So long Roy.

So we've unofficially lost the only player in the city of Toronto that you can clearly call the best in the league. Fuck arguably, Roy Halladay is the best pitcher in baseball. Think of the numbers he's put up on a shitty Jays team.

Now here's the automatic response from most people: "OH MY GOD THE JAYS GOT NOTHING FOR HALLADAY! SUCH FUCKING IDIOTS!!!"

First of all, if this sounds like you, you're just an idiot.

Early reports claim that, "...Toronto would get highly regarded Mariners pitching prospect Phillippe Aumont, Phillies catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud and another Phillies prospect in exchange for Halladay."

Prospects are good. Plus I'd rather get some highly regarded prospects for Doc over the two first rounders they'll get as compensation when he leaves in free agency. Why?

First of all, the odds of the Jays getting two first round picks are very slim. Look at what happened when Burnett left in free agency to join the Yankees, because the Yankees went on a spending spree, those picks were no longer first rounders.

It's already happened this year, we were slated to get two first rounders from Boston as compensation for the Sox signing Marco Scutaro. The Sox went out and signed John Lackey, turning those two first rounders into second rounders.

Second of all, first round picks (if we even get them) aren't locks to become superstars. I'd rather have propects that are working their way up through the minor leagues already than have to wait for younger prospects that might not even make it to the big leagues.

So before you say that the Jays got nothing for Halladay, wait about 5 years and see what happens.

Then you can tell me that I was wrong.

Vote For Tom

Admit it, that gave you goosebumps and shivers. Now go vote for him to win the Ford C. Frick award and to get into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Coooperstown, NY.

Need more a reason?

http://blog.rogersbroadcasting.com/mikewilner/2009/12/01/vote-for-tom/

Wilner absolutely nails it.

Link: http://www.facebook.com/baseballhall?v=app_20678178440 (Under Poll Tab)

VOTE EVERYDAY!

Thanks.

Baseball

It hasn't even been that long and I already miss baseball.

I know a lot of people find it boring and the idiots claim that it's not a "real sport", but I love every part of it.

First of all, the season in which it's played is the best. You don't even need to know when the actual season starts, just take a look at the weather. You can also tell when it's about to go away because the weather starts to get shitty. The best thing though, is hitting up a game in the middle of summer. There's not a whole lot of things better in the world then sitting in the 100 level outfield, dome wide open, with a cold beer (let's not get into the ridiculous prices of beer at the Rogers Centre) and maybe a hot dog or two (if you haven't already had your fill of delicious/filthy street meat outside). It's also fun as hell heckling the opposing teams outfielders or bullpen, while screaming something along the lines of "MVP!" at some average player on your team. You could also make good with the other team's bullpen and get maybe a baseball from the bullpen catchers or get some snacks from some random reliever (check and check). Going with some friends who aren't afraid to yell/look like complete retards makes the game even better. I don't even mind going by myself now and then. Pulling the old man routine of sitting in the infield while listening to your AM radio broadcast of the game is actually pretty awesome too.

Now on to the actual game itself. I think a big reason why people either love or hate the game is because of how many aspects of the game there is. Hitting dingers, moving a guy over, smart baserunning, stealing bases, strikeouts, incredible defense, clutch situations, matchups... I could be here all day going over all the different things in baseball that make it a fucking incredible sport. If you think it's boring, it's probably because you don't understand any of those things. How some people can say shit like soccer is better than baseball boggles my mind beyond belief. I can't understand how a game where nothing usually happens for an hour is exciting at all.

I also like how baseball is the only thing really going in the summer. Other than the beginning and the end of the season, it's the only professional sports thing going that isn't stupid soccer (The CFL is not and never will be a pro sport to me). Even though the Jays are perennial fuckups, it's the only other sport other than football I could watch any team play.

The playoff system is the best in sports too. Some people want to expand the number of teams that make the post-season. Fuck that. You wanna make the playoffs? Be a better team. The fact that only the best teams make it in make the playoffs a lot more exciting to watch.

Fantasy baseball is pretty sweet too.

So that's pretty much it, ignore the fact that all of that had no writing format at all. Oh well.

I'm already counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report...

The Toronto Maple Leafs

4 games into the season and the Leafs are still winless. Whatever, I didn't expect to go on a cup run this year anyway. But something funny I've noticed is how they're marketing the team this year. The first little ad I heard on the radio, it was basically a bunch of random voices talking about a tradition and how it unites people together regardless of who they are because everyone is a fan, yadda yadda yadda, then Andy Frost comes on and repeats pretty much the same shit. The commercial ends right there. Did they mention tickets? Nope. Any particular game? Nope. A network? Nope. Granted I realize you don't need to really market the Leafs at all, they're the most popular sports team in Canada, but why waste money on a pointless commercial?

Then comes the stuff on TV, and pre-broadcast. All of them just show the glory days of (many many) years past. Sure, it's nice to reminisce about when the Maple Leafs were an actual good team but how much of living in the past can you really take?

For me, looking back to the "glory days"(that still didn't produce any championships), just makes me more depressed about the shitty team we have right now.

*As I write this, the Rangers score a goal...ugh...*

Yes, I understand we're in rebuilding mode, and these are the growing pains associated with that, but the fact that they market a team based on previous years past just to say "here's a reminder of when we were good, please support the piece of shit team that's currently on the ice" makes absolutely no sense to me. Why not market the team using players that still have some upside that will still be here when/if they turn around the team to a contending one? Phil Kessel, Jonas Gustavsson, Viktor Stalberg for shit sakes...

Regardless, I continue to live and die with this team...for what reason, I have no idea.

Go Leafs Go.

Sunday tradition

Funny how much of a genius I think I am until about halftime of the 1 o'clock games, where I'm most likely ripping up my Pro Line ticket while cursing the name of the team that had no business being up like three touchdowns. Friday consists of me listening to various "experts" in the media choosing their locks and upsets and week after week I find myself buying into why the Lions will pull off the upset, or how the Pats are going to blow up the other team. There's also the excuses of how I would have won my ticket if Team A's Quarterback didn't throw a pick to Team B in Quarter C. Throw in fantasy football, trash talking your friends about how their team is going to lose this week and a shit load of junk food and you have yourself a tradition you are obligated to follow every week from September to February.

Observations about my summer

- Having a full-time day job has completely changed my sleep cycle. I can't stay up into the wee hours of the morning or sleep past noon anymore, even if I try.

- After abusing the shit out of the free coffee machine at work with daily double shots of espresso, I am damn near immune to the effects of caffeine.

- This town is A LOT more boring than I ever gave it credit for.

- I have the same love/hate relationship with the Blue Jays as I do with the Leafs.

- I'm horrible at sports.

- Public transit continues to piss me off.

- Doing nothing all day is sometimes a good thing.

- I rarely have interesting things to say

Fuck you GO Transit.

I pay 142 bucks a month for a GO Transit pass so I can get to school (Pickering to York University and vice-versa), which is pretty bullshit as it is, but I have to deal with nonetheless. Today from Pickering, I took the Eastbound train to Ajax. During the 5 MINUTE ride, I am approached by an employee checking tickets. Cool, he's doing his job, although he totally missed the dude that was standing next to me that booked it to the next cabin as soon as he saw that he walked down the stairs to check tickets. So he finally gets to me and asks to show me my ticket. I show him my pass and he examines it, taking a lot longer than usual. He then asks me for some ID. Thinking nothing of it, I take my driver's license out while asking him, "Uhh...why?". While taking down my information he informs me that my pass is only valid from York University to Pickering and that I need to purchase a ticket to ride from Pickering to Ajax. What the fuck? I pay 142 bucks a month and you're telling me I have to pay another 7 bucks a day for a 5 minute train ride? Now THAT is some fucking bullshit.

Now I've had other problems with GO Transit before, but since I tend to let shit slide, I just deal with it. Some examples that come to mind are:

1. The buses and trains are NEVER on fucking time. Not once in my life have I ever got on the GO running on schedule. This has fucked me over way too many times.

2. The disgusting state of the buses. I expect it from the TTC (which is surprisingly cleaner), not from GO.

3. The lazy/stupid/rude employees. What about driving a bus or punching tickets gives you the self-entitlement of acting like a fucking douche? It seems every employee I deal with doesn't have any correct information or any information at all when I inquire about something. Not to mention the piece of shit drivers who refuse to drive a bus when I'm the only one on it. I don't fucking care if you feel like a taxi driver, do your fucking job. Also, when it's like -20 outside, and you're still waiting to leave, LET PEOPLE ON THE FUCKING BUS! I'm freezing my ass off while you sit and read/eat/sleep in a warm bus that doesn't leave for another 20 minutes. Thanks asshole.

Now I can expect a hefty fine in the mail because I refuse to spend another 7 dollars for ONE stop on the train.

Fuck you GO Transit.

Fuck you Jason Bay.

Seriously. I hate you now. I was a fan of you when you were a very good, yet kind of under-the-radar outfielder playing for the shitty Pittsburgh Pirates. Even with NO protection at all in an awful lineup, you put up good numbers. And the best thing about it was you (were? are? whatever...) CANADIAN. In a game dominated by Americans (and more than a handful of stars from other countries), it was nice seeing one of few Canadians having success in the MLB. Hell, I even still kind of liked you when you went to the HATED Boston Red Sox. Then you go and get an American citizenship. Why this pisses me off, I have no idea. Whatever, you live there, I probably shouldn't care, but for some unknown reason it makes me dislike you very much. So whatever, we don't need you. This guy is better anyway...



Yes this is old news. But it got me thinking. How many players have I disliked just because they were on a TEAM that I didn't like?

Manny Ramirez - Hated this guy's guts when he played on the Sox. Some of my fondest baseball memories include going to Jays games and sitting in the 100 level left field seats just to rip on him the entire game. There was no doubting that he is one of the best players to ever play the game, but because it was helping the shitty Red Sox, it made me want to sock him in the face (no pun intended?). He gets traded to L.A. and suddenly the cocky, childish and frequently lazy Manny that I grew to hate, suddenly becomes likeable because hey, that's just Manny being Manny.

Dany Heatley - Big fan of this guy as soon as he came into the league. When you win rookie of the year, and then score 41 goals in your sophomore season, it's hard not to like a guy. I was even gonna get his name put on the back of my Team Canada Jersey. Looking back on it, I'm glad I didn't. He got traded to Ottawa after the whole vehicular homicide thing and the hatred began. Every time the Leafs played the Sens this guy seemed to give them fits. In fact, he still does it. Now he's demanding a trade because he doesn't get along with the coaching staff. And not just a straight-up trade, which Ottawa has reportedly granted him, a trade to a team that he approves of. What a cock. Now this dude has gone from a guy I'd want stitched on the back of my still blank 2002 Team Canada Jersey (still the best one if you ask me) to a guy I don't even wanna see on the national team in 2010. Fuck you Dany Heatley.

I'll add more when I think of them, I'm going to bed. Peace.

Blah

So today after taking a quick bike ride to the bank, I noticed how uncharacteristically (this summer at least) nice it was outside. I decided to take a bike ride down the Harbourfront Trail. Now I do this the occasional time and typically stop at the park at the end of Liverpool, but I decided to go farther today because I had the time and wanted to see what the rest of the trail was like. Maybe 15 minutes later, my handlebar starts to get loose but I think nothing of it and ride on. Next thing I know, the handle bar comes out and I nearly nose dive into the concrete. I turn back, already dreading the LONG walk home knowing that I'm going to have to push the thing all the way back. That's when I discovered the front brake has decided to clamp down on the front tire and won't release...great.

One thing that made me feel a little better however, is the amount of people that stopped to see if I was okay and offer their help in fixing the piece of junk I was dragging with me. Even though I politely refused and assured them I would be okay, it was nice knowing that in the fucked up world we live in where crime, tragedy and basically negative shit dominates everything else, that some people actually give a fuck about someone else.

Maybe gestures like that really mean nothing and I make too much of it, or maybe I just appreciate them more, but we can all agree that everyone was more considerate of others the world wouldn't be as shitty as it is right now.

So next time a stranger opens a door for you, offers you a hand, anything, think about it.

Maybe some idiot will blog about it.

Random thoughts

So again, I haven't posted anything in awhile (maybe I should just stop saying that), frankly because there's been too much depressing shit going on.

Like I've said before, I typically couldn't care less when celebrities die, sure it's sad, but most of them haven't affected my life in any way. The past few weeks have been different. I've gone over the impact of Michael Jackson's death, but two other people stand out.

If you're a fan of NFL football, you know who Steve McNair was. Simply put, the man was a warrior on the field. Much like Michael Jackson paved the way for many black musicians, McNair did the same for not only black quarterbacks, but also an inspiration for players from small schools like Alcorn State with dreams of one day playing in the NFL, regardless of where they came from. In the year that the Titans were the AFC Champions, McNair was so battered with injuries that he couldn't even participate in practices. He toughed it out every week leading his team one yard short of winning the Super Bowl. Regardless of his personal life, it doesn't change the incredible player that he was and I hope that's what he's remembered for.



George Stroumboulopoulos: "Martin Streek (and David Bookman) are so important to this city, what they do for music ... Streek when he’s on the radio... quality wins. They believe in music. They are the snipers waiting by the window keeping everyone on their game. Because their music knowledge is impeccable, their passion is unrivaled and they’re not afraid to tell you. They understand how important a record can be to your life."

I'll admit that I rarely listened to Martin during live-to-air broadcasts on the Edge because I'm not really a big fan of the format. However, I'll never forget how Martin hosted the Thursday 30. Catching up on whatever was new, whatever was current, and the ground breakers with what personally I think was one of the best voices in radio was something I looked forward to every Thursday night. I'm sad to say that I never did take up his weekly invitation to everyone to swing on by the studio for some free Pizza Pizza and wings, but I wish I had now, if not just to meet the guy.



R.I.P Martin Streek, you will be missed.

Anyways, enough of the depressing stuff. The Home Run Derby is on right now. It'll help me momentarily forget about how much the Jays fucking blow right now. This is my pick to win the thing:



P.S. What is with this fucking garbage strike that's dominating the news lately? Do we really wanna turn into Buffalo?

Rome wasn't built in a day...

All of you calling for Brian Burke's head need to chill the fuck out. So he didn't sign the Sedins, Cammalerri, or Gaborik. A lot of other teams didn't either. I know every Toronto Maple Leafs fan is jonesing for the playoffs but in case you forgot that's not the goal for the upcoming season. We don't exactly have the cap room either even if it was. We're rebuilding right now, and I'm actually glad that we are. We haven't gone on a legitimate playoff run since 2002 and after 6 years (okay I'll give you 5 because of the lockout) of early exits from the post-season, or going on pointless runs down the stretch to try to squeak into the playoffs (resulting in a shitty draft spot), I'm glad management finally decides that we need to start over. It's the second year of the rebuilding project and the first off-season run by Brian Burke. He has a Stanley Cup on his resume, something this city hasn't seen since Lester B. Pearson was the Prime Minister (I couldn't think of anything else that happened in 1967, Expo '67 maybe?), so he's not stupid. If you need an example, look no farther than the 2009 Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. From the 2001-2002 season to the 2005-2006 season, the Penguins were beyond awful. The team was in serious financial troubles too (something we'll never have to worry about in Toronto), but the very next season they qualified for the playoffs. They lost in the first round, the next year they made the finals, and the season after that they were hoisting the Stanley Cup. Over all those years, they turned their horrible regular seasons into high draft picks, adding other players along the way.

So if you want to see the team sign some big name goal scorer (who'd come here now anyway?) and watch the the team either miss or just get into the playoffs and get bounced quickly by a better team, then I guess you have a good reason to complain.

Michael Jackson

I still can't believe he's gone. I was at home watching the Dodgers game when I got a news alert in my inbox saying that Michael Jackson had suffered a heart attack. I don't know why, but I didn't care much at the time and immediately assumed that he'd pull through. Soon more news alerts began pouring in and it was all over TV that the legendary King of Pop had died. I refused to believe it until a big name (and more credible) source confirmed that he was. After probably what was about an hour of scouring the internet for a credible source while at the same time hoping that he would pull through, CNN confirmed.

It was very well known that Michael had his problems. However, when someone dies, you don't focus on the negative stuff. You remember them for all the good things. Think of all the music, the shows, the entertainer that he was. Many artists today would say they wouldn't be where they are today without Michael paving the way for them.

Usually when a celebrity dies, it's a sad thing, but I don't care that often. This was different. After the news, I started to listen to all the songs I had by him. I went on Youtube to watch Thriller. I almost got choked up hearing all the tributes to him on the radio the morning after. It surprised me how much I actually did care.

They said it after Elvis died, and the same thing applies here because Michael was really the Elvis of another genration. "The King is dead, but his music will live on forever."

Booooooo!

The Draft

Again, I haven't posted anything in awhile. However, I am doing so now because one of my favorite parts of professional sports is upon us again! (No, not the exciting action of pre-season CFL football...) It's the NBA/NHL Drafts!

Yes, it's that time again. That time of the year where the season is over and everyone is optimistic about their favorite team again. Experts analyze (and often are wrong) on which players will become future stars in their respective sports, fans tout 1st round picks as the second coming of some Hall of Famer from that team's glory years.

Here in Toronto, it's a little different though...

Looking at past drafts for the Raps/Leafs are very painful things to see. While other teams have lucked out in capturing superstar players, Toronto hasn't been quite so lucky. Sure in the last 20 years or so we've managed to draft some pretty good players (Vince Carter? Chris Bosh?), the majority of picks don't exactly don't pan out. And if they do, it's usually not here and on some other team or they just walk away from the team as soon as they can. How fast is Chris Bosh going to be on a plane out of T.O. after next season? What about Roy Halladay? This is why I love the NFL Draft especially, there's no Toronto team in the league to let me down and my favorite team has been spectacular with their picks.

But enough negativity, because like everyone says every year, "THIS IS THE YEAR!"

I guess we'll see.

Legendary

So I haven't posted anything in a bit, probably because I've had nothing interesting to say (like the other stuff is anyway). However last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup after one of the most entertaining Stanley Cup Finals in a long time. It produced this picture/video:



Think about how often we see pictures and videos of Gretzky hoisting the cup for the first time with the Oilers. Not comparing Sid the Kid to Gretzky, but I think this is the start of something very similar. We'll look back and will be able to say that we saw Crosby and company win their first of maybe a few more, not to mention how iconic this picture will become throughout the years. As much as I hate Pittsburgh sports teams (fuck the Steelers), it's hard to hate a team led by the face of Canadian hockey. Congratulations Penguins.

Observations from the Jays Game

So I was at the Jays game yesterday and had some sweet tickets behind the plate thanks to a good friend of mine and I noticed a few things...

1. Scalpers are annoying - Everytime I go down to a game (much like anyone else that goes) I'm bothered by 5-10 scalpers on the way asking me if I want baseball tickets. A simple no would suffice I know, but it's a lot more fun to just fuck with them. Some examples include:

a) Screaming "LET'S GO BLUE JAYS" (or whatever) in their face.
b) Telling them that you don't like baseball (even better when you're decked out in a jersey and hat).
c) Staring at them while walking by, then after passing them, continue to stare while walking backwards until they look away.

And yes, I actually think this is funny.

2. Screaming at the opposition's fans is fun too.

3. 80% of the Red Sox fans I saw there were HUGE (the fat kind).

4. There were a lot of them, too many in fact.

5. The more expensive the tickets, the more boring the people around you are. Not hard to start a chant or chirp the other team's players in the 500 level or the outfield. You also seem like less of an idiot in doing so.

6. 9.50 for a tall boy??? 6 bucks for PEANUTS???

7. I'm a hypocrite, I bought an Icee for 4.50.

8. Dustin Pedroia is an elf.

9. The Jays love to get blown out when I attend their games.

Anyways, Conan is on in like 15 minutes. I had to stop watching him because of stupid school so I'm pumped. Peace.

Dirty dishes

WHAT? LMAO

Jimmy Eat World

They're GOOD. I haven't stopped listening to Bleed American for two weeks already. Solid album. In fact they all are.

Just thought I'd say that. Peace.

The NBA Playoffs

So I was listening to the NBA Today podcast the other day (check it out it's good), and Jason Smith said something that couldn't be more true: "Just start games at 100-100 with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter."
It was obviously a joke, but based on how most games have ended this year, you might as well. Teams have jumped ahead early in the 1st quarter, blew big leads in the 2nd and 3rd, and yet most of these games end up at that point regardless. This is what has made the playoffs so great this year, and what has me completely glued to my TV near the end of each game. Truly "Where Amazing Happens".

I have a blog?

So based on my last post being from December of 2007. I think it's pretty clear that I forgot that I even had a blog. Maybe I'll try to post more often...maybe...