570News - Gary Doyle

For those that read the blog regularly….you can take the rest of the week off too…

PS…read the others….sometimes Jeff makes sense.

gary

After 92 games you’d think I’d be satisfied. Sharing the booth with Don is too much fun. What a ride! Now I need some sleep.

The Steve Mason trade will be debated for many years. Some trades just make you chuckle. This morning, in the Transactions Section of the sportswire, I noticed a trade between Calgary and Laredo in the minor pro United Baseball League. Calgary Vipers shipped John Odom to Laredo for “equipment.” Don’t know if that’s bats, balls or a new clubhouse toaster. Either way, I’d like to introduce Odom to Tom Martin. Martin was part of a junior hockey trade decades ago between Seattle and Victoria…going the other way….the team bus. When asked about the deal I remember Martin saying “it’s a real nice bus.”

I find it disconcerting. On one hand, Waterloo celebrates its’ stature as the “Intelligent” City and wants to pat itself on the back with a monument. On the other hand, a public meeting hears from Waterloo residents who equate homelessness to pedaphilia. Plans to build a homeless shelter near the Waterloo Infant and Toddler Daycare Centre have been met with howls from some quarters. The claim is we would be exposing our youngest citizens and our future to vagrants, who could potentially harm them. Wow. I had no idea perverts, sickos and drug abusers wore a uniform and could be identified that easily. Maybe Waterloo really is that smart. And maybe, just maybe, that shallow.

The 2008 Mastercard Memorial Cup has been a top class event and (knock on wood) that shouldn’t change. The Organizing Committee and Volunteer Army has been terrific. Spending yesterday at the Aud doing the show on location and watching the tours and the school kids interact with the exhibits and the few players that were there renews the spirit. Sometimes when you get caught up in what needs to get done, you forget the simple fact that this is our game. Maybe the World Junior Tournament gets more glory, but 90 year old Memorial Cup Tournament is still the hardest brass ring to grab. Hold on to your 25 dollar souvenir ball cap. It’s a sprint to the finish. And if I wasn’t tired of Belleville after growing up there, I’m getting there now.

Just saw the uniforms the Kitchener Rangers designed for opening night of the Memorial Cup. Stunning! Absolutely stunning. And the money goes to the Poppy Fund via silent auction. They’ve done it before but they haven’t done it better.

“They ain’t here, they ain’t coming.”
—Don Henley—-

If Extra Terrestrials have the technology to hover, why don’t they land?

Congratulations to the Kitchener Rangers. They bent, but didn’t break, winning the OHL Title last night beating the Belleville Bulls 4-1. My ears are still ringing. I have never heard the Aud that loud. Being on the ice for the post game show was a lesson in loud. A tip of the hat to the fans who gave the players the extra jump they needed. Fans and players. Both delivered. Enjoy a couple of days off and get ready for Gatineau on friday.

It all comes down to tonight. The Rangers vs. The Bulls. Too many people are too tense. It’s been a great series and I’m looking forward to the actual game. Whichever team is better tonight is the OHL Champ. I can live with that.

Toronto fires head coach Paul Maurice, so now the Pete DeBoer to Toronto stories can start. Let’s see. That’s Atlanta, The Marlies, the Leafs (again), and _________ . Add your rumour here. I’m beginning to think the newspaper columnists just want him out of town.