge to make a run for a player that could overwhelmingly change their odds to accomplish something next season. Both Luongo and Nash are franchise players, and they can be had if the general manager of each team is willing to make a run for them this coming off season. This shouldn’t even be a debate.

High calibre players like Steve Nash and Roberto Luongo don’t come along that often, and there’s no doubt they have the talent and the ability to bring the Raptors and the Leafs much closer to the post-season. To the fans of both the Raptors and the Maple Leafs, this is the definition of a no brainer, hands down.

No excuses guys, get it done.

Next year, however, is going to be a real test for the Baseball Writers Association of America (BWAA) as some of the biggest names from the ‘steroid era’ are about to make the ballot for the first time: Sammy Sosa (who not only is accused of using steroids but was caught corking his bat) along with the current single season homerun champion, Barry Bonds. Both of these men are going to be eligible for election next year. Also eligible for election is one of the stars of the Mitchell Report, Roger Clemens, who also is on trail for lying to Congress about his steroid use. So how many of these cheating legends are going to be voted into the hall next year? If the votes McGwire and Palmeiro have been getting are any indication, the answer will be none.

There have been countless excuses made for the Performance Enhancing Drug(PED) users, but I reject them all. Cheating is not something that any hall of fame should accept in their ranks, and just because some might have let it pass doesn’t mean that we should let it happen today. I’ll be the first to admit that not everyone currently enshrined at Cooperstown is a saint, but that doesn’t mean the BWAA should allow certain people in just because past voters were irresponsible with their choices. Yes, Ty Cobb was a bigot and a very bad man, but that not being a factor in his election doesn’t mean that we should go easy on cheaters who are coming to the current voters, hat in hand, hoping they’ll get a free pass for pulling a fast one on the field.

Here is an excerpt taken from the BWAA website concerning rules for election:

“Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”

There it is people, the phrase that is going to keep McGwire, Bonds, Sosa, Clemens and all other suspected juicers out of the baseball hall of fame. Integrity. Sportsmanship. Character. These are the words that you will never hear writers of the BWAA use when trying to describe the players that have been caught using PEDs. This is also why you’ll never see a single player that has been caught using PEDS get the 75% of the vote needed to get elected into Cooperstown.

As long as this guy isn’t allowed in, juicers shouldn’t even get a sniff of the hall…

Just because writers in the past let some things slide doesn’t mean that today’s writers should. PED users do not deserve to be rewarded for getting caught. They should grab a seat with Pete Rose on the bench of those that will never get in, regardless of how awesome their numbers are. Pete Rose is a major reason why I don’t support the election of any PED users. If they’re allowed in after cheating, which actually did effect the game and change how they won/lost, then why can’t Pete Rose be reinstated and allowed in as well? This kind of double standard is too much for me to even consider. Just the fact that they’re being put on the ballot at all is an insult to the game. What Bonds, Clemens, McGwire and even Palmeiro did was more damaging to the game of baseball than what Pete Rose did (betting on baseball). So if the writers or MLB wants to induct a juicer into the game, they might as well let Pete in as well.

When I check out the voting results and see players like McGwire and Palmeiro get less than 20% of the vote, I know that the majority of the BWAA is taking their job seriously and voting the way they’re supposed to. Cheaters who have been caught using had better get used to this trend because if any one of them actually manages to get 75% of the vote and sneak in ahead of everyone else, I will be the first to post a scathing editorial about it and shame the writers for voting in a cheater. I don’t think that’s going to be necessary. I’m confident enough to predict that Bonds, Sosa and even Clemens are going to suffer the same fate that McGwire has been enduring for the past few years. The BWAA has already made it painfully clear that cheaters are not going to be rewarded with a ticket to Cooperstown and as of right now there are no exceptions.

Next year, I predict that at least two people are going to get the 75% needed to make it into the hall of fame. You’re going to see names like Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza and Curt Schilling all score a lot closer to if not over the needed 75% to get into the hall. I would be extremely surprised if any of Bonds, Clemens or Sosa got higher than 35% of the vote next year. Today’s voters in the BWAA are a lot more ethical and responsible than past writers who voted in players like Ty Cobb or Gaylord Perry. That’s not a bad thing and I for one applaud them for not giving into the temptation of voting in a cheater. I hope that this trend continues long into the future and the message is clearly made to every player present or future that considers using a PED: if you want to get into Cooperstown, don’t even think about it.

Our goal keeper survived the incident and lived to play another day. Last weekend in Italy, midfielder Piermario Morosini was not so fortunate. Last Saturday, April 14, the 25 year old Morosini suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the pitch during a series B match in Pescara. This is the third time in as many months that someone has collapsed on the field which is cause for concern. Unlike the previous incidents, the player in question did not survive. No one wants to see something like this happen in any sport, especially to someone as young as Morosini. Something has to be done to prevent this from happening again.

While we are going to have to wait for an autopsy to find out what really happened to Morosini, that won’t stop us from trying to look for answers. What would cause a 25 year old heart to stop like that? It could be a heart condition that was never found by medical professionals, or something worse. I’m not one to speculate, but I would assume authorities would prefer if their players did not drop dead on the field while trying to score.

I did a little research and it turns out players dying on the field is not as uncommon as I first thought. Turns out three players died on the field in 2011 and 5 players died on the field in 2010. Almost forty professional players have died on the pitch according to wikipedia, so this has happened before and if measures are not taken by FIFA and other soccer associations, they will not be the last to die either.

Death in sports is not uncommon, as there have been many deaths on the Indy and NASCAR circuits. However, when accidents happen in those sports, measures are taken to make sure similar incidents never happen again. After Dale Earnhardt’s death which occurred during the Daytona 5000 in 2001, NASCAR made several improvements to prevent future incidents such as the upgrade to a six-point safety harness for all drivers. The recommendation of improved head and neck restraints which all drivers use now as well as the use of soft walls on all major race tracks.

NASCAR’s response to the tragic death of one of their drivers is a shining example of how all sports should respond to the unexpected loss of their players. FIFA and other major soccer federations need to implement testing to make sure players are not walking onto the pitch with an unhealthy heart condition to prevent incidents like this from happening again. Testing of all players to make sure they have a clean bill of health for such an exhausting sport isn’t out of order and needs to be done to save lives. Three to five soccer players a year is three to five too many, especially when there are tests available to all leagues to make sure no one is risking their health. It just makes sense to bring in more regulations to protect the players from themselves and not have them go down mid-game and never get up, which is exactly what happened last weekend.

I remember having an argument about soccer with a friend last summer. This person was upset because the final of the women’s world cup went to a shoot out. He hates shoot outs and he preferred that the players keep doing OT until someone scores like in other sports. I told this alleged soccer fan that he was insane and that the reason for the shoot out was to prevent players from dropping on the pitch and possibly dying of exhaustion. While we tend to think of our athletes as demi-gods capable of great feats, the truth is these people are human and the idea of running players into the ground just because you don’t like shoot outs is dangerous and irresponsible. I used to play soccer and I had a playoff game that did go to a shoot out. By the time we got to that part of the game, everyone was near exhaustion. We didn’t want to keep playing and the shoot out was a welcome finish to a long and very tiring game. After the shoot out was complete, all we wanted to do was go home and crash for the night. Two halves, two overtimes is more than enough and even professional athletes are not super human… they have limits and we have to respect them.

Last weekend was a prime example why there should always be rules in place to prevent players from playing themselves into an early grave. I’m sure if these rules were not in place, we’d have a lot more than three to five players a year dropping on the pitch. As much as I would like to admire these chaps and ladies for their dedication, I would much prefer to watch them live to play another day rather than risk shortening a very promising career. I’m sure their families would not hesitate to agree with me on that one too.

Gaustad and Datsyuk skate to the faceoff circle. The ref drops the puck. Gaustad wins the draw. The puck flies to the corner. The Red Wings jump after it.

A scrum ensues. Zetterberg tries to get around Weber. He gives him a shove from behind. Weber doesn’t like it.

He punches Zetterberg in the head. That’s not enough. He grabs his head and proceeds to drive it into the boards.

Time expires. Predators win. Their fans are cheering. But the question is; should they really?

With all the blood, sweat, and tears involved in any Stanley Cup playoff run, the hardest working person this year has to be NHL’s chief disciplinarian, Brendan Shanahan. With all the violent, uncalled for events that transpired this weekend, blood, sweat and tears are in abundance, making Shanahan a busy, busy man.

But far from sympathizing with him, fans should realize that Shanahan has put himself in this mess. The athletic anarchy of the past weekend is a direct result of Shanahan; or in particular, his failure to address the Weber/Zetterberg incident.

After the literal head bashing in Nashville/Detroit game one, all eyes turned to Shanahan. Everyone expected a suspension. Weber’s actions were not only potentially career-ending; it could be construed as borderline assault.

But instead of giving Weber his just desserts, Weber was sanctioned a measly $2,500, a piece of cake for a millionaire athlete.

That decision, unfortunately, set a dangerous precedent for the rest of the playoffs. Seeing such an obvious crime go unpunished, players have been playing with reckless abandon.

Setting the bar for the rest of the playoffs, Shanahan sets it incredibly low.

In the New York/Ottawa series, Senators captain, Daniel Alfredsson suffered a concussion after being elbowed to the head. Afterwards, Matt Carkner started a fight with the Ranger’s Brian Boyle. The only discrepancy? Boyle wasn’t fighting back. The result was Carkner landing multiple clean punches to a defenseless Boyle. After being knocked down, Carkner didn’t relent, continuing his cascade of punches.

Dangerous elbows? Hitting people when they’re down? This is supposed to be the NHL, not the UFC!

For the casual hockey observer, this kind of environment is electric and exciting. While other leagues, namely the NBA, are fining players for the most benign infractions, the NHL is one of the few sports that regularly has benches-clearing brawls.

But for the seasoned hockey fan, this is disgraceful. This isn’t hockey. These are mixed martial artists with skates.

In the Philadelphia/Pittsburgh series, both teams combined for 32 goals and 158 penalty minutes on 38 transgressions. Both coaches will tell you that this is an incident of indiscipline, and indiscipline, by definition, should not be a part of the game.

However, in the playoffs, hockey has its fair share of the good and the bad.

The good consists of non-hockey towns, like Los Angeles, Florida and Nashville, coming into their own and succeeding in the playoffs.

The bad comes from the failures of perennial favourites, liked Vancouver and Detroit.

These are the genuinely interesting aspects of the playoffs; the fall of good and the rise of the bad. So it’s a shame when they’re being overshadowed by the ugly.

My son Ethan at his first game in 2009 with Ace

I was nine years old when I saw my first Blue Jay game. It was against the Baltimore Orioles and I only really remember three things about that game: the Jays lost, I never caught a foul ball and Lloyd Moseby stole third base. I also remember it was very cold that day, which was what fans had to put up with in April of 1984. We didn’t have a roof over our heads to keep us warm from the elements, just the cold, unforgiving steel benches of old Exhibition Stadium. Back then baseball in the spring was not very warm, and I remember keeping one hand in my coat pocket and the other on a glove as I sat in the bleachers down the right field line, hoping a fowl ball would come my way. After attending almost a hundred pro-games in various parks, I have yet to catch that elusive ball. But I still bring the same glove I took to the Ex when I was nine to the Rogers Centre with me, hoping the next game will be the day when my luck changes.

I was a very fortunate Blue Jay fan when I was growing up. In the inaugural season of ‘77, my Aunt and Uncle (who were also die hard baseball fans) bought season tickets to the Blue Jays and kept those seats until the players strike in 1994. They never had the time to attend every game, so my Dad bought 30-40% of every season and would take my brothers and I to a ton of games during those years. I grew up watching Dave Stieb, Tony Fernandez, Jimmy Key, and George Bell play their hearts out for Toronto, and those are memories that I will fondly cherish. I also fondly remember the season of ’89, not only because the Jays won the division, but because of the opening of the SkyDome, which meant no more cold Aprils games. While some fans gripe about the state of the Dome today, I still love it for the comfort it provides to fans, especially on a rainy day. My message for those fans who want a new stadium: my last rainout was in the season of ’87 and I prefer to keep it that way. Going home wet and without seeing a game sucks, so let’s not go there again.

Twenty years ago, I was also fortunate enough to witness some of the best seasons in Blue Jays history; the two championship seasons of ‘92 and ‘93. I went to a handful of games both seasons, and even remember skipping school to attend the parades and watch the unveiling of the championship banners. It’s almost shocking how long ago those great seasons were, but I am hoping that the Blue Jays will one day be able to bring more playoff baseball back to the city of Toronto. I remember what it was like to be in the Rogers Centre when there wasn’t a single empty seat and the crowd was so loud, you couldn’t hear yourself think. Toronto does love their Blue Jays, but after twenty years of being jerked around, many are jaded and unable to see the potential this year’s team provides for future seasons. I see the same potential I saw in the Jays in the early nineties. I can’t guarantee that we’ll see the postseason anytime soon, but I see a lot of fight in this team and they will be fun to watch all season long.

Ethan last season at the Labour Day game vs. the Red Sox

When I went to the Rogers Centre on Friday night to see the Blue Jays take the field against the very same Orioles, I wasn’t the only one there with a glove on. My eight year old son Ethan came with me. It was his third Blue Jay game and he was super excited to be going back out to the ballpark with his old man, just like I was when my Dad took me to see a game at the Old Ex.  Last year I took him to see the Labour Day classic against the Boston Red Sox, and we all enjoyed watching Brett Lawrie smash that extra inning walkoff homerun to send every Blue Jay fan home with a smile on their face. Ethan was a real trooper to endure extra innings, but I could tell he was wearing down as we went late into the afternoon. So when Lawrie smashed that ball over the center field wall, he was just as happy as everyone else. Not only did the Jays win, but he could finally go home!

As exciting as that game was, Ethan’s very first baseball game is still our most memorable thus far. I took Ethan to the Rogers Center in June of 2009 to see his first game just before his sixth birthday. The plan was just to grab a few 500 level seats and just enjoy the game together. While we were walking up the Centre, someone approached me and asked if I wanted tickets. I naturally assumed it was a scalper and politely said that I was going to get my tickets from the gate and that I was on a limited budget. The man then informed me that he asked if I wanted tickets, not if I wanted to buy them. In other words, he was giving his tickets away for free. I was a little surprised and of course suspicious by this statement and asked the man why he was offering them to me. He then told me that he was going to see the game as part of a big date, but the lady stood him up and was a no-show. He didn’t want to go to the game solo (not that I blame him) but he also didn’t want to give the tickets away to someone out of fear they would be scalped. He saw me walking with my son and was confident that we would use the tickets and not re-sell them. I thanked the man for his kind offer and let him know that it was my son’s first game and since I was on a limited budget that day, I thanked him for his generosity. Then I looked at the tickets and they were second level behind first base, row one. Some of the best tickets you could get and they were pretty expensive! Ethan and I had an amazing view of the game, and while the Blue Jays lost to the Marlins that day, Ethan got to enjoy a great game and even met Ace who was posing for pictures with kids in that section of the ballpark. It was a great day at the ballpark, and it made an impression on my son who has wanted to go back and see more games ever since.

My son and I have had some very memorable games at the Roger’s Centre and I personally hope this is just the beginning. When I told Ethan we were going to check out Friday’s game against the Orioles, he was super excited and couldn’t wait to take off for the ball park after school. That’s why I laugh when I hear people say that baseball isn’t popular anymore, because it’s a load of hogwash. The kids do love baseball and Dads are taking their kids to the ball park just like their Dads did and their fathers did for them. The reason why Dads are able to keep this tradition going is because in all of professional sports, baseball is still the cheapest ticket to buy. Baseball is still the most family-friendly sport in North America and for good reason. I personally hope that Ethan and I will have many more memorable Blue Jay games to watch together in the not-so-distant future… hopefully in the postseason, like I did with my Dad twenty years ago.

See you at the ball park!

This is hardly new in the NHL. Pittsburgh fans remember watching Mario Lemieux take his share of injuries that were caused by hard slashes and cheap hits. Countless other star players also had to look out for head hunters, but today that’s even worse for Sid the Kid than it ever was for Super Mario. The reason why is very simple: in today’s NHL there is no true accountability. I mean it, there is zero accountability to the players and they know it. Star players have been targets to cheap hits in every generation but never have the hits been so hard and taken so long to recover from than they do today. We have more players getting knocked out of the game than ever before and one reason why is because the league has no teeth. They are incapable of stopping it.

This is why the NHL needs to throw away the instigator rule.

Now I can hear the cries from the people who support the instigator rule, “what about the NHL suspending players or fining them for cheap hits? The NHL will give players the deterrent needed to stop the hitting”. Unfortunately, the NHL front office has failed to protect its players. Right now I can assure you that there are some players who are seriously considering taking a run at Sidney Crosby during these NHL playoffs. So what if some nobody that was just called up gets 20 games for doing the deed? The result is the reward of watching his team move on to the next round of the playoffs instead of Pittsburgh. This is where the NHL and their rules lose their power and ability to control the game.

Back in the days before the instigator came into effect, players had far more respect for one another. I’m not saying there weren’t any cheap hits back then, quite the contrary, but they were not as frequent as they are now and back then players paid for their actions on the ice rather than in a boardroom. Everyone in the league knew exactly what the punishment would be if you dared to take a run at any member of the Detroit Red Wings: it was Joe Kocur or Bob Probert. If you had the minerals to even dream of taking a run at someone wearing the blue and white in Toronto, you dealt with Wendel Clark or John Kordic. Do you honestly think Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley were placed on the same line as Wayne Gretzky for their scoring ability? Are you seeing a pattern here?

We didn’t see anywhere near the same amount of serious injuries that we’re seeing today because back then the players knew that if they pulled any of that crap, then they’d immediately answer to someone and get a well deserved beating for it.  Because of the instigator rule, today’s superstars are not getting the same protection that superstars of past generations benefited from. Everyone knew that if you laid a finger on anyone who was considered a ‘star player’, you were guaranteed to have a date with an enforcer in your not so distant future, and the result was usually a face full of chicklets.

Don Cherry went on a tangent last week on Coach’s Corner and he had a very valid point. Sidney might be frustrated by all the hits he’s getting, but he can’t retaliate. His teammates have to do that for him. They have to take a stand for their star player, and right now that’s not happening in Pittsburgh. No one is standing up for their star and the main reason why is because of the instigator rule. Since that revolting rule came into the NHL, we’ve seen an enormous rise in high sticking injuries, cheap shots and career-ending concussions. People are running at each other with furious speed, which has resulted in players staying out of the game for months and almost years at a time with concussion-like symptoms. How frustrated do you think Pittsburgh would be if Crosby got smacked out of the playoffs tomorrow? How upset do you think the every fan of the NHL would be if the next hit ended his career?

This garbage has gone on long enough. It doesn’t matter how many suspensions Brendan Shanahan hands out, players would happily take the fine and the unpaid vacation if it meant their team would get one step closer to Lord Stanley. There is no real accountability in the NHL and that needs to change. Gary Bettman needs to realize the best way to protect his players is to give them the power to hand out a reasonable amount of on-ice accountability. With two refs on the ice, they’ll make sure it never goes too far. So do it for the kids, Gary. Not only for Sidney, but for the next generation of stars who don’t want to have to lose months dealing with unnecessary concussion-like symptoms.

I’m saying it right here: the NHL needs to give the instigator rule the heave ho. Give old-school power back to the players and I guarantee you’ll see far fewer cheap hits and a much more entertaining hockey game that the fans will enjoy for decades to come.

The first problem I have with the new uniforms is how they’re cropped and tightened. When I first looked at the pictures of each new getup, I didn’t get excited but instead started to dread watching any games next season. While I can see the kind of look Nike is trying to create, this isn’t going to work for every player in the NFL. I’ll be the first to admit it: wide receivers and running backs are going to look fearsome in these new uniforms (ditto for corners and safeties). But what about the linemen? These cropped, harder to grab uniforms might cut down on the holding penalties but the tightness is going to look gaud awful on anyone who happens weigh over three hundred pounds. Every lineman wearing these tight squeezing shirts will look like a beer belly redneck wearing a wife-beater a few sizes too small. In other words, this new uniform going to be an epic failure for the image of the NFL the minute all the fat boys take to the field

Nike has never shown a shred of compassion towards how overweight people look in their gear, so I’m not surprised to see how little they care whether each lineman in the NFL is going to look like beached whale after every pileup occurs. I seriously doubt this is the kind of image Mr. Goodell and the NFL had in mind when they revealed these jerseys. Yet come September this is going to become the NFL’s reality.

Another problem I had with the new Nike jerseys (as if the previous gripe wasn’t enough), was one of originality. Now from what I had gathered by talking to a few diehard NFL fans about this, the start of a new contract with Nike meant that each team could make radical changes in their uniform without penalty. So how many teams took advantage of this chance to do something new with their uniforms? Based on the pictures I saw, just one: Seattle and they didn’t do very much with it either. The Seahawks managed to do something I didn’t think was possible which was to make a new jersey that was even uglier than the previous uniform. With the exception of the cut tightness and shape of the new uniform, the design and the colors of every other jersey across the league are pretty much the same. Talk about blown opportunities.

When I saw the uniform for the team I root for, my beloved Buffalo Bills, the last thing that went through my mind was how soon I could get my own. Chances are after seeing the new uniforms, I will likely not buy one prior to the beginning of the new season, if ever at all. As a former defensive lineman, I dread the idea of trying to squeeze my two-hundred and eighty five pound frame into one of those tightly cropped death traps. Until I see how good (or how bad) professional linemen look in these new duds, I have zero interest in investing a single dollar in a new Bills jersey. I have a feeling that many overweight people like myself are thinking the same thing, and we make up a hefty portion (pun intended) of their viewing audience.

Based on that, so far I consider the NFL’s new jerseys under Nike to be a epic failure on all counts. Both the NFL and Nike should be reproached for only using buff models to show off the brand new jerseys. Yes, wide receivers and quarterbacks are going to look epic in anything you make, but the NFL alienated a lot of their fans by not giving any of us a chance to see what the big men would look in them, making us fear the worst. Combine that and the lack of interesting changes to the uniforms and this unveiling of Nike’s new products was much ado about nothing. There is little originality here and I have a feeling they are definitely going to make me look fat. Both of those added up equals at least one NFL fan who won’t be buying a new uniform this summer.

It just is. The sun is shining, patios are opening, school will be letting out and, most important of all, my boys are back on TV and (very soon!) at the Rogers Centre.

As a Jays fan, the season opener kicked off 2012 with a spectacular bang as my boys battled back from a 4-1 deficit to win their game against the Cleveland Indians in the (record breaking) 16th inning. Time was, any game that got to the 8th without the Jays in the lead meant an assured loss, but the current, young, intensely enthusiastic roster has been shattering that tradition with astounding come-from-behind and extra-inning numbers last season.

I didn’t get to tune in until the top of the 9th on Thursday but I was treated to almost an entire game’s worth of extra-inning play as the Jays simply refused to quit, adding to last year’s awesome extra-inning stat with a great first win in 2012.

A monster double off the bat of Edwin Encarnacion brought in 2 RBI in the top of the 9th to tie it up. Starting pitcher Ricky Romero having only lasted 5 innings, the game was a taxing showcase for the Jays’ wonderfully revamped bullpen that culminated in a superb 4 inning showing from Luis Perez (that included the official win and an amusing accident where a badly-placed pitch ended up clearing the benches) and a great (not-quite-official) save by new closer Sergio Santos.

The bullpen having fended off the hungry Indians, Canadian superstar Brett Lawrie kicked off the 16th inning with a long at-bat and a leadoff walk. A couple batters latter, it was my current favourite Jay, JP Arencibia who smashed one over the left field fence to score 3 and set the Jays up to win one half-inning later. The easy star of the game, the overwhelmingly handsome and reassuringly affable catcher had an outstanding defensive game (stopping plenty of stray pitches and throwing out thieves) in addition to his homer that finally put an end to the longest opening day game in the history of baseball.

The standings in the ALE right now have Toronto, Baltimore and Tampa at 1.000 while rich career-winners NY and Boston are still hanging out at .000- always nice to see. After Friday off, the boys take the field again tonight to try and keep their momentum heading into Monday’s Home Opener where I’ll be in section 128 with my scorecard and faded cap, screaming my lungs out.

Jendrick starts his book off on the importance of mentally preparing and adapting yourself to exercise on a regular basis. He clearly states that this is often more of a challenge and hurdle to overcome for the inexperienced exerciser than actual physical exercising. This is good advice because exercising on a regular basis is a mental exercise in disciplining yourself to overcome those days when you physically and mentally just don’t want to work out. He emphasizes that physically exercising and the positive emotional feeling you have after each work out is the fun part. Mentally disciplining yourself to work out is the hard part.  This, in my opinion was the most important point he makes in the book.

The chapter dedicated to nutrition is well done.  He covers all the essential points from establishing your baseline diet to demystifying current scientific understanding of proteins, fats and carbohydrates and the necessary role they play in a balanced diet. He covers the tricky and often confusing topic of Glycemic Index efficiently and emphasizes the importance of drinking lots of water and reading the labels of the food you buy. He also covers the topic of protein and nutritional supplementation which I felt was very important since his naive target audience is vulnerable to commercial advertisements promoting nutritional supplementation. These advertisement are targeted at the novice, uneducated exercisers who don’t  really understand at this point in their fitness journey that there is no easy road to becoming  physically fit except through dedication to regular exercise.

The chapters on warm-up exercises, resistance exercises and stretching exercises are well done. They are simply described and illustrated so the reader can easily understand how to mechanically perform them correctly. This is very important for injury prevention.

His chapter on Cardio fitness, I felt was a big disappointment. It was just not comprehensive enough.  For his target audience, this chapter is of great importance. The title of his book is Gym-Free and Ripped. An essential part of getting ripped is to lose body fat. The most efficient way to lose body fat is through increasing your caloric expenditure and cardio exercise is the best way to do that. As well, from a pure heath perspective, it’s important to have a strong heart. Most novice exercisers understand the importance of a strong heart  but they don’t have the knowhow on to how achieve it. He makes no reference of how to measure your resting heart rate, calculating your maximum heart rate, the intensity or percentage of maximum heart rate you need to exercise at, the length of time to exercise at, how often you need to exercise or the type of exercises that you can engage in to improve cardio fitness. This is a glaring oversight.

The inadequacy of the cardio fitness chapter weakens what is otherwise a well-done fitness book for beginners. The picture on the cover of a man’s 8- pack abs is a bit misleading in terms of setting expectations of what can be achieved by following the exercise programs laid out in the book. However, Jandrick makes it clear very early in his book that good nutrition and strong mental discipline is what is needed to improve anyone’s level of health and fitness, especially for someone who is making a significant lifestyle change. This point, I believe, is the silver bullet of the book and why I would recommend it to someone who wants to start exercising but is not ready for or can’t afford a membership at a gym or a personal trainer.

Read all about Jeremy Lin HERE.

As I walked the streets of Boston on Sunday there was electricity in the air.  The city was a buzz with its natives butting against collegiate transplants in rabid anticipation for the big game.  Egos and jerseys dominated Commonwealth Avenue, and for the first time in a while I kept the afternoon low key.

There were no hours of ESPN, no scheme breakdowns, no score differentials.  This year I had a different plan.  Something to keep me and the other “lousy team” fans occupied.  A little thing called peripheral sports betting.

This year the national anthem clocked in at one minute and thirty six seconds.  I bet the “under 1:30” and lost twenty-five dollars.  That was just the tip of the monetary iceberg.  Betting on the game is one thing but when you hate both teams all you have left is betting on the length of the halftime show, the number of appearances by Peyton Manning, and the times the announcers mention Gisele.

I began the game down but slowly climbed my way back with a five dollar wager on the mentions of Patriot’s owner Robert Kraft’s wife dying (2).   Doubling my initial bet, I spread my cash thin on how long the first half would actually take (Over/Under 1hr 15 min).  From there I placed big on offensive gestures and was rewarded with only one via MIA’s middle finger.  I rounded off the half up fifty with a smile on my face.  While the other people were on the edge of their seats with anticipation, I was leaning back hoping Al Michaels would mention John Madden.  He did not.  Down another 25.

Peyton wasn’t shown until the end and even then not enough for me to recoup my overall hopeful that he’d be on screen four times.  The second half went on for the over.  More lost.  By the backend of the fourth quarter I was praying for a blackout in the stadium (50k to 1 odds).  Alas, everything without a hitch.

Along the way, football was played.  A team won.  A city’s heart bled, and so did my pocket.  There is nothing I love more than a Sunday full of football.  Maybe it’s the way I was raised, or my American spirit, but nothing says a chilly breeze like pigskin whistling through the air.  Nothing except the lights of Vegas helping to dull the pain of what was, again, another season full of thirty-one teams whose fans fall to their knees and cry.  See you next year.