Sunday, February 27, 2005
Clock strikes midnight at the Scott...and other notes from a great weekend in Ottawa sports
I have to take the blame for the 10th end of this afternoon's Scott final. Maybe the clock didn't strike midnight, but it did strike 3:30, and I had to step away from the TV and drive my wife to the airport. It was 6-4 heading to the 10th end. What's the worst that could happen? A deuce to force an extra end where Hanna would have the hammer?
Well, as I pulled up to the curb, I heard that the worst was more than I expected. Manitoba's Jennifer Jones shored 4 to post an 8-6 victory. I've yet to see the shot, but by all accounts, it must have been a beauty.
While the loss is disappointing, it does not diminish the magical run of the Hanna rink. They're the Rocky of women's curling. After getting the crap kicked out of them to the tune of 1-4 early in the provincial championships, they reeled off 8 straight to win the title. The Scott Tournament of Hearts, like all Rocky sequels, followed the same script. After a 3-4 start, the Hanna rink won 3 of 4 to sneak into a tie-breaker on Friday. Two tie-breaker wins and two playoff wins later, the Hanna rink found itself in today's final.
For much of the match, they looked like they'd pull it off, but alas it was not to be.
What made it fun to cheer for the Hanna rink is that they went for the high-risk-high-reward shot every time. Why take the straight-forward shot for one if you might be able to get 3-4? More often than not, they made the shot.
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Somewhat lost in the excitement of the Scott was the news that Ottawa will feature two teams in the CIS basketball championships. The Ottawa GeeGees and Carleton Ravens qualified for next weekend's OUA East title game, and guaranteed themselves spots in the National tournament in Halifax, March 17-20th.
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Lost even further in the shuffle, possibly fortunately for them, was the 67s rough 0-fer-3 weekend road trip. In a conference tighter than Corel Centre traffic after a Sens game (remember them?), the 67s will have to turn it around in a hurry at home next weekend.
Well, as I pulled up to the curb, I heard that the worst was more than I expected. Manitoba's Jennifer Jones shored 4 to post an 8-6 victory. I've yet to see the shot, but by all accounts, it must have been a beauty.
While the loss is disappointing, it does not diminish the magical run of the Hanna rink. They're the Rocky of women's curling. After getting the crap kicked out of them to the tune of 1-4 early in the provincial championships, they reeled off 8 straight to win the title. The Scott Tournament of Hearts, like all Rocky sequels, followed the same script. After a 3-4 start, the Hanna rink won 3 of 4 to sneak into a tie-breaker on Friday. Two tie-breaker wins and two playoff wins later, the Hanna rink found itself in today's final.
For much of the match, they looked like they'd pull it off, but alas it was not to be.
What made it fun to cheer for the Hanna rink is that they went for the high-risk-high-reward shot every time. Why take the straight-forward shot for one if you might be able to get 3-4? More often than not, they made the shot.
---------
Somewhat lost in the excitement of the Scott was the news that Ottawa will feature two teams in the CIS basketball championships. The Ottawa GeeGees and Carleton Ravens qualified for next weekend's OUA East title game, and guaranteed themselves spots in the National tournament in Halifax, March 17-20th.
---------
Lost even further in the shuffle, possibly fortunately for them, was the 67s rough 0-fer-3 weekend road trip. In a conference tighter than Corel Centre traffic after a Sens game (remember them?), the 67s will have to turn it around in a hurry at home next weekend.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Bill Simmons on the lockout
The Sports Guy proves once again why he's one of the most entertaining columnists out there as he delivers the best line I've heard yet on the NHL lockout:
Check out the full column here.
Now the owners are pushing for massive pay cuts and a salary cap. It's like dropping 10 grand in a casino and then calling for the abolition of blackjack.
Check out the full column here.
