A Few Friday Morning Thoughts – December 11

You have just 13 shopping days left. You ready? I’m sure not. But I am ready for UFC 194 tomorrow night. Whenever Conor McGregor is fighting, I’ve got to watch.

MLB
I guess $150 million for seven years isn’t good money anymore? The Orioles have apparently taken their offer to Chris Davis off the table. The guy led the majors with 47 home runs last year, and has hit 159 over the last four seasons. No surprise, that’s more than any guy on the market. Clearly he’s looking at the Stanton and Miggy deals thinking, “I know my best years are behind me, but I deserve that cheddar too.” The O’s clearly don’t think that way. Hello Blue Jays?

It doesn’t surprise me at all that the Washington Nationals have a serious interest in acquiring Aroldis Chapman. Not exactly the type of character most would want to associate themselves with at the moment. But the Nats just don’t care. After last season’s disappointment, they need to win so bad the PR tarnish doesn’t even matter.

A rare 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie card sold for a record $525,000 at auction yesterday. Wish Grandpa had saved some of those over the years.

SOCCER
In what parallel universe would Cristiano Ronaldo play for FC Barcelona? What a ridiculous story to float around as the 30 year-old simply taunts his emotional President with his continually “uncertain future.” He’s playing another two years at Real Madrid. And then he’s Beckham‘s star signing for ‘Spartak South Beach Golden Balls’.

Sacramento? Seriously? St. Louis deserves a damn team before the forgotten capital of California and the home of Sleep Train Arena. I am happy to see that Major League Soccer is healthy enough to continue to consider expansion. But I don’t think it’s a very good idea. The quality of players in the league has improved in recent years, but largely because of more talented import players. The draft has become irrelevant. And there’s a strong argument to be made that the talent pool is so dilluded, we don’t even notice anymore because of the handful of quality stars that light up the highlight reels. League wasn’t ready to grow passed 20.

Diego Costa admits it was a mistake to throw the bib at Mourinho. There’s a headline. I’m surprised he started against Porto. Reality is, Jose can’t afford to treat dissenting players the way he used to. He needs Costa to perform the way he did at Atletico. And right now. I don’t think he’ll deliver. Regardless of how “amazing” the Brasilian-Spaniard describes his relationship with Mou.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
So, Alabama running back Derrick Henry isn’t going to win the Heisman Saturday night? Henry is the favourite, but last night topped Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Clemson QB Deshaun Watson to win both the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award. It’s the same three man short list for the Heisman.

Is it time for the Playoffs yet?

Tuesday Morning Thoughts – Aug. 4

I like Drake. Honestly, I do. But the OVO obsession this long weekend was nauseating. My twitter timeline lit up with useless #OVOFest tweets that reminded me of every time there’s an election. Save your opinions and personal outings for facebook. Idiots. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s start with the real God of Toronto yesterday.

MLB
David Price‘s debut went exactly the way I expected it to. Place was packed, with 45,766 people as anxious to see the start of a new era as much as they were to get free plastic. I was one of em. Of course I didn’t make it in time to get a Russell Martin bobblehead. Price got the run support he needed. The Jays won the ballgame. And all of a sudden, people in this country love baseball again. I have never stood up from my seat in that building on an 0-2 count, in the fourth inning. Until yesterday. I wouldn’t have seen a thing if I didn’t, every time after that. For my full take on his Priceless debut, check out yesterday’s post.

How bout those Mets, huh? New York have won 4 in a row since adding Yoenis Cespedes to their playoff push. And how much is Jerry Seinfeld getting paid for all the festivus references? The Mets have a one game lead in the NL East, and the most talked about rotation in baseball. Yes, a rotation including a rookie – whose name will not be mentioned, and 42 year-old Bartolo Colon. Did I mention the Mets play 42 of their remaining 56 games against sub-.500 teams? Pressure’s on you, Bryce.

Shoutout to Adrian Beltre for becoming the first major leaguer since the 1930s to hit for his third career cycle. Big night for the Rangers offense. Beltre was one of five Texas players with multiple RBIs in their 12-9 win over the AL West leading Astros.

NBA
Really Raptors? Couldn’t have one of those jerseys say “Toronto” across the chest? Guess Drizzy’s influence isn’t as grand as we thought. He probably demanded they put that stupid owl on the black and gold one. Yea. That’s what killed it. Doesn’t matter what their uniforms look like. I can’t wait to see this roster take the floor in November. And I would love to see Kevin Durant sign with the Raptors. #InDrakeWeTrust #OhShit…

SOCCER
The rumour mill is exceptionally crazy today. That’s saying something. Manchester United have apparently bid for every person Real Madrid has ever employed. Vitor the Valet was in tears at the idea of swapping Madrid for Manchester! I do believe that United have been blowing up Flo Perez‘s phone, particularly about Sergio Ramos. But I doubt United have made two £100 million bids for Gareth Bale. And I just don’t see Karim Benzema and/or Pepe succeeding in that team at the moment.

I would hate to see Mario Balotelli shipped off to Lazio. A change of scenery is certainly what he needs. Brendan Rodgers can’t make it any clearer that he has no time nor patience for the enigmatic Italian.

David Luiz has finally figured out what everybody else knows. He’s shit. He’s playing for PSG! Why say now that “one day” he can see himself playing in MLS? I would love to see MLS “become one of the world’s most important leagues within the next decade.” But there’s no need to tell the press that in your prime, unless you know you’re in over your head and the end is near.

Thursday Morning Thoughts – July 23

I had no idea the men’s Pan Am 100 metre final was yesterday. Thrilled to see Andre De Grasse win gold for Canada. This country has been looking for the next Donovan Bailey for too long.

MLB
Well, the Jays let that slip away last night. Big chance to win it in the ninth after loading the bases with nobody out. But they managed just one run off Tyler Clippard, on a one-out walk to Jose Bautista. The list of games the Jays “should’ve” won this season is long enough.

Are the Yankees ever going to stop winning ballgames? Honestly, this is getting ridiculous now. How is Alex Rodriguez delivering like it’s 2009 all over again? New York are 11 games over .500! That might be the most shocking thing I’ve seen all year.

SOCCER
So last night I learned that Sunderland are better than TFC II. Of course Jermain Defoe scored a brace. I was stunned to see him play the full 90 minutes. Good on him, and Sunderland for fielding a predominantly Premier League calibre squad. But if I were one of the few sitting near the halfway line that paid $85 a ticket, I would’ve been hella disappointed.

If only Canadians could score goals…
What Canada‘s Pan Am semifinal loss to Colombia proved was that our women just can’t anticipate as quickly, or as well, as their South American competition. Fully capable of improving on that though, and quickly. Great chance at winning bronze on Friday. Mexico have shown their vulnerablilities and if Canada can capitalize on the chances they’re more than capable of creating, a medal is a real possibility. They just need to do something very “un-Canadian” – find the back of the net.

The Gold Cup just isn’t the Gold Cup if it isn’t a Mexico v USA final!!! They’re going to have to change the name of the tournament. How about “The forgotten championship of the northern Americas and a shitload of islands”? Good on Jamaica though. After competing in Copa America last month, I’m stunned to see them succeed the way they have in their own tournament.

Panama: always the bridesmaid. Never the bride. With the USA already out, there was no way a Panama v Jamaica final would be good for the growth of the sport on this side of the Atlantic. So, take the game away from an already undermanned Central American side that nobody really cares about. Roman Torres was fouled and fell on to the ball with no intention. That was not a penalty. The second penalty call was legit, and Mexico will always get those calls in this tournament. If only Canada had such an advantage…

Was happy to read that Rafa Benitez is 100% convinced that Sergio Ramos is staying at Real Madrid. That means he will be sold to Manchester United on transfer deadline day. If only he could bring Ronaldo back with him.

BASKETBALL
I really don’t think I’m ready for the LeBron James Space Jam sequel. #DontMessWithaClassic

The Timberwolves may want to think twice about shipping Anthony Bennett out of town. He certainly looked like a confident big man in Canada‘s nail biting Pan Am win over Argentina. That’s what has been missing from Bennett’s NBA game so far. If two games are any measurement, head coach Jay Triano will have some tough decisions to make when picking Canada’s Olympic qualifying team next month. The improvement Canada Basketball has enjoyed over the last decade is remarkable. If only soccer in this country could match it.

New Lakers Lou Williams, Roy Hibbert and Brandon Bass haven’t spoken to Kobe Bryant yet? Sorry Byron Scott, but y’all in for a looooong season. Again.

NFL
How are there not more Olympians in the NFL? Buffalo Bills wide receiver Marquise Goodwin won the silver medal in long jump at the Pan Am Games yesterday. He hadn’t competed in track and field since London 2012! Goodwin may have his work cut out for him at camp next month. He did play just 10 games last season and will compete for a spot on the Bills roster, and Rex Ryan‘s admiration. I’d give him one simply based on how hard he works. Multi-tooled men like Goodwin don’t come around that often .

Sunday Morning Thoughts – Apr. 26

I’m sure glad I’m not a street cleaner working in Calgary this morning…

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

Last night was one of the most wild, and enjoyable, nights I’ve ever worked. I didn’t think there was any way that the Canucks and Flames game could possibly top the craziness we witnessed at The Madhouse. I’ll start with the All Canadian matchup because I know there’s a handful of Canucks fans that regularly read this blog and found it pretty hard to get out of bed this morning.

Sorry. Of the 16 teams that made the playoffs, many would’ve ranked both Vancouver and Calgary as number 15 and 16. The Canucks have more talent, but the Flames had more heart and out-muscled their way to their first playoff series win in six tries. The Canucks laid out fewer hits than anybody in the first round. Michael Ferland probably has a few steaks or at least hamburgers named after him in Calgary after that series. By the end of these playoffs, they might need to build him a statue. Guaranteed he spends the off-season in an ice bath though. There’s no way one can keep banging and crashing the way he did through these six games. But if he can get under the Ducks’ skin the same way, the Flames have a real shot at upsetting the top team in the West. Who thought the Flames would be in that position at this point in the season?

Can’t help but feel bad for Pekke Rinne. Without Shea Weber commanding the defense in front of him, the big Finn did everything he could to keep the Preds in it, but the Blackhawks were just too much for him. Shame this series is over really. It was thrilling. You never knew what to expect. Thanks to yesterday, they reached a combined 18 first period goals. The Penguins and Rangers scored 19 goals in their ENTIRE series.

It’s amazing that Petr Mrazek has stolen the number one job away from Jimmy Howard in Detroit. It’s even more amazing that the Lightning have only been shutout three times this year, and every time, Mrazek has been the one between the pipes. Unless Steven Stamkos can muster a hat-trick at the Joe, the Wings wrap this up on Monday. In the playoffs, experience wins over hot talent.

Glad to see the Islanders force a game 7. I hope they win the series too. Because I want the Rangers to be the team that pulls the curtain down on the Nassau Coliseum. BOOM! (If you’re new to this site, my NY Rangers bias is obnoxious and uncontrollable.)

NBA PLAYOFFS

Credit to the New Orleans Pelicans for making the Warriors work for it in Game 3. But I don’t think there is a gambler in North America that didn’t bet Golden State to sweep this series.

The Bulls couldn’t do that in Milwaukee. Derrick Rose isn’t my favourite NBA player, but as a guy that has watched basketball for years and feels for a guy that is one of the best players in the NBA and hasn’t been able to run on the floor consistently, I’m really happy to see him contributing in the playoffs. The United Center faithful deserve to see their #1 one more time before the next round.

The Blazers are making the Grizzlies look far better than they are.

SOCCER THOUGHTS

Arsenal have their chance to take a bite out of Chelsea‘s cushion. Might this be the day that Arsène Wenger finally beats José Mourinho? If 13 is his lucky number, then yes. Because he failed the first 12 times. Jose’s sales pitch to poach Cesc Fabregas from Barca has opened up old wounds for Gooners. “I promised him he’d be an important player in our project… And that, normally, good projects end with titles.” Take comfort in this you Gunners, you know it’s only a matter of time before Fab becomes disposable, like Juan Mata, Demba Ba and somehow now, Oscar.

Toronto FC are going to come home in two weeks after seven games on the road, with three points. Is that really surprising though? Tonight against expansion club Orlando “holy shit Kaka plays there” City they’ll again be without captain Steven Caldwell and sufficient defender Mark Bloom. Good luck. They’re going to bloody need it.

MLB

As a Tigers fan, I know about Blue Jays fans’ bullpen frustrations all too well. It’s still early in the season. Castro needs to marinate in the oven a little bit. It’s Brett Cecil that would make me worried.

Premier League Matchweek 22 – Three Things to Watch

1) How well Jermain Defoe’s spy job worked
The former TFC frontman spent the holiday season training with his old mates at Enfield and will likely start against them Saturday in his Sunderland debut. We already know he’s going to score. Safe to assume the universe is broken if he doesn’t since he has in every club debut.

Seeing as Defoe and Gus Poyet share the same agent, I think this was the only move on the horizon. Despite the allure of Sexy Leicester or returning to London to reunite with goal deprived ‘Arry.

Black Cats supporters just hope Defoe is in fact “the best January signing ever” as some are already calling it. I guess those people don’t see his stat line of two goals in his past 1,262 minutes of Premier League football as a problem?

Sunderland are paying a pretty penny. But one can’t put a value on staying up. It’s funny to think that Defoe has only bettered himself financially since being dropped from the England squad and leaving Tottneham. At Sunderland he’ll reportedly earn £80,000 a week – £20k more than they were paying Altidore.

Poyet can also say goodbye to his preferred 4-1-4-1 formation. No way that works with Jermain “create for me” Defoe in the squad.

2) Can Arsenal play like a top team, against one?
There will be a chapter written in Arsene Wenger’s career obituary on the topic. But for as long as Arsenal continue to finish in the Top 4 without doing so, that’s a question that will always be asked. Until they do.

Yaya Toure is away at the African Nations Cup taking away a valuable weapon from Manny’s midfield. But if Sergio Aguero is fit in time for Sunday, then the odds heavily swing in the champions’ favour.

City are unbeaten in 14, but not many of those results have been very convincing. Arsenal can get a result this weekend if they’re stubborn defensively, and creative with their counter attack.

3) Will injuries send Southampton on a slump?
After last weekend’s historic win, Saints fans will be ecstatic if they can grab just a point against Newcastle.

No Wanyama. No Schneiderlin. No Alderweireld. Big problems? Potentially.

Florin Gardos has shown in his brief opportunities that he’s a bit special. With Toby “tats” Alderweireld out now, we will see just how skilled he really is.