The OHL Championship Series opens tonight, although it’s not the “Final Round”, that will be held later next month during the third week of May, but more on that later. The Rangers and Belleville Bulls have never before met in a play-off series. I’ve been asked for a prediction. Here it is. Great hockey is in the offing.
See You at the Grand Old Dame Of Junior Hockey!
Rocket Roger Clemens is done. Stick a fork in him. He, of course, denied having an affair with country singer Mindy McCready. A ten year fling while he was married. She fessed up in an interview yesterday. Last year the sports pages were debating which cap should be on his head for the Hall of Fame. IF, he gets in, may a suggest dunce.
Funny guy. The Scott ex-pat who recently became an American spoke to the Press Club Dinner in Washington on the weekend. He called Canada “The apartment above the party”, suggesting we just want the U.S. to keep it down. He did invite Canada, noting Mexico came to the party, but wasn’t even invited. Canada has been called many things by Americans, and it’s true, we do suffer from culture-suffocation. We can’t escape the U.S., but don’t want to. I like the association. If a Scottish comic thinks of us as conservaite neighbours, who am I to argue. I do find it interesting that Canadians, for the most part, take shots at Toronto. Athletes and entertainers who end up in Toronto marvel at how safe and clean it is. That should tell you something about Oakland. The Arrogant Worms put it best. The Canadian musicians say when Canadians compare themselves to our American neighbours “It’s not that we think we’re better. We believe we’re just less worse.” And keep it down, we’re trying to listen to Question Period.
I love spring! The snow is gone, the weeds are back. My BBQ is working overtime and I’m not. The Rangers are still playing. I talked with John Weber about the Panthers last night while watching two hockey games, a baseball game and a basketball game on TV with my son. Life is good. Pass the beer nuts.
I am quite pleased with the response given Josh Unice by Kitchener Ranger fans last night. Ranger fans are loyal, terrifc, and spend their money at the Oupost like sailors on shore leave. Last night, in the last moments of the Rangers 5-0 clinching game against the Soo, the faithful stood and chanted Unice. A great show of support for a rookie goalie that the print media is reluctant to credit, but quick to ask him about “the other goalie.” That would be Steve Mason, who was in the press box on crutches and after the game sported a Western Conference Championship grin. Big night, big win, big moment for Josh Unice.
Get ready. Dancing With the Stars has paved the way for “Celebrity Circus.” This time, B-listers and former athletes will learn circus routines that will amaze us all. Joey Fantone finds work again. When will Celebrity Idol hit the airwaves? Wouldn’t you dedicate an hour per week to hear George Wendt sing Willie Nelson? Henry Winkler as Vanilla Ice? I’d rather see Celebrity Boxing make a comeback and watch anyone slap Dr. Phil around. The more TV presents this schlock as original programming, the more I remember how much I like to read. There’s still nothing like sitting on the deck with a good book, a cup of anything and Jerry Howarth taking me out to the ballgame. I plan on returning to my deck right after the Memorial Cup ends.
Yesterday I did my show from the studios of our sister station in Sault Ste. Marie. The bosses all agreed that if we have the technology, there’s no need to miss a show. I must say, the staff at Q104 in the Soo were very gracious, friendly, and even made the coffee. It was fun to be able to do the show while on the road. I fear that days off will be at a premium now that we know how easy it can be to log on and get to work. To my new friends in the friendly north, many thanks for welcoming me, despite the Rangers T-shirt and ball cap I was wearing. After all, they do broadcast Greyhounds games. Despite the on-ice battles, there is no on-air animosity.
I feel bad for Steve Mason. The All-World goalie the Kitchener Rangers acquired from London is hurting. According to the Columbus Disptach newspaper, Mason will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery today and could miss six weeks. If that happens, he won’t be wearing a Rangers jersey again. The Memorial Cup starts in less than one month. Mason hurt the knee in the Sarnia series and has been seen (but not heard) around the rink with the mates. The Rangers policy is to not comment on injuries during the play-offs and that’s fine. The questions will surely fly now about how much the Rangers surrendered to London to get Mason. Here’s what you need to know. Players get hurt every day. Good players get hurt more often, because they play more. The Rangers will press on. The newspapers will have a field day with the second guessing. I feel bad for Steve Mason.
Last year I celebrated my birthday. I turned 50. This weekend I turn 51 and can’t think of many reasons to party like I did last year. It’s not a milestone (or a millstone). It is what it is. Another year of doing what I love and living with the ones I love. A wise man once said
“Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes around.”
Sad, but true. I don’t think of myself as middle-aged, but if I’m not, I’ll make it to 102!!!
I share my birthday with the anniversary of David Koresh and the destruction of his Doomsday Cult in Waco, Texas and Timoth McVeigh bombing of Oklahoma City. If my mom had held out another few hours, I would have shared my birthday with Adolf Hitler. This year, I’ll share it with my family instead.
The Kitchener Rangers, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Belleville Bulls and Oshawa Generals are all that’s left to fight for the J. Robertson Ross Trophey emblimatic of the OHL Championships. If the Rangers beat the Hounds, whoever survives the Eastern Final between the Bulls and Generals will be here in May for the Memorial Cup. Another layer of intrigue. The West Final opens tomorrow night at the Aud….I like the Rangers and Bulls to end up in the final, but it won’t be easy.