Saturday, March 26, 2005
Springtime clicking
Springtime's sporting rituals take their toll. You've got to be at the top of your game and want it more. Only the toughest and fastest survive. It takes 110%
And that's just the fans.
I admit my form was a bit lax on Thursday. A winter without many sporting events to watch left me rusty and slow on the draw. I tried my best to navigate successfully between the 67s and March Madness, but failed. I missed at least 3 of the 67s 5 goals. Mea culpa. Like any goalscorer, hitter, or channel surfing warrior will tell you, it takes a while for the timing to come back.
I'll be ready tonight.
I'll have to be. Not only are the 67s in Barrie for game 2 tonight, but in the NCAA tournament Arizona takes on Illinois in what promises to be a killer game.
Bring it on.
The good (would that be Jeckyl or Hyde? I must admit I've never read the book) 67s showed up on Thursday. They did a great job of getting in behind and extending the Colts' slower D. Danny Bottachio was also excellent. Although clicking eliminated the option of using the TEAM1200 audio, the Barrie announcers weren't unreasonably homerish.
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Individual Lynx tickets go on sale Monday.
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Happy Easter everyone!
And that's just the fans.
I admit my form was a bit lax on Thursday. A winter without many sporting events to watch left me rusty and slow on the draw. I tried my best to navigate successfully between the 67s and March Madness, but failed. I missed at least 3 of the 67s 5 goals. Mea culpa. Like any goalscorer, hitter, or channel surfing warrior will tell you, it takes a while for the timing to come back.
I'll be ready tonight.
I'll have to be. Not only are the 67s in Barrie for game 2 tonight, but in the NCAA tournament Arizona takes on Illinois in what promises to be a killer game.
Bring it on.
The good (would that be Jeckyl or Hyde? I must admit I've never read the book) 67s showed up on Thursday. They did a great job of getting in behind and extending the Colts' slower D. Danny Bottachio was also excellent. Although clicking eliminated the option of using the TEAM1200 audio, the Barrie announcers weren't unreasonably homerish.
-----
Individual Lynx tickets go on sale Monday.
-----
Happy Easter everyone!
Monday, March 21, 2005
Unconscious Osvaldo and springtime's a comin'
Well, the Ravens came out guns a blazin' last night and, led by Osvaldo Jeanty's 24 (8 of 12 from 3-point land), shot the lights out. Some sloppy turnovers allowed the Stingers to keep it close for a while, but the Ravens pulled away in the seond half to secure the threepeat.
What's even more remarkable that pulling off the trio to start with is that a fourth title may not be far-fetched. On court leader Mike Smart is gone, but three time tourney MVP Jeanty is back. The supporting cast is still great too.
But I digress. As Wayne Scanlan said in his column today (behind the subscriber wall), we should enjoy the present and throw them a parade.
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The 67s finished the seasn on a winning note with a 6-4 win over Kingston. Alas, it was not enough to push them into home-ice advantage and they start the playoffs in Barrie on Thursday. Although I've been following the 67s very closely, I haven't written about them very much, mostly because the 67s Fan blog is doing such a great, comprehensive job.
My other hometown team fared worse. The PEI Rocket missed out on a QMJHL playoff spot on the final day of the season.
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Almost baseball time again. I watched my first spring training game on TV last week, successfully ignored the Congressional hearings, and shipping confirmation for this year's Baseball Prospectus and Baseball America yearlies popped into my inbox just before the weekend.
Only 25 days until home opener. I've heard that they're already shovelling off the field (ah the special challenges facing un-domed Canadian ground crews). The Lynx kick off their home sched with a twin bill against Rochester on Saturday, April 16th. Sadly I'll be away, but they have a mid-week afternoon game against Scranton the following Wednesday. Hmmmm.... Temptation, thy name is weekday afternoon baseball.
The Lynx roster is starting to take shape with pitching mainstays John Maine and Aaron Rakers among those back from last year so far.
What's even more remarkable that pulling off the trio to start with is that a fourth title may not be far-fetched. On court leader Mike Smart is gone, but three time tourney MVP Jeanty is back. The supporting cast is still great too.
But I digress. As Wayne Scanlan said in his column today (behind the subscriber wall), we should enjoy the present and throw them a parade.
----
The 67s finished the seasn on a winning note with a 6-4 win over Kingston. Alas, it was not enough to push them into home-ice advantage and they start the playoffs in Barrie on Thursday. Although I've been following the 67s very closely, I haven't written about them very much, mostly because the 67s Fan blog is doing such a great, comprehensive job.
My other hometown team fared worse. The PEI Rocket missed out on a QMJHL playoff spot on the final day of the season.
----
Almost baseball time again. I watched my first spring training game on TV last week, successfully ignored the Congressional hearings, and shipping confirmation for this year's Baseball Prospectus and Baseball America yearlies popped into my inbox just before the weekend.
Only 25 days until home opener. I've heard that they're already shovelling off the field (ah the special challenges facing un-domed Canadian ground crews). The Lynx kick off their home sched with a twin bill against Rochester on Saturday, April 16th. Sadly I'll be away, but they have a mid-week afternoon game against Scranton the following Wednesday. Hmmmm.... Temptation, thy name is weekday afternoon baseball.
The Lynx roster is starting to take shape with pitching mainstays John Maine and Aaron Rakers among those back from last year so far.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Welcome...
Welcome to anyone who heard about this site from the Tech Now segment on CJOH.
I mostly write about the Ottawa sports scene but reserve the right to wildly digress, or worse, disappear, during slow times of sport...or busy times of life. I've also been known to post a few amateur photos from baseball, football, and hockey spots 'round town.
My archives are linked on the right. There are also some other great blogs and sites, sports-related and otherwise, linked on the sidebar.
I mostly write about the Ottawa sports scene but reserve the right to wildly digress, or worse, disappear, during slow times of sport...or busy times of life. I've also been known to post a few amateur photos from baseball, football, and hockey spots 'round town.
My archives are linked on the right. There are also some other great blogs and sites, sports-related and otherwise, linked on the sidebar.
Ravens roll on
Didn't get a chance to write about it yesterday, but the Ravens quelled any chance of an Ottawa U upset with a handy 69-47 win over the Gee Gees Friday night. They followed that up yesterday, surviving a second half letdown to post a 67-65 win over St. F.X.. They tip off against Concordia for a third straight national title in a few minutes.
While the Ravens run to the final was more or less expected, some of the NCAA tourney results blew in like the Spanish Inquisition. Top seeds were falling left and right. Picked a great day to miss.
More after the Ravens game...
While the Ravens run to the final was more or less expected, some of the NCAA tourney results blew in like the Spanish Inquisition. Top seeds were falling left and right. Picked a great day to miss.
More after the Ravens game...
Friday, March 18, 2005
Take 5
And it's on.
The Ravens try to make it 76 straight, while the Gee Gees try to win their first in 5 closely-fought meetings this year.
The Ravens try to make it 76 straight, while the Gee Gees try to win their first in 5 closely-fought meetings this year.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
March Madness... Canuck-style
The brackets are drawn. Tip-off is about ready to go.
Although (unfortunately) perennially lost in the huge shadow of our southern neighbour's college tourney, the Canadian version of March Madness also kicks off today, with both Ottawa universities in the hunt.
Almost two weeks to the day after they clashed in a thrilling OUA East Final, The Ravens and GeeGees may be on a collision course for another meeting. If the 9th-seeded GeeGees can sneak by 8th seed Brandon, they'll earn a Saturday rematch with their crosstown rivals from Carleton and their newly named all-stars (warning: behind the Citizen wall). The last two have been tight and most teams in the tourney think Carleton's ripe for a fall after having had more than their share of luck during their 75-game run. We'll see. While the intangible and elusive "ability to win" is often overrated, it's not completely unfounded. Their experience is valuable. Regardless, they're not invulnerable. Their only loss (granted it was in an exhibition tournament) to a Canadian team this year came at the hands of 6th seed Victoria.
For those of you who are subscribers, the Citizen has a great rundown of all ten teams in the tourney.
The CIS tournament site has lots of info, including the tournament bracket.
No coverage of the early games (including the potential Gee Gee-Raven rematch), but the semis and finals are on TSN.
Although (unfortunately) perennially lost in the huge shadow of our southern neighbour's college tourney, the Canadian version of March Madness also kicks off today, with both Ottawa universities in the hunt.
Almost two weeks to the day after they clashed in a thrilling OUA East Final, The Ravens and GeeGees may be on a collision course for another meeting. If the 9th-seeded GeeGees can sneak by 8th seed Brandon, they'll earn a Saturday rematch with their crosstown rivals from Carleton and their newly named all-stars (warning: behind the Citizen wall). The last two have been tight and most teams in the tourney think Carleton's ripe for a fall after having had more than their share of luck during their 75-game run. We'll see. While the intangible and elusive "ability to win" is often overrated, it's not completely unfounded. Their experience is valuable. Regardless, they're not invulnerable. Their only loss (granted it was in an exhibition tournament) to a Canadian team this year came at the hands of 6th seed Victoria.
For those of you who are subscribers, the Citizen has a great rundown of all ten teams in the tourney.
The CIS tournament site has lots of info, including the tournament bracket.
No coverage of the early games (including the potential Gee Gee-Raven rematch), but the semis and finals are on TSN.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Rink shots
Aquietgirl at Hockey Will Tear us Apart has been spending some quality time with a camera in and around GTA rinks (although they could just as easily be any community rink in the country).
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Generalissimo Franco is still dead!
I've been, aside from passing on a single Bill Simmons quote, silent about the NHL lockout. Partly, I've always been mostly uninterested in the business side of the game. The sport is what I love. Mostly, I'm sick of constantly hearing the that the latest news is that there is no news. Generalissimo Franco's NHL season is indeed still dead.
In any case, the torch for my general school of thought is ably carried by Tom Benjamin over at Canucks Corner NHL Weblog. While I'm more of a centrist on the owner-player hockey political spectrum, Tom nails it most of the time.
Up until now, all we could do as fans is sit back and voice anything from outrage to indifference (me, other than the day the season was cancelled). That may soon change when we have a chance to let our wallets do the talking.
Based on not-so-subtle hints from the owners, it's looking more and more like we'll be testing Jerry Seinfeld's theory that we're really just cheering for laundry.
So, will I go see the replacement players? Definitely not at the current prices, and likely not at reduced prices. Partly it's philosophical, partly it's financial.
Why would I pay full price (which at the best of times stretches the bounds of what I'm willing to pay) for an inferior product? At Ferrari prices, would you buy a Ferrari body with a Sunfire engine under the hood? Pay equivalent prices for U2 and a U2 cover band? Pay Ottawa Senators prices for Binghamton Senators hockey.
While it's likely they'll have to drop the price to attract enough interest, I still have philosophical issues with the idea.
Will I be in the minority?
Of course, there are other questions. Will I watch on TV? Having started mostly as a Sens blog, will I continue to blog about them? Will I even feel like it? I have no idea. Maybe. It all depends on how things shake out. I may indeed be in the minority. If so, I'll either adapt or move on.
I'm sure our media will continue to keep us posted as events continue to not unfold.
In any case, the torch for my general school of thought is ably carried by Tom Benjamin over at Canucks Corner NHL Weblog. While I'm more of a centrist on the owner-player hockey political spectrum, Tom nails it most of the time.
Up until now, all we could do as fans is sit back and voice anything from outrage to indifference (me, other than the day the season was cancelled). That may soon change when we have a chance to let our wallets do the talking.
Based on not-so-subtle hints from the owners, it's looking more and more like we'll be testing Jerry Seinfeld's theory that we're really just cheering for laundry.
So, will I go see the replacement players? Definitely not at the current prices, and likely not at reduced prices. Partly it's philosophical, partly it's financial.
Why would I pay full price (which at the best of times stretches the bounds of what I'm willing to pay) for an inferior product? At Ferrari prices, would you buy a Ferrari body with a Sunfire engine under the hood? Pay equivalent prices for U2 and a U2 cover band? Pay Ottawa Senators prices for Binghamton Senators hockey.
While it's likely they'll have to drop the price to attract enough interest, I still have philosophical issues with the idea.
Will I be in the minority?
Of course, there are other questions. Will I watch on TV? Having started mostly as a Sens blog, will I continue to blog about them? Will I even feel like it? I have no idea. Maybe. It all depends on how things shake out. I may indeed be in the minority. If so, I'll either adapt or move on.
I'm sure our media will continue to keep us posted as events continue to not unfold.
