570News - Gary Doyle

Quite Fun

garydoyle — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:30:17 +0000

Yesterday a group appropriately called the “media misfits” tangled with the Kitchener Rangers in a slo-pitch game for charity. It preceeded an international softball tournament opener at the quaint Peter Hallman Ballyard in Kitchener. Now, I stopped playing a few years ago, but helped “coach” this group with my regular wintertime winger Don Cameron. It’s rare you can get that many media types together, let alone on a beautiful sunday afternoon. What still amazes me, after all these years, is the number of Ranger fans that show up for these events to see their heroes perform. Quite a day. Pass the linament.

What A Week!

garydoyle — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:00:01 +0000

By far, the best line delievered in a newspaper in a long time comes from AP story about the so-called pregnent man giving birth to a healthy baby girl. “He delivered the baby naturally.” Actually, he is a transgendered female who retained his/her birth organs, including the full kit capable of giving birth. Doesn’t that make him a her in this particular instance? And if you follow me, what we really have here is a woman who really wants to be a man, having a baby. I’m not sure the story is up to the hype. It does belong in the tabloids though.

Free Agency Feeding Frenzy

garydoyle — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:57:44 +0000

Didn’t the NHL lose a season not that long ago because GM’s were spending like drunken sailors on shore leave? It seems they re-upped on the kool-aide. I don’t blame the Leafs for spending 700-grand on a back-up goalie. That makes some sense. Brian Campbell gets over 7 million per season for the next 8 years to skate in Chicago???? Tampa Bay empties the vaults on a bunch of retread faces and LeafNation officially gets “The Finger.” This is the same group that thinks Jim Balsillie would be a bad investment.

Happy Canada Day

garydoyle — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:57:50 +0000

This is more than a Long (er) Weekend. It is the celebration of our nation. We may not be over-the-top like our American neighbours, but we do have a lot to be proud of. There is still a laundry list of things we MUST deal with as a country. At the top of my governmental TO DO list is an improvement in the way we communicate and treat our native people. A report released today says Aboriginal children have the poorest living conditions of any in our country and that is a blight. My mentor told me once “If it doesn’t work at home, don’t export it.” He was talking about my personal faith and value system, but it’s not a stretch to suggest it should be our national viewpoint. We can ill afford to look upon other countrys and tsk tsk them for not living up to our standards when we don’t. That said, it’s a two way street and our natives have to stop approaching governments from the perspective of embittered victims. We can’t redo anything. We can move on.

Enjoy this great country and all it’s gifts. For me, I got a great one 22 years ago on Canada Day. Happy Birthday Pat.

Whiplash

garydoyle — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:58:50 +0000

I found it more amusing than amazing when I read a piece in the Record by Sports Editor Al Coates about the Kitchener Rangers trip south after the Memorial Cup. If you didn’t read it, the basic message is “so what” and “I’d have done the same thing, get over it.” Really? Wasn’t it your paper that started the chase? There were constant mentions of it…calls to the league office, quotes from other team officials who basically said “so what?”….Now it’s no big deal. The Rangers financial picture has never been better….they have finally gone public with their desire for a new rink in the city and reports indicate the Memorial Cup brought in over ten million dollars to the local economy. Does this signal a shift in the way the scribes will scribble about the local Lords of the rink? Here’s a tip. Tape your ankles. Hopping on and off the bandwagon can be dangerous.

Way Too Much Pressure

garydoyle — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:36:10 +0000

Some guy got arrested in Florida on drug charges. Usually not a headline. But when the suspects’ first name is God…. the media responds. Headlines like “God Busted” “God Gets Caught Selling Drugs” and “God’s Latest Run In With The Law.” It’s hard to blame the newspapers….how often can you get my attention with a headline like that. I blame his parents. Why not George? Adolph? or Lucipher? At least the expectations would have been lowered. If you name your son after a deity, the pressure will be immense to live up the namesake. Which, by the way, is impossible in this case.

Major Loss

garydoyle — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:55:41 +0000

George Carlin died on the weekend. He was 71 and had a history of heart problems. Voted as the 2nd most influential stand-up comedian of all time (some guy named Pryor was first), Carlin was always able to make me laugh and when I heard that he had died I smiled. Not for some moribund reason. I was remembering his contorted face…his 7 Words, the Hippy Dippy Weatherman, and his passion for the language. George Carlin was many things, but his talent for making us think about what is important, and what really isn’t, is why I list him as the best stand up of all time.

Misdirected

garydoyle — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:52:41 +0000

I’m amused that the Ontario Hockey League says it will “investigate” the Kitchener Rangers post season southern holiday for the players and staff. Some in the media insist this is wrong, and by flogging it publicly the league has responded. The question is why? More members of the media (and fans) want the league to investigate it’s on-ice officials. Why so inconsistent? Why so sensitive to criticism? Why protect them? Why aren’t they getting better, like the rest of the product? Those are questions worthy of a league-wide investigation.

Things That Drive Me Crazy

garydoyle — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:41:42 +0000

1. We’re (mostly) all guilty of this expression. I hear it a lot. ‘for free’. It’s free. Nothing is
for free. It’s just free. Not absolutely free, not 100% free. It’s free.

2. “New Record” We hear this little redundant ditty daily. Gas prices that achieve an all-time
high are establishing the record. Not a new record. Every record is new. Or it wouldn’t be
a record.

3. “An autopsy will be performed on a body” Really? What else would you suggest? An
autopsy will be peformed. That’s it.

Thank you for allowing me to vent. I’ll wrap up on a lite note. I saw a bumper sticker on the weekend that made me laugh. “Gas is now more expensive than beer. Drink. Don’t drive!”

Father’s Day

garydoyle — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:23:31 +0000

That was nice. I enjoyed a relaxing day with my family. Got to spend quality time with boys. Instead of cards, we talked. Top that Hallmark!