Prairie Ponderings

Character versus Competencies

2007-03-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

I'm still somewhat facinated by the whole Ryan Smyth fiasco that has been going on in the hockey world since the star winger was dealt by his beloved Oilers to hockey Siberia in Long Island.

It got me thinking today to a topic that I've been pondering quite a bit in the past months and I'm kind of shocked at the parallels that the Smyth situation has to the debate that's been going on in my head for weeks.

What's more important- character or competencies? Is who you are more important than what you can do?

At the college I work for we are trying to teach our students how to "run the bases" in the right way if you will (I know that's a baseball analogy in a hockey-related blog but bear with me). In our opinion, character is paramount- it's first base- in becoming a person who can have significant influence and impact in this world.

That runs pretty counter cultural to our world today that says, "It's not important who you are, all that matters is what you can do." If you want to dispute me on that then just look at probably the majority of pro athletes, Hollywood celebs or famous politicians (Bill Clinton anyone) and you tell me if character is heavily valued in today's day and age.

We have former President's lying under oath about having an extra-marital affair and yet he's now revered as one of the most popular President's ever. We have pro athletes getting into brawls at strip clubs, producing CD's with vulgar lyrics and messages, portraying lifestyles that say "It's all about me". We have Hollywood celebs who get married and then divorced simply because it's good publicity and now, most shockingly of all, the latest trend seems to be turning towards parenthood. We have a whole slew of celebrity children who will be raised by nanny's and given every luxury in the world- save for the love and devotion of their parents. Kids have become fashion accessories. Are you mental?

And yet we celebrate them. And I say we because I'm just as guilty as anyone else. I'll gladly overlook the indiscretions of a pro athlete in favor of a few highlight goals, dunks or homeruns. I'll gladly overlook the immoral behaviour of a Hollywood movie star in exchange for a few laughs on the big screen.

I look back on the Ryan Smyth situation and I think, once again results have won out over character. The Edmonton Oilers had to make a decision about whether Ryan Smyth was worth the money he and his agent were asking for. I'm sure Kevin Lowe was very dilligent in looking at things like Ryan's career stats and how they compared to other players making similar money, and I'm sure he also looked at how successful the team had been with him. No Stanley Cups, no scoring titles for Ryan, no real statistical, results-focussed materials to compel Lowe to sign him for as much as they were asking. And so he dealt him.

Never mind the fact that Ryan Smyth is obviously one of the best character guys of this, and probably any, hockey generation. In this day and age it's all about what can you do for me and character takes a back seat. Or in this case, character gets kicked to the first flight to Long Island.

NHL Trade deadline day

2007-02-27T14:44:00.000-08:00

Ryan Smyth to the Oilers for two B-level (at best) prospects and a (what would appear to be) useless first-round pick in a shallow draft.

Obviously I'm not an NHL General Manager (or anywhere close to resembling one) but to my untrained eye the biggest trade of today's NHL trade deadline day makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. 5 or 6 years ago in the pre-salary cap days of the NHL I could look at this and chalk it up to a necessary evil in an unbalanced system. But wasn't the new CBA supposed to allow small-market teams like Edmonton to keep their marquee players?

Ryan Smyth is the most popular Oiler since the days of Messier and Gretzky. His popularity goes beyond just Oiler fans. He embodies the type of player that every Canadian hockey fan can easily find themselves rooting for.

He's the face of the Oilers; an excellent spokesman for the team and the league as a whole; he's a blue-collar worker who should have been the team's captain for the past couple years. He embodies everything that is good about hockey in Canada.

Sure he was going to command a high price with this next (and probably his last) contract but Smyth is one of the few players in the league who I would say is worth every penny (I'd put him in a group with the likes of Sidney Crosby, Martin Brodeur, Jarome Iginla, and Scott Niedermyer).

So instead of ponying up and giving Ryan what he deserves, Kevin Lowe ships him off to NHL Siberia where he'll get to suit up with the New York Islanders for the last month of the season. Certainly this gives the Islanders a significant boost towards the postseason but if I'm any NHL free agent looking at the situation in Edmonton I'm saying to myself there's no way I'm going to Edmonton if that's how they treat their franchise players.

Say what you want about this being purely a business decision. My take is that if this was just a business decision than surely there had to be better offers out there than what Kevin Lowe accepted from the Isles.

I feel bad for Smyth. If he was going to get traded then this is a player who deserved to go to a market that will truly appreciate his workmanlike effort. Instead he'll get to play in front of what, 25-30 people each night in Long Island (20 of which are probably paid by Charles Wang to come in and fill some seats). He should be headed to Detroit, or Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Pittsburgh or a dozen other teams that would give him a better than decent shot at doing something special.

I feel bad for the faithful fans in Edmonton as well. They proved last year that they are some of the best fans in the game and they deserve more than Robert Nielsen, Ryan O'Marra and a first-round pick. This is a sad day for Oilers fans. At least the Gretzky trade brought some decent players back in return.

So now the face of your organization is who? Ales Hemsky? Jarret Stoll? Raffi Torres?

This is a terrible trade for the Oilers and a terrible trade for hockey in general.

Attention CBC and TSN

2007-01-22T06:29:00.000-08:00

Attention to whomever is in charge of commercial air time for the CBC and TSN. When you show Hockey Night in Canada (on CBC) and when you show NHL games of the week (or any Raptors games, Blue Jays games, etc.- on TSN) during prime time hours I think it's safe for you to assume that there may be many young, impressionable kids tuning in to these great sporting events. I can tell you that my four-year-old sports fanatic is certainly one who lives for your sports broadcasting.

I am telling you this because I am quickly growing tired of the ridiculous commercials that you show during early-hour broadcasts of NHL games. Whenever there is a pause in play I have to be ready with the remote just in case some genius decides to play yet another commercial for the new DVD release of SAW 3, or a commercial for the new "Hannibal Rising" movie, or "The Hitcher" or any of the other 3,000 ridiculous over the top horror movies who's commercials depict images that no person, especially a four-year-old child, needs to see.

Since when did these types of commercials become appropriate for prime time, or even day time viewing (and yes, I have seen them during the day)? In my mind they shouldn't be shown at all. However, if you have to lower your standards for a few precious advertising dollars then I think families all across this country would appreciate it if you could leave these gong-show ads off the air until late at night when little kids aren't likely to be watching.

If my son sees a grotesque commercial at 11pm that's my fault for letting him stay up that late. If he sees it at 6pm then I think it's time you start sending one of your producers to people's houses to explain to the littel kids all across the country that the scary man with the knife was a really a nice guy and the red stuff all over him was jam from a jelly sandwich he just made.

What does $126 million dollars get you in the year 2007?

2007-01-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

Apparently it can either get you a gold-glove centerfielder entering the prime of his career (the Blue Jays' Vernon Wells) or a former Cy Young winning pitcher entering the prime of his career (the Giants signing of Barry Zito).

The inmates are running the asylum in Major League baseball and they've got big fat wads of cash to encourage their lunacy.

I read somewhere the other day that the average salary in MLB is reaching $3 million. There are a lot of below-average ball players making above-average money. I can tell you this, my four-year-old and I will be spending a lot of time in the old backyard this summer working on our fundamentals. Where else can mediocrity earn you $55 million dollars over 5 years (as was the case with very average pitcher Gil Meche).

As for the Vernon Wells and, to a lesser extent, the Zito signings, I actually don't have a problem with them. I applaud the Blue Jays desire to compete with the big budgets of their intra-division rivals in New York and Boston. They've realized that in the AL East you cannot compete on a $75 million dollar budget (how sad is that?). The Wells signing sends a strong message to the rest of the league and, perhaps more importantly, to the fairweather Blue Jays fans all over Canada, that the Jays intend to make a run to return to the glory days of the late-8's and early-90's. For this Blue Jays fan I'm all for them doing that if they spend the money wisely. In my mind, Vernon Wells is a no-brainer. Good on JP and Ted Rogers for seeing that as well and getting this future MVP locked up for the rest of his prime production years. The Yankees can have him when he's 40.

As for Zito, pitching always wins in the NL and Zito was by far the best available pitcher on the FA market. Say what you want about the potential of Daisuke Matsuzaka but the reality is that he has not survived a major league season yet and, until he proves himself on the grandest stage of all, there's no way of knowing if he's the next Ichiro Suzuki (albeit he's a pitcher not a hitter) or the next Kaz Matsui (a bust of Godzillian proportions).

The NL West has some outstanding pitchers there now with Zito, Greg Maddux, Jason Schmidt, Brandon Webb, Jake Peavy, and young Canadian stud Jeff Francis. If you like pitching matchups that division should provide some beauties this summer.

I'm also fairly optimistic about what's been going on in Cubsland this winter. As a long-suffering Cubs fan I've seen a few off-seasons like this one where there were lots of big-time acquisitions but then little substance when it counted the most.

Here's to hoping that Alfonso Soriano isn't the next Adrian Beltre. Here's to hoping that Ted Lilly is actually a $10 million/yr type of pitcher (that should be equivalent to 17-20 wins I would say). Here's to hoping that Lou Piniella is able to light a fire in the bellies of a Cubs team that has looked fairly disenfranchised during the past couple years under laid back Dusty Baker. Overall here's to hoping that the Cubs get a chance to exorcise the Steve Bartman demons and finally earn a chance to go to the big dance.

My dream World Series matchup for the 2007 season? Cleveland or Toronto for the AL against either Chicago or San Diego from the NL. Probably terrible for TV ratings but I at least know that my house would be tuned in for every game.

Only a few more weeks before spring training begins!

You stay classy San Diego . . .

2007-01-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

The Benallick family has returned from our Christmas getaway to sunny San Diego. After 6600 km's in the van, 5 states travelled through (Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and California) and $200 in stolen American money (you'll have to ask my dear wife about that one) we have wrapped up our great California adventure with many great experiences shared.

Highlights:
- Disneyland on December 23rd was a lot of fun. Sure there was probably a quarter of a million people there that day but our kids had an absolute blast. The highlight of the day was the Christmas parade during the evening. We got great seats on the sidewalk right along the parade route so Carter and Jenna could see everything up close and personal. Jenna was in her little Princess dress and pretty much stood and waved to all the Disney characters as they walked by. It was by far the best parade I have ever seen and seeing the huge smiles on my kids faces was the highlight of the trip.
- touring Petco Park was another highlight. As much as my kids smiled like crazy people at Disneyland, their Dad was doing the same at my own version of Disneyland:). What a beautiful ballpark. If you want to know what my definition of heaven on earth is it's a major league ballpark. The tour guide was awesome. If you ever go and tour Petco make sure you ask if Don is doing the tours on that day. He showed us the visitor's clubhouse (which we were told hardly ever is allowed) so that was cool but stepping on to the field and sitting in the dugout was really the best part of the tour. Oh how I wish I had played baseball growing up. Oh well, maybe I'll get to live out that dream through my sons:). They can be the next version of the Giles brothers.

Anyways, there were lots of good times had but we're glad to be home in Saskatchewan (bet you never thought you'd hear someone say that in your lifetime).

Weighing in on the MVP debate

2006-11-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

Canada has their third major sport MVP in a row. First we get to celebrate the great accomplishments of Steve Nash and his back-to-back NBA MVP awards. Then it's Joe Thornton and his Hart trophy for NHL MVP. Now Canada gets to embrace yet another major sport MVP in the form of BC's Justin Morneau, he the slugging first basemen for the Minnesota Twins.

While Thornton's awarding of the NHL's top award was met with very little debate, the same can certainly not be said about either of Nash's MVP awards nor Morneau's recent AL MVP award.

The highly upset, and perhaps a tad dillusional, media types in New York are all crying conspiracy as their beloved, Derek Jeter, finished a close second to Morneau in yesterday's MVP voting.

I have to say, I'm really on the fence on this one.

On the one hand I love to see Canada receive it's second MLB MVP award- Larry Walker was the first Canuck to do so. It's a great testimony to the fact that Canada does have something to offer a sport otherwise dominated by US and South American-born players.

On the other hand I am a big time Derek Jeter fan. If there's any reason to cheer for the Yankees it's because any pure baseball fan has to at least respect what Jeter brings to the table. Many people say he's overrated because he's always been surrounded by other great players. That may not be an unrealistic observation but, to me, the guy just breeds winning. He makes other players around him better and, for a sport as individualistic as baseball, that's no easy task.

If ever there was cause for a co-MVP award this may have been the year. I certainly would agree with voters if they had ended up split down the middle on who was more worthy of the award. Both guys deserve the honor for very different reasons.

Morneau's season was phenomenal. Especially when you hold it up to his performance from the year prior. Without him in the middle of their lineup the Twins do not make the playoffs. That to me is MVP worthy.

Jeter's season was also phenomenal. While he didn't have the power numbers that seem to dominate the evaluation of whether someone is truly MVP worthy, he came as close to being a five-tool threat as you could get this year. High average, gets on base a ton, steals bases, scores a ton of runs. hits the occasional home run, comes up with clutch hits, and drives in nearly 100 runs hitting at the top of the order. On top of that he plays the most difficult position on the field and does it better than most other shortstops in either league.

Jeter also plays under a much heavier spotlight and you can't rule out the difficulties of having to focus on just playing baseball when you have so much pressure riding on you each and every day. He carried that Yankees team throughout all the turmoil surrounding A-Rod.

Morneau was able to live in relative obscurity with relatively no pressure to have anything more than an average season. If Morneau went through an 0-30 slump generally no one would notice. If Jeter went through an 0-30 slump you can bet everyone would be taking notice. Two completely different worlds to live in that have to be taken into account when evaluating the total MVP package.

Anyways, I won't say the voters got it right but I won't say they got it wrong either. I think they could've gone either direction and it would have been a fine decision. I will say though that had they gone with Jeter it would have created much less debate so perhaps that in itself says who really should have won it. Or maybe it just says that New York sportswriters tend to have big mouths.

Some random thoughts on a snowy Monday . . .

2006-10-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

That's right, I said "snowy" Monday. It's snowing here in SK today.

Anyways, I just finished reading a story on TSN.ca about Canucks GM Dave Nonis' recent criticism's of the NHL. In particular the chubby-faced one was bashing the NHL's current schedule as well as the new set-up of the CBA that allows for players to become free-agents after seven years in the league.

I have to say I agree with the general sentiment that the NHL's current scheduling system is severly flawed. As a Red Wings fan I know it gives us a significant advantage to have to play the likes of Columbus, Chicago and St.Louis eight teams each throughout the season. That's as close to a guaranteed 48 points as you can get from 24 games. That means the wings only have to amass MAYBE 40-50 more points in their other 58 games in the season in order to make the playoffs. That's a lot of night's off if you ask me. Anyways, I think it's best for the fans in the west to get to see the likes of Crosby, Ovechkin and Jagr a couple times a year just like it's best for the fans out east to get to see the Thornton's, Iginla's and Hemsky's on a more frequent basis.

The NHL talks about wanting to use their marquee players to bring more exposure to the game well they'd be better off by exposing those marquee players to a broader range of people groups throughout the regular season would they not?

Anyways, the point I want to focus on was part two of Nonis' rant, and that's the issue of when players can become free agents. Nonis particularly mentioned the fact that Sidney Crosby will be an unrestricted FA when he's 25, just when he's coming into his so-called prime. Nonis' complaint was that the Penguins organization will have spent seven years of development funds on Crosby and could stand to lose him just when he's supposed to be at his best. How is that fair to the Penguins he asks? The other part of his rant was that this new system would lead to constant player movement and provide teams with the opportunity to turn the ship around quicker than they could have in the old system.

To those complaints I say "Ya, and that's a bad thing because?" I really don't see what the problem with either of those things is.

In the case of players becoming free agents at a younger age I say that's a good thing. It puts the honus on the organizations to make sure that they're constantly looking to build a winner and not just simply taking advantage of having marquee players to fill seats without actually looking to provide that marquee player with an opportunity to compete for the Cup year after year. If Pittsburgh can compete on a yearly basis and show's Crosby they are committed to doing so then why wouldn't he want to stick around and win as many cups as he can with that team?

To me Nonis sounds like he's already starting to lay the groundwork for making excuses when he starts losing his marquee players in the next few years. It's not his fault, it's the leagues fault for introducing a system that allows younger players the opportunity to move to a better situation. Sorry Dave, shop your crazy somewhere else.

It's instant accountability to GM's and owners throughout the league to ensure that each franchise is run in such a way that you'd be crazy if you ever wanted to leave that organization. If you have a league where you have 30 teams pulling out all the stops to recruit and retain players then you're going to have a league that will succeed.

As a fan of the game I love the fact that there's tons of player movement both during the season and during the off-season. Sure there's a part of me that loves to see guys like Steve Yzerman who play for one team their entire career but if every player did that then it wouldn't be all that special. One Steve Yzerman for every 100 Anson Carter's is alright by me.

I want to know that when my Wings lose Yzerman to retirement and Shanahan to free agency that it won't be 5 or 6 years before they're respectable again. Isn't that great news for the poor and suffering fans in Leaf's nation who've waited 157 years for their team to return to respectability?

When it all comes down to it the last thing the NHL needs is fledgling GM's with very little (if any) notariety speaking out publicly about their distaste for the NHL's guiding principles and practices. Let's face it, Dave Nonis is no Brian Burke or Lou Lamoriello. He's not even a JFJ at this point.

You have beefs, fine, feel free to air them behind closed doors. But for the foreseeable future all members of the NHL- players, management, league officials, etc.- should be exhibiting a united front in the face of the public if they want to avoid falling further into obscurity and spending the rest of their lives doing a real job.

If there's one thing I'm positive about, it's that the negativity has got to stop.

Before I leave for the weekend . . .

2006-10-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

A few updates to pass along . . .

First off, our littlest man had his first real giggle yesterday. Unfortunately I wasn't there to witness it but Karlene certainly go to experience it in all it's toothless-grin glory. I did get to hear him giggle later on last night and I have to say I don't know if there's a better sound in the world than hearing your child laugh for the first time. I look forward to many more belly laughs with my little man in the years to come.
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Tiigers/Cardinals in the World Series. First of all, huh? Tigers/Cardinals? If anyone predicted that they should be crowned as "Genius of the World". I was really hoping to see the Mets make it through but you've certainly got to give the Red Birds credit. They were the worst team going into the playoffs by far but have turned it around in a big way.

Who are the people loving this World Series the most? All free-agent-to-be pitchers in the baseball. Specifically, I would think, Barry Zito. The Tiger's and the Cards have proven once again that pitching wins in the post-season. The Yanks and Mets had two of the best offensive lineups in baseball but mediocre (at best) pitching and that is why they're cleaning out their lockers and missing out on the chance to play on the worlds greatest stage.

BTW, if you didn't see the catch by Mets leftfielder Endy Chavez in the sixth inning of last night's game go to MLB.com and check it out. It's not quite as good as Gary Matthews Jr.'s from the regular season but, as far as big time catches at big time moments, it's probably one of the best in the history of the great game.
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Lou Pinella in the right kind of pinstripes

2006-10-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well, it appears as though the Chicago Cubs have finally made a smart move in the front office by hiring Lou Piniella to manage the team for the next three years. As a long-time Cubs supporter I am thrilled to see someone with Piniella's track record and vigor coming to the Cubbies. This team needs a little fire, okay, a LOT of fire, in order to break a long-standing tradition of disappointment after disappointment. Of course, a manager can only do so much but, as Jim Leyland this year and Ozzie Guillen last year proved, a good Manager can go a long, long ways.

Speaking of Jim Leyland, the Detroit Tigers are poised to be one of the feel-good sporting stories of the modern sports era. This is a fun group of ball players to watch. They play the game the way it is supposed to be played.

I would hope that after they win the World Series in another week or so that people will start to talk about Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez as one of the games truly great clutch performers. Let's not forget that Pudge was the little engine that could behind the improbable World Series run of the Florida Marlins a couple years back and now he's doing the same thing with the Detroit Tigers.

If I'm a GM with a young, could-be contending team, and I'm looking for that one missing piece to put my team over the hump, I'm looking into Pudge's availability this winter (do you hear me Blue Jays and Indians?). The guy bleeds winning.

Anyways, here's to hoping that the Mets send the Cards packing and then we can sit back and enjoy what I think will be a phenomenal WS matchup between the Tigers and Mets. With the way the Tigers are pitching though I don't think there's any way they don't win the World Series this year.
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The NHL is back in full swing. It's been a pretty uneventful first two weeks I think which is probably good. Of the games I've watched it's been pretty disappointing because the brand of hockey that is being played right now is pretty boring. If every team in the NHL played like the Buffalo Sabres than the NHL would be the most popular major sporting event in North America.

Unfortunately though too many teams continue to play like the painfully boring Calgary Flames and, let's face it, there's nothing fun about 1-0 or 2-1 hockey games with no offensive flow.
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It's now been one full week of "farmer vision" in the Benallick house. It's been so long since we've been without cable I forgot what it's like to not have 50 or 60 channels to cycle through. I don't even have a remote to use right now:). It actually hasn't been as bad as we anticipated. I think you realize better how much you have and how much you're blessed with when you go without for a little while. The only thing I'm really missing is my TSN and Sportsnet channels. This is the first time in a long time that I won't be able to watch the World Series and that's not really sitting too well with me:). Oh well, I'll survive.
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Watched two good movies this weekend- Adam Sandler's new one, Click, and X3. ___________________________________________________________________
Last night's episode of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" was another great one for the young show. I love the writing and the dialogue in this show. It is quick, it is witty, and it is smart. I would love to write for a show like this. It's obviously not anywhere near as intense as a show like 24 or CSI but, for me, the hour of watching goes by just as quick. Anyways, this uneducated critic thinks that NBC has a homerun with this show and I hope to see many years of this. Again, outstanding performances in this show by Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford.
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October 10

2006-10-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

Well, happy belated Thanksgiving to all. I hope you're all coming out of your turkey-induced coma's after a long-weekend of eating. I have to admit I was a bit of a glutton myself this year. Karlene's turkey was one of the best I've tasted and my mother-in-law's cherry cheesecake seemed to be one of those things that's best in three's (as in pieces). So it was a very satisfying Thanksgiving feast at the Benallick household.

So, for those of you unfortunate enough to not live in Saskatchewan, let me give you a bit of a weather review from the past few days. On Friday it was sunny and warm- above 20 degrees or so. On Saturday it was cold and rained like cats and dogs all day. Sunday it was sunny again but cooler temps that sat around 10 degrees or so (a typical sunny, crisp fall day). Monday was again sunny with temps in the upper-teens. Today, we wake up to colder temps again and, for the first time this fall, SNOW! How messed up is that? As special as the first snowfall of the year usually is, I have to admit I wasn't the least bit prepared for it. I don't even have my Christmas CD's out yet.

It's been a while since I last posted so I thought I'd give you a quick update on what's going on in my life.

What I'm reading? Right now I'm reading Dr. Stephen Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Successful People". I'm only through Habit #1- Being proactive- but am already finding it to be a very influential book that will be a help to me both in my vocation and in my family. I'm also reading through Patrick Lencioni's "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team". If you're in team leadership and haven't read any of Lencioni's books before I STRONGLY encourage you to pick up a copy of this book. He is my favorite leadership/team building/business writer.

What I'm listening to? A week or so ago I picked up a copy of Jon Mayer's new disc, Continuum. Every once in a while a disc comes along that you can listen to over and over again without ever growing tired of hearing it. I've found that disc in Jon Mayer's new release. It's addcitive. I highly recommend it.

What I'm watching? I'm quite pleased with the new fall lineup of TV shows. Along with the usual suspects- CSI, Criminal Minds, Without A Trace- I've added a couple other new shows to my weekly watch list. My favorite of the new shows? Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I highly doubt this is a show for everyone but I for one love the acting, the humor, and, aside from Amanda Peet, think this is the best cast on TV (aside from 24). Friday Night Lights also looks to be a strong new show and, aside from it's over the tob gore, Heroes is an intriguing new show on NBC as well.

I watched the pilot for Smith and thought it honked. I also watched an episode of "The Class" and also found it to be sorely lacking. Is it just me or are we witnessing the end of the classic sitcom? Where are you Cheers, Seinfeld and Raymond?

Of course between all these great weekly shows I'm also trying to find time for weekly NHL games as well as what is turning out to be a great baseball postseason. Detroit Tigers anyone?

So, needless to say, I'm spending far too much time in front of the idiot box:). I guess it will be good then that we will be without cable TV for the next three weeks as we make a switch from Sasktel Max back to Bell ExpressVu.

For those who are curious, Cole is now 3 months old and getting bigger by the second. We gave him a bath last night and I was blown away by how much he filled that thing up now. It doesn't seem like that long ago when he looked so tiny in his little bath tub. He's almost ready for a move to the big tub now. He's sleeping much better. Sunday night he slept from about 10pm until 9 AM straight! Most nights though he's up at 3 and then at 6 so that's not too bad. He's a smiley kid to say the least. We think he smiles a lot more at this age then either Carter or Jenna did but we can't say for sure (it's funny how much of that stuff you forget). He certainly eats more than the other two did as he's really starting to take on the "baby beef" formation.

Carter is doing well at pre-school. He no longer cries when Karlene drops him off and, according to his teachers, he's really starting to socialize a lot more with the other kids and has a lot of the kids following him around. His teacher's love him so he certainly feels cared for when he's there.

Jenna is busy, busy, busy. The other day she managed to make a cast on her leg out of diaper rash creme. This past weekend she got into Karlene's makeup bag and proceeded to dump about $20 worth of makeup down the toilet (literally and figuratively). She keeps us on our toes but she also keeps us smiling with her zest for life and her curiosity about pretty much everything. My prayer today is that someday she'll have kids who are just like she is now:).

Anyways, that's it for today. Later.

Dueling Blue Birds

2006-08-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

What in the world happened in Toronto last night?

In case you missed it, in last night's Blue Jays/A's game, manager John Gibbons and starting pitcher Ted Lilly had some heated words on the mound and then, reportedly, had a spirited shoving match in the tunnel leading to teams clubhouse shortly after Gibbons gave Lilly the hook.

While both Gibbons and Lilly denied throwing any punches it certainly looked like Gibby was wiping away a bloody nose shortly after the fireworks subsided. Either Lilly got a shot in or perhaps another perturbed Blue Jay took advantage of the opportunity and snuck in a sucker punch- I didn't see Shea Hillenbrand sneak into the stadium though.

So, today all the talk has been about who's to blame in this situation and what should be done about it. Good topic of conversation if you ask me.

I say let's look at it from all angles because I think that's the only fair way to do this.

We'll start with manager John Gibbons. First off, you can't blame Gibby for going out there and pulling Lilly. After the Jays had jumped out to a huge 8-0 lead in the first two innings Lilly proceeded to allow 6 runs (en route to a 7 run third) before Gibons came out to make the change.

Now, I don't know about you but I would say getting pulled after surrendering six runs, and back-back home runs, is nothing out of the ordinary. I'd say Gibby was making the right move to go out and get Lilly. What manager, aside from I guess A's manager Ken Macha who left starter Dan Haren in the game after surrending 8 runs in the first two innings, wouldn't go out and pull a seemingly ineffective pitcher when you need to win the game?

If I were John Gibbons I'd be going out to get Lilly as well.

Now, let's look at Ted Lilly. I think all Blue Jays know that Lilly is a bit of a mystery. You never know what you're going to get in any given start. One night he could throw a two-hit shutout and strike out ten. The next start could be like last night where he gets hit harder than Mel Gibson at a Bar-mitzvah.

You can't deny the fact though that Lilly is a competitor and that he wants to win. You could clearly see last night that, when Gibbons went to pull him, one of the things Lilly said was, "I'm trying to win the game". That was followed by some other colorful statements about what he thought about his manager as he walked off the field.

I can't really understand why Lilly was so upset about getting the hook. I mean come on, the guy was getting lit up like the Rockefeller Christmas tree for crying out loud.

It does look like Gibbons said something to him though before taking the ball from Lilly. Lilly was clearly perturbed by something that was said that made him feel like he needed to defend himself by saying, "I'm trying to win the game".

If that's the case, I don't blame him for going off on his manager.

Gibbons should have just reached for the ball, let his pitcher walk away and let that be the end of it.

From my limited vantage point though it looked as though the manager incited the already-frustrated pitcher by saying something to him that was not necessary. Only Ted Lilly, and perhaps Bengie Molina, know exactly what was said out there and I doubt we'll ever find out.

So do I blame one guy more than the other or is there equal share here? I think the blame falls on the manager.

Let's be honest, this is the second physical confrontation this man has had with one of his players in a month. First Shea Hillenbrand and now Lilly. At first everyone blamed Shea for his actions that led to his departure because he had a reputation as a bit of a baby. I've not yet heard that description given to Ted Lilly.

In fact, the way Lilly took the high road in his post-game comments would suggest to me that he's very much the opposite of Shea Hillenbrand.

So why is that John Gibbons is turning into AT & T with his players and they all want to reach out and punch him? How can this be good for team chemistry?

I'm sorry but to me it says that there is a definite lack of respect between the Blue Jay players and the manager. If Joe Torre went out and gave the hook to Randy Johnson in the second inning would we see the Big Unit drop kick Torre? I doubt it.

If Bobby Cox pulled one of his pitchers early in the game after a less than stellar performance would we see him wiping away a bloody nose after a physical altercation? Not in this lifetime.

So how can John Gibbons get in two physical confrontations with two seperate players in the span of a month and still have a job?

Is JP Ricciardi afraid of getting beat up? Hey let's face it, a punch on the nose may actually work wonders for the guys physical appearance.

I'm very interested to see how this plays out because it certainly appears that this is one dysfunctional clubhouse and it's only a matter of time, if it hasn't started to happen already, until the Blue Jays players quit playing for this guy and all that promise that was talked about 8 months ago is flushed down the drain.

It's time for John Gibbons to move on and for the Blue Jays organization to bring in someone who can earn respect from his players and not bully it.

The cutest kids ever!

2006-08-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

Carter and Jenna tried to beat the 35 degree heat this week by running through the sprinkler on our front lawn.

Here's a shot of the newest member of the Detroit Red Wings fan club. He's got the Red Wings onesie and the Toronto Maple Leafs diapers (because everyone loves to dump on the Leafs) so he's well on his way to being a happy hockey fan.

Here's a shot of Cole getting some snuggle time with his big brother and sister. Carter and Jenna love to hold their little brother now (although we trust Carter with him a bit more than we do lil' Miss J). How can you not say "aahhh" when you see these three gorgeous kids?

Catching up on old predication- baseball style

2006-08-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

Back at the end of March I wrote a blog sharing my predictions for the 2006 MLB season. Man do I ever suck at this!

As the big leaguer's hit the dog days of summer I thought I should take a look back and see if any of my predictions are even close to coming true. Like I said, man do I ever suck at this.

With nearly 3/4's of the season played here's what I predicted in comparison to what the standings actually are today (August 2):

AL (predicted final standings)
East- Yankees, Jays, Red Sox, D-Rays, Orioles
Central- Indians, Twins, White Sox, Tigers, Royals
West- Rangers, A's, Angel's, Mariners

Actual standings on Aug.2
East- Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, D-Rays
Central- Tigers, White Sox, Twins, Indians, Royals
West- A's, Angel's, Rangers, Mariners

NL (predicted final standings)
East- Braves, Mets, Phillies, Marlins, Nationals
Central- Cardinals, Brewers, Astros, Pirates, Cubs, Reds
West- Padres, D'Backs, Dodgers, Giants, Rockies

Actual standings on Aug.2
East- Mets, Phillies, Marlins, Braves, Nationals
Central- Cardinals, Reds, Brewers, Astros, Cubs, Pirates
West- Padres, D'Backs, Dodgers, Rockies, Giants

My predictions for individual award winners were:
AL MVP- A-Rod
AL Cy Young- Halladay
AL ROY- Francisco Liriano
NL MVP- Pujols
NL CY Young- Tim Hudson
NL ROY- Stephen Drew

So, do I still think my predictions will come true come by the beginning of October? For the most part, no. My Indians have been a HUGE disappointment as they have been the most underachieving team in all of baseball this year. The Blue Jays have also been a huge disappointment as I see them falling further and further out of the race over the course of the next two months.

So, taking the current standings into consideration how would I change things for the stretch run? Here now are my updated predictions for the final two months of the season.

AL
East final standings- Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, D-Rays, Orioles
Central- Tigers, Twins, White Sox, Indians, Royals
West- Angels, A's, Rangers, Mariners

NL
East final standings- Mets, Marlins, Braves, Phillies, Nationals
Central- Cardinals, Reds, Brewers, Astros, Cubs, Pirates
West- Padres, D'Backs, Dodger, Rockies, Giants

AL Playoffs- Yankees over Angels, Red Sox over Tigers
ALDS- Yankees over Red Sox
NL Playoffs- Mets over Reds, Cardinals over Padres
NLDS- Mets over Cardinals
World Series- Mets over Yankees

AL MVP- David Ortiz
AL CY Young- Johan Santana
AL ROY- Jonathan Paplebon
NL MVP- Albert Pujols
NL CY Young- Carlos Zambrano
NL ROY- Josh Johnson/Scott Olsen/Hanley Ramirez/Dan Uggla

MLB Trade Deadline

2006-08-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was supposed to be one of the more exciting days on the Major League Baseball calendar- the non-waiver trade deadline day. This year was shaping up to be a year to remember with many big time names getting tossed around and the hope of some major deals taking place.

Unfortunately for baseball fans yesterday's trade deadline was about as exciting as this year's Canadian Idol competition.

Perhaps most frustrating for this baseball fan was the fact that the Toronto Blue Jays sat around and did absolutely nothing. You're in the middle of a playoff race, with a legit shot at a playoff spot; you've just lost 5 of your last 7 ball games on the west coast and you have two huge series coming up right after the deadline against the Yankees and White Sox. So how do you give your team a much needed boost for the final two months of the season? You do nothing.

You do nothing to address your obvious need for bullpen help. You do nothing to address your obvious need for middle infield help. You do nothing to combat the great moves the Yankees made.

I had high hopes for this Jays team at the start of the year and it is very disappointing to see them come this far and not do anything to strengthen a couple of weaknesses. The players were available to plug the holes- almost every team that needed bullpen help was able to get it and almost every team that needed middle infield help was able to get it.

This Blue Jay fan thought the whole purpose to opening up the wallet to add players like Glaus, Burnett, Ryan and Molina was so that they could win now. Not five years from now. So why hold on to guys like McGowan and Accardo when they're clearly not going to help you win this year, next year or possibly even the year after that?

If I'm the veteran guys on that team I feel extremely let down by JP Ricciardi's inability to give them the last couple pieces needed to really make a run at this thing. These guys have played hard all year long and the GM owed it to them to do whatever it took to get that one, two, three or however many guys needed to put them over the top.

You can say all you want about some of the other team's who did nothing at the trade deadline but in my opinion the Jays are the biggest losers because one or two trades could have been the difference between a long post-season run and another off-season of second-guessing and finger-pointing.

On another note- did my eyes deceive me or did I read yesterday that the Red Wings have brought back Domink Hasek . . . AGAIN!!!!!!! Is it too late for me to start cheering for the Leafs? Absolutely brutal signing. I'd rather see a youth movement in Motown then to see this waste of space wearing the red and white again. First Yzerman retires, than Shanny signs with the Rangers and now Ken Holland brings back the Dumbinator. Bad times for us Red Wings fans.

An update after week one . . .

2006-07-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

So, we've officially reached one full week as a family of five. I'm sure there are some of you out there who, unfortunately, aren't able to see our little family on a daily basis so you're probably wondering how the transition is going so far.

Cole and Karlene came home from the hospital this past Thursday morning. The kids and I were extremely glad to have them come home and begin this next chapter in our family history. Cole spent a couple days under the lights making sure he was getting all the vitamin D his little body could handle. So far he's been a little bit yellow but nothing out of the ordinary really. God has been so gracious to this little man and we make sure to say thank you each and every day for that.

Since they came home life has been busy, not insanely-so. Carter and Jenna have adjusted well to having their little brother home. We are thankful to have such good kids.

Jenna's first question every morning when she wakes up is, "Where's the baby?". She always wants to know where Cole is and it's so neat to see how much she loves this little guy already. She sometimes gets a little too intense with her love and affection for him- so much so that she wants to pick him up and squeeze him, or put her head on top of his because she just can't quite get close enough. It's somewhat cute but, at only a week old, even little two-year-old Jenna looks like she could squash him like a bug.

Carter can't wait for Cole to be big enough to start playing sports. All summer Carter and I have been working on his baseball swing and he's really becoming quite a good hitter (and without any HGH or anabolic steroids I might add). I started throwing overhand to him yesterday and he just about hit one out of the backyard (ended up being a line drive that hit about 3/4 of the way up the fence). If you've seen our backyard you'll understand that it's a pretty good poke to get it out of there. Anyways, he's having a blast and showing his aptitude at yet another sport. He can't wait until he can teach Cole to do one-timer's in hockey, or how to hit in baseball, or shoot a basketball, or play trac-ball, tennis, or soccer. Needless to say I don't think we'll have to worry about Cole having an outlet for his energy. Sport-nazi Carter will take care of that.

So, after week one I'd have to say that the future looks bright for the Saskatchewan chapter of the Benallick family. Week two looks to have the potential for a little more drama as Daddy goes back to work on Tuesday (potentially) and poor Mommy has to start the adjustment to being one-on-three for 8 hours each day. Needless to say, your prayers for Karlene can shift from safe delivery and quick recovery to maintained sanity and cooperative children who will all be looking for a big slice of the attention pie.

We'll keep you posted. If you don't hear back from me within a week, send in the search and rescue:).

A little more Cole . . .

2006-07-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

I have a few more pics of our little man to show off. Thanks to our friend Tara for taking so many good ones yesterday while visiting.

Cole had to go under the lights today as he was getting a bit yellow. Nothing too serious but, given the concerns going into his birth they don't want to mess around so they've got him working on his tan early.

I finally got to hold the little man today. I probably shouldn't have but having gone some 36 hours without doing so I decided to exercise my parental rights and took him out of the incubator for a few short, but very sweet, minutes of bonding.

I want to be very intentional about soaking up as much of this time in Cole's life as I can. Knowing that Cole is probably the last baby we will have I'm determined to not let these early months fly by as quickly as it did with Carter and Jenna.

He's such a sweet little guy. He makes the softest little sounds and he's so very tiny. Every protective fatherly instinct is working overtime now.

I cannot say enough about the staff at the Moose Jaw Union Hospital. It's a small-city facility with big-hearted individuals working there. The nurses and doctors who have looked after Karlene and Cole have been nothing short of amazing. If you ask me these hard working people don't get anywhere near the credit and recognition they deserve.

Anyways, enjoy the pics of the little man and I'll keep updating as much as I can.

Meet the newest addition

2006-07-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Cole Michael Benallick was born at 3:47 AM on Sunday, July 16. He joins our family weighing 6 lbs, 11 1/2 ounces and standing (or lying) at 18 1/2 inches long.

He'll spend most of his first day in the comfort of the incubator getting lots of oxygen and lots of rest as he came out to play about 2 1/2 weeks early. All signs suggest though that our little "Warrior" (as is the meaning of the name Cole) is healthy and a picture of perfection. He looks like his big brother Carter with big brown eyes and long, skinny fingers. He's hardly made any noise since he's been born so we're not sure if we've got a quiet one on our hands or if he's just storing up his energy for a little later:). I haven't had a chance to hold my little man yet so I'm a little anxious to do that seeing as it's been nearly 12 hours since he was born.

There is truly no more amazing experience in this lifetime then watching the birth of your child. Having had the priviledge of watching all three of my kids come into this world I can truly say that I am a rich man.

There is no denying the goodness of God and the wonder of His creation when you witness the beginning of a new life. Someone as precious as Cole could not have been created by something without feeling or without deep love. God has blessed us.

If you want to know who one of my hero's is that answer is simple- it is my wife. To have gone through the physical trauma that comes with child birth three times in the past 4 years is no small feat to say the least. Add two surgeries to the mix in that same time span and you have yourself an incredibly strong woman. My wife does not give herself nearly enough credit for how strong she is. I am so proud of her. Words cannot do justice to my feelings for her.

I know this is starting to sound like an Oscar acceptance speech or something- "I'd like to thank God, my wife, my agent . . . blah blah blah"- so I'll wrap it up for today. I just wanted to get some initial thoughts down on the ol' virtual paper before my brain begins to forget all that has transpired in the past 24 hours.

I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for Cole. I can't wait to see his relationship develop with his big brother and his big sister. I can't wait until we can sleep through the night again :).

I'll try to add some more pics of our little man as we go along here.

The MLB All-Star game

2006-07-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

I have to make a complaint about the upcoming MLB All-Star game. First off, they need to change the name of the game because if it was in fact an "all-star" game then it should be played by players who are all stars.

Last time I checked Mark Redman of the Kansas City Royals was not an all-star player. Mark who? Exactly. I saw this guy's pitching numbers before his start against the Blue Jays and there's probably about 100 pitchers not playing in the so-called "mid-summer classic"that have far better numbers than Redman.

However, the geniuses in the MLB front office say that each team has to have a representative, regardless of how unworthy that team may be. I mean come on, does a futile organization like Kansas City really deserve to have an all-star representative? There is no one on that team who deserves a spot.

So instead you have actual all-stars like Curt Schilling and Francisco Liriano (who should be the starter in the game because he has been the best starting pitcher in baseball so far) sitting out because every team has to be represented. It's a joke.

Secondly, this whole new idea about giving the fans the chance to vote for the last two position spots (one for each league) has got to go. It is an absolute travesty that a meathead like AJ Pierzynski is going to the all-star game over AL studs Liriano (already mentioned) and Travis Hafner.

Nomar getting voted in on the NL side isn't as big of a joke as the Pierzynski vote but the NL spot still should have gone to Chris Young or Billy Wagner.

You want to make that last spot open, make it a vote where the MLB players themselves vote. I can guarantee you that the write players get voted in then. As far as I'm concerned you just took the "class" out of the mid-summer classic by adding Pierzynski to the mix.

And finally, please, for the love of everything that is good about the great game of baseball, remove the stipulation that awards home field advantage in the World Series to the league that wins the all-star game. It, along with requiring every team to have a rep and with providing AJ Pierzynski with an all-star jersey, is a joke.
__________________________________________________________________

Moving on from baseball- it was a sad week for me as a moment I've been dreading for twenty years now occured this past Monday. My boyhood idol, Steve Yzerman, announced his retirement after 23 years in the NHL. I've been a Stevie Y fan since I was 9 years old. Cheering for the Red Wings will never be the same.
__________________________________________________________________

Finally, some quick thoughts on the almost-completed World Cup of Soccer. After watching a few of the World Cup games this year I have vowed that I will never again complain about hockey players diving anymore. My goodness are these guys ever a bunch of Nancy's. I grew up playing soccer and I've taken my fair share of kicks to the shin and elbows to the face. It might sting a bit but to go down like you've just been hit by a Skud missile is absolutely ridiculous. It's downright embarrassing really to see these grown men flopping around on the field like a bunch of jellyfish swept up on the beach after the tide's come in. Be a man. Stand up and take the hit.

Get out the brooms . . .

2006-06-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

As sad as it makes me to say this, I think the Edmonton Oilers hopes of winning their first Stanley Cup in 16 years effectively ended last night.

You can look at two plays from last night's heartbreaker that Oil fans everywhere will look back on with gritted teeth.

Obviously the biggest, and most damaging, play was the one that led to the loss of Conn Smythe candidate Dwayne Roloson. For a guy who has been bumped around the entire playoffs, the collision that led to his season-ending injury looked to be one of the more harmless bumps that he'd suffered so far.

I'll never understand why defencemen feel the need to drill opposing teams forwards into their defenseless tenders. How many goalies have been injured this way? That's exactly what happened last night when Marc-Andre Bergeron sent Andrew Ladd crashing into "Rollie the Goalie" and basically handed the Hurricanes the Stanley Cup as a result.

I'm not a die hard Oilers fan so I don't necessarily feel bad about saying that for all intensive purposes, they are done. As a Canadian hockey fan I certainly hope that they can pull off the improbably and still capture the Cup. Lord knows they are certainly deserving of that title.

Aside from their unfortunate geographic location in Raleigh, NC, the Caroline Hurricanes are a pretty likeable team as well. There are a lot of good Canadian boys on that team and they, like the Oilers, are certainly a team that has worked hard and earned every success they've enjoyed to this point.

To come back from a 3-0 deficit to a team as solid as the Oilers is no small feat. The 'Canes never stop coming at you. What's not to like about players like Eric Staal, Mark Recchi, Ray Whitney, Rod Brindamour and the unbelievable Cam Ward?

If the Oilers avoid a sweep in this championship series I'll consider that a small victory for them. Let's face it, losing Roloson means losing the Cup. They may as well go without a goalie and play six players all game in the hopes of winning 16-15 because having a fourth forward would probably be better for them then putting either Conklin or Markannen between the pipes.

I certainly hope one of these goalies prove me wrong. In all honesty, I would like nothing more than to be dead wrong here. This just seems like as much of a sure thing as you can get in sports though.

That being said, you can't ever count out the character of the boys from the City of Champions. No team has better leadership and character than this group of players that Kevin Lowe has assembled. They've been the underdogs since the first night of the playoffs and seem to thrive on that role. If they do manage to somehow pull this off it will be one of the greatest championship runs of all time. Something every Canadian hockey fan can truly be proud of.

So, Ty Conklin and Jussi Markannen, prove me wrong . . . PLEASE. Go out there and help write the happy ending to this Cinderella story. And for heaven's sake, stay in your crease and let your d-men play the puck!

Booing the National Anthem

2006-05-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

My hat goes off to the lovely fans down in San Jose, CA who decided that it would be appropriate to boo loudly during the singing of the Canadian National Anthem before last night's game 5 VICTORY for the visiting Edmoton Oilers. A classy move through and through that I'm sure did nothing to add more fuel to what already was a red-hot Oilers team.

This whole business of booing the other countries national anthem is really getting old. I recognize that Canadian hockey fans are not absent of blame in this petty little game. I think it was Montreal Canadien fans who started the booing game two years ago at a game at the Bell Centre. However, it's Montreal. That's not really a part of Canada. It's kind of like Cousin Eddie from the National Lampoon's movies. You know he's there in his tight green pants and cream coloured dickie, but you'd just rather pretend that he's not really a part of the family.

But let's get real here San Jose. The fact of the matter is, if it wasn't for Canada you'd have no Sharks to cheer for. And even if you did, you certainly wouldn't be watching your team play in the playoffs.

When you boo Canada you're also booing your captain, Patrick Marleau; your top point-getter, Joe Thornton; the league's leading goal scorer, Jonathan Cheechoo; your best two-way player, Alyn McCauley; your best stay-at-home defenceman, Kyle McClaren. All good Canadian boys who perfected their craft on Canadian soil and still call Canada "home".

When you boo Canada you're booing the home and native land of the heart and soul of your hockey team.

Canadian hockey players and National pride is like the United States and blind arrogance. You can't have one without the other.

I certainly hope the Oilers fans don't reciprocate this idiotic behaviour and boo loudly when the Star Spangled banner is sung tomorrow night (although I'm sure they will). We have to realize that the US has provided Canadian hockey fans with lots of great players to watch as well. I mean there's Chris Chelios, and then there's . . . well, I'm sure more names will come to me later.

I hope Oiler's fans take the high road and allow the fact that their team is going to send the Sharks packing tomorrow night do all the talking (or booing) for them.

The fact of the matter is, now that the NHL is such a multi-national sport, perhaps the NHL should consider eliminating the singing of the Canadian and US national anthems from the start of the games. Sure these games are being played in North American cities but more importantly than that, the players who make up these teams are from many different countries.

However, if we did that then there's a chance we'd never get to see Hulk Hogan or Wayne Gretzky's daughter's lip-sync the anthems again. And that would certainly be something to boo about.

Go Oilers!

Good thing I don't do this for a living . . .

2006-05-04T23:21:00.000-07:00

To quote Jim Carey's character, Lloyd Christmas, "I was way off."

If I was paid to give my predictions I think I'd have to return whatever money I was given. Yes indeedy, after the first round of the 2006 NHL playoffs I am certainly proving that I am no Amazing Kreskin (sp?). After some of my first round predictions I may not even be in the same league as Maggie the Monkey from TSN. Ouch.

I especially got worked in the Western Conference where all my picks, save for San Jose taking out the Predators, ended up being wrong. Not only did my beloved Red Wings lose to the surging Oil, but the Dallas Stars flopped badly in losing to, what I believe to be, a not very good Colorado Avalanche team and of course the Calgary Flames took a serious nose dive in losing in game 7 to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (in what was by far the worst game 7 ever played in any pro sport).

To quote my good friend Donnie, "What the heck in the world?" The wild west was certainly just that as all four of the top seeds are now booking tee times at their local golf courses.

My predictions for the Eastern Conference were a little better, but only slightly. Ottawa exorcised some playoff demons by eliminating the defending champs in Tampa Bay. Buffalo sent the classless, and speedless (is that a word?) Philadelphia Flyers in six games. I got those two right. I was looking good in the Montreal/Carolina series after the first two games but I'll give full props to Carolina for turning things around in a hurry and winning the next four games to advance.

Of course, people in Moose Jaw (and Red Deer) are not the least bit surprised to see what Cam Ward is doing in his rookie season between the pipes for the 'Canes. Warrior fans watched Ward and Dion Phaneuf team up to do a two-man dance all over the hearts of what was then the best Warriors team ever in the 2004 season. To people who don't know better, Cam Ward is a cinderella story. To me, this is just a good goalie doing what all good goalies do.

So, do I try my luck at some second round predictions or do I smash the crystal ball and just sit back and enjoy the games? If you just yelled, "Press your luck" then you know me well.

Here's my round 2 predictions:
East- Ottawa over Buffalo (6 games); New Jersey over Carolina (7 games)
West- Edmonton over San Jose (7 games); Anaheim over Colorado (7 games)

Most importantly, in WHL action, our hometown Warriors open up the WHL Finals tomorrow night in Vancouver. The Tribes first ever appearance in the league championship series should be a beauty. Our great little city is truly fired up about our beloved Warriors. To say the bandwagon is overflowing would be like saying John Daly may have a bit of a gambling problem.
For those of you in other parts of the world you can listen in to the Warriors webcast (and listen to the voice of the Warriors, our good friend Randy Merkley) at www.discovermoosejaw.com.

Go Warriors Go!

What do the Detroit Red Wings and PGA golfers have in common?

2006-05-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

Answer: They'll both be playing golf this weekend.

Apparently the spring sunshine and increasingly warm temperatures were to much for my Wings to handle as they handed over a 2-0 third period lead last night en route to yet another first-round exit after a dominant regular season that saw them finish first overall.

The high-powered Wings were outplayed by a younger, faster and a far more hungry Edmonton Oilers team that simply outclassed the #1 seed in the Western Conference. In all honesty, Detroit was lucky to have six games in this first round series.

I have no problem giving full credit to the Edmonton Oilers on this one. They played some fantastic hockey in this series. Is it just me or does this Oiler team not remind you of the 2004 version of the Calgary Flames? I definitely get a sense that this team is set-up for a long run in the playoffs.

And talk about X-factors, did I not say that if the Oilers get solid goaltending from Dwayne Roloson then they will be a very tough team to beat? Fact is with solid goaltending there really isn't much difference between the Oil as a #8 seed and the Wings as a #1. This is not a fluke victory. This is parity at it's finest.

The Western Conference is definitely a testimony to the competitive balance in the new-look NHL. If Calgary loses at home tomorrow night then the so-called top four teams in the west will have all been eliminated in the first round.

I love to see my Wings dominate and I would have loved to have seen them win another cup, but I love to see this type of competitive balance where any team has a chance to win on any given night.

Sure I'm sad to see Detroit suffer yet another first round exit after a dominating regular season. Sure I'm ticked that all the so-called "hockey experts" are now going to say that Detroit's regular season dominance was due to the fact that they had so many games against Western Conference cellar dwellers in St.Louis, Chicago and Columbus (the fact is a win is a win, regardless of whether it's against St. Louis or Ottawa).

Unfortunately for Edmonton I think the focus will be more on what might be wrong with Detroit as opposed to all the good things going on in Edmonton. I don't think there's anything wrong with Detroit. I think the focus should be on the fact they got beat by a better team.

The saddest part for me last night was watching Stevie Y shake hands in what probably was his last game as captain of the Wings. I am a Red Wings fan because I watched Yzerman play a game against the Leafs one Saturday night when I was 9 years old (nearly 20 years ago) and I greatly admired the heart and determination (as well as the immense skill) that this guy possessed. I think it's fair to say that I am Steve Yzerman fan first and a Detroit Red Wings fan second.

Should Stevie Y retire this summer (and I think it's fairly certain that he will) I don't know how much of my devotion to the Motor City maniacs will retire along with him. I'm sure lots of Wings fans went through the same thing when Gordie Howe retired. It's funny how many memories, how much of your childhood and teenage years get wrapped up in one single player.

Anyways, I hope that if Yzerman does retire he'll stay involved in hockey in some aspect. The game still needs great ambassadors and there's not many players in the history of the game who played with as much heart and leadership as Stevie Y.

Thanks for the memories.

Lots to talk about in the world of sports

2006-05-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

Well, as a sports fan I'm not sure there's a better time of year than right now.

Major League Baseball is in full swing (pun intended) now and all my teams are doing reasonably well (the Indians, Jays and Cubs). As a long-time Cubbies fan I've found that I need to have other favorite teams to cheer for because focussing just on the Cubs would be far too painful.

The NBA playoffs are in full gear as well. As a long-time Steve Nash fan (going back to when he first busted onto the scene as a dynamite PG at Santa Clara) I have been watching the Suns' opening round battle (and it has been a battle) with the "Lake Show". I wasn't a big Kobe Bryant fan going into this series and I have to say, after the first four games of this series I like the guy even less. I recognize that there's a huge amount of ego in the NBA- probably more-so than in any other professional sport- but Kobe is so far ahead of any other professional athlete when it comes to arrogance, it just angers me to see him succeed :). Kid Canada has had a tough series so far as he tries to carry the load for a Suns team that just doesn't seem to have what it takes to get by a Lakers squad that is finally playing like a Phil Jackson-led team. Put a healthy Amare Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas in that Suns front court and you've got a four game sweep for the Stevey and the Sunshine gang.

My other NBA team- the Detroit Pistons- are also facing some early adversity in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks. Rip Hamilton's been slowed by a sprained ankle and Milwaukee is led by one of the best pure shooters in the game in Michael Redd. Detroit will survive and go on to the NBA finals no doubt, and I'm actually thankful that Milwaukee is giving them a bit of a push in this first round series because it's only going to make the Bad Boys v.2 that much stronger down the stretch.

I'm glad my slo-pitch season kicks off tonight (as long as no more rain falls today) because it means that I can focus on something other than the potential demise of my beloved Detroit Red Wings. On the verge of coupling yet another first overall regular season finish with a first round playoff exit, the Wings have been given all they can handle (and then some) from the young and hungry Edmonton Oilers.

In a previous post I put Dwayne Roloson down as one of my playoff X-factors, believing that if the Oil got good tending from Rollie the Goalie then the Wings were in big trouble. Well. so far Roloson has been outstanding and low and behold, the Oilers have a 3-2 series lead with a chance to send the Wings packing in front of what I'm sure will be a wild Rexall Place crowd in Edmonton.

As much as I'd hate to see Detroit bow out early, AGAIN, there is a part of me that also would love to see the rebirth of the Battle of Alberta. In the first year of the "New NHL" I think it would be great for one of hockey's greatest all-time rivalries to be thrown into the incinerator in the first playoff season of the new era.

I'm still hoping though that Detroit pulls it out tonight and lives to fight another day on Wednesday back at the Joe.

Let the real season begin!

2006-04-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well hockey fans, I hope you've stocked up on your potato chips, pop, air horns and had your favorite team's jersey laundered because the real hockey season is about to get underway (unless, of course, you're a fan of the sad-sack Canuck's or Leaf's, in which case, emjoy the golf!)

Before I dive into the playoff predictions here's some a recap on how I fared with my regular season predictions that I updated back in January.

Here's how I predicted the final standings would look like in both the Western and Eastern Conferences:
In the West- Predictions Actual Final Standings
1. Detroit 1. Detroit
2. Calgary 2. Dallas
3. Dallas 3. Calgary
4. Vancouver 4. Nashville
5. Nashville 5. San Jose
6. Colorado 6. Anaheim
7. San Jose 7. Colorado
8. Edmonton 8. Edmonton

For someone who by no means is paid for these types of prognostications I'd say I was pretty darned good in my predictions. Flip a couple teams around and swap out Vancouver for Anaheim and I've pretty much got it nailed. Anaheim impressed me and I don't think anyone in the west wants to play San Jose right now with their dynamic duo of Thornton and Cheechoo.

In the East: Prediction Actual
1. Ottawa 1. Ottawa
2. Carolina 2. Carolina
3. Philadelphia 3. New Jersey
4. Buffalo 4. Buffalo
5. New York Rangers 5. Philadelphia
6. Toronto 6. New York Rangers
7. Atlanta 7. Montreal
8. New Jersey 8. Tampa Bay

Not quite as accurate with the East as I was with the West but still pretty respectable I think. New Jersey has been unreal hot for the last two weeks of the season and will be a tough team to beat (from the looks of things right now anyways), especially since they are the only team in the East who has a goalie with any proven playoff experience. There are some good goalies for sure, but none that come even close to having the track record of Marty Brodeur.

So, predictions for the playoffs. I think the most exciting thing about this year is that it is WIDE open. Detroit, Ottawa and Carolina dominated in the regular season but all have their vulnerabilities.

In the west:
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
Detroit over Edmonton in 5 Detroit over San Jose in 6 Calgary over Detroit in 7
Dallas over Colorado in 5 Calgary over Dallas in 7
Calgary over Anaheim in 5
San Jose over Nashville in 6

In the east:
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
Ottawa over Tampa in 4 Ottawa over Montreal in 7 Ottawa over Buffalo in 6
Montreal over Carolina in 6 Buffalo over New Jersey in 7
New Jersey over the Rangers in 7
Buffalo over Philadelphia in 5

Stanley Cup final
The all-Canadian final will be won by the Calgary Flames in 6 games.

The X-Factors for the playoffs?
Which players will play huge roles in the success of their teams in the off-season. I've always believed that an X-factor player can't be someone who is already a star on their team but are either a star-in-waiting or a former big namer who's had an otherwise tough season leading into the playoffs.

My top 5 X-factors for the 2006 playoffs are:
1. Mike Fisher- Ottawa Senators (one of the best, if not THE best, two-way players in the game)
2. Dwayne Roloson- if Rollie the Goalie can come up big then I'm definitely fearful of what the Oil can do in the playoffs.
3. Bill Guerin- 13 goals in the regular season- OUCH!- Dallas needs this guy to score big goals if they're going to go far.
4. Chris Drury- this guy was a playoff dynamo in his early days with Colorado. He'll be key to leading Buffalo to an Eastern Conference final matchup with the sens.
5.Brian Gionta- he scored 47 goals but it had to be one of the most invisible 47 goal campaign's I've ever seen. I still don't see this guy as being a household name so he definitely has X-factor possibilities.

I hope the post-season continues to provide fast-paced, high energy games like so many of the regular season contests. Let's hope the refs continue to call obstruction and stick infractions with the same regularity that they did during the regular season.

The NHL has had a very successful return with the revamped on-ice product and they need to ensure that that continues throughout the playoffs if they want fans to really believe that the league has changed for the better.

On to Lord Stanley!

Baseball Predictions

2006-03-30T10:05:00.000-08:00

As much as I love hockey and as excited as I am about the upcoming NHL playoffs, I am equally excited about the start of the 2006 Major League Baseball season. Baseball has always been my first love when it comes to the major sports and I am very excited about the upcoming season.

While the forecast is calling for more dark clouds ahead for my Cubbies, my other two teams- the Indians and Blue Jays- both have a lot of sunshine coming their way this summer.

So, without further adieu, here are my predictions for the upcoming season.

American League

East- Yankees, Jays, Red Sox, Rays, Orioles
Central- Indians, Twins, White Sox, Tigers, Royals
West- Rangers, A's, Angels, Mariners

Playoffs- Yankees over Rangers; Indians over Jays
ALDS- Indians over Yankees

American League Hardware:
MVP- Alex Rodriguez- Mark Texeira and Travis Hafner close seconds
CY Young- Roy Halladay
Rookie- Francisco Liriano

National League
East- Braves, Mets, Phillies, Marlins, Nationals
Central- Cardinals, Brewers, Astros, Pirates, Cubs, Reds
West- Padres, D'backs, Dodgers, Giants, Rockies

Playoffs- Braves over Padres; Mets over Cardinals
NLDS- Braves over Mets

National League Hardware:
MVP- Albert Pujols
CY Young- Tim Hudson
Rookie- Stephen Drew

World Series- Indians over Braves
World Series MVP- Grady Sizemore

If you've read Tom Verducci's recent predictions on SI.com you'll notice that I couldn't differ from ol' Tom's predictions much more than I already do. Verducci seems to have been caught up in the great White Sox hype, but I'm not buying. If anything, I think the White Sox are destined to be this year's biggest disappointment (a complete 180 from last year when they were the year's biggest surprise). I dare Ozzie Guillen and Co. to prove me wrong.

Howie Mandel is cool?

2006-03-29T19:14:00.000-08:00

Wait a second, didn't I just see this guy trying really hard to be funny (but not succeeding in the least) in a Boston Pizza commercial? Isn't he the creepy guy that keeps sitting down for dinner with a family he doesn't know and mooching food off the plates off of kids who really don't seem too comfortable with Howie touching their food?

And now he's the host of the most popular prime time game show to come along since Regis first debuted Millionaire?

And not only that, but my 3 1/2 year old absolutely loves his show!

Yes indeedy, it appears as though Howie Mandel is cool once again (or perhaps this is for the first time?).

For the first time tonight I sat down and watched Howie's new show, "Deal or No Deal" on NBC. Unfortunately, I'm now hooked. Not only that, but Carter is also hooked.

From Carter's perspective, he absolutely loves anything to do with numbers so for him, this game is right up his alley. Picture this if you can. Here's a 3 1/2 year old kid, sitting on the couch in his hockey jammies, sippy cup in one hand and he's yelling at the TV telling the contestant which number to pick. Of course he has no idea what the show is all about but to him, just picking the numbers and seeing the other numbers that come up in the brief case is all the fun. By the end of the show this kid was bouncing on the couch he was so fired up! Commercial breaks were absolutely painful for him.

I will admit that, for something that has such a simple concept, the game itself is quite intriguing. I sometimes find the contestants, and Howie for that matter, to be a little bit cheesy, but I can get past that.

The two contestant's tonight followed two very different paths. The first guy accepted on offer (on the advice of his pre-teen daughter- come on guy, what are you thinking?) of $94,000 and could have gone on to win $300,000 +. Oh well, $94,000 for doing pretty much nothing is nothing to cry about either.

The second girl had an offer from the bank for $130,000 and turned it down, only to settle 10 minutes later for a paltry $21,000. Now that's good TV. But again, $21,000 for doing nothing is nothing to be upset about.

Deal or No Deal is fast paced, it's exciting and I'll give Howie Mandel his props (that's right, I said "props"), I think I like him more than Regis.
__________________________________________________________________

I checked out the Rick Mercer Report website tonight and found some great laugh's there. If you haven't checked it out before I encourage you to do so. You can go to it here: http://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport/index.php.

I can't say I'm a huge fan of his political bits but the time he spends travelling around the country and meeting/interviewing Canadian's provide for some pretty priceless bits. He also has some video clips on there that are hysterical. You've got to watch the "Knee in my package" video.

Blog, blog, blog

2006-03-24T14:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I last posted and, while there's been many times when I've sat down to do some writing, I just haven't had the consistent time to be able to do anything solid.

It's funny, as someone who considers himself to be "a writer" (meaning I love to write and, if given the opportunity, would love to write for a living), I often sit down to post a new blog and find, after a few minutes, that I really have nothing to write about. I don't want to just simply sit down and post for the sake of posting. I don't pretend to think that my life is exciting enough to share my day-to-day goings on with the rest of the world (or the 3 people who check this blog once every 6 months).

So many potential blogs can be summed up in a Seinfeldian (nice word, eh) way- "Today I was wrestling with my kids and then yada yada yada, I got a knee in the groin."

But blogs aren't meant for "yada yada yada's". This isn't a place for "sum ups". This is a place to expound. To share those pearls of wisdom that are just begging to be released from your inner conscience. To expunge on ideas and random thoughts too goofy to share with people face to face. Blogs provide the opportunity to make your inner conscience an "outy".

Anyways, all that to say I think it's important for me to start taking advantage of the opportunities that maintaining a blog provides.

And so, yada yada yada, I'll check in again soon.

A new beginning for the Raptors. . .

2006-03-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the Toronto Raptors announced the signing of new President and GM Bryan Colangelo. Colangelo, the mastermind behind the rebuilding of the Phoenix Suns and last year's NBA Executive of the Year is another brilliant move in a line of what has been nothing but brilliant moves ove rthe past two months for the Dino's. It's no coincidence it all started with the firing of Rob Babcock.

There's no doubt that this franchise was in desperate need of some stability.With the Glen Grunwald firing, a couple coaching changes, the Vince Carter trade, the Rob Babcock hiring and firing, and 4 straight years without a playoff appearance, this team has been on a serious roller coaster ride.

As an NBA fan, and as a Raptor's fan, I truly am shocked that Colangelo took on this post. This seems too good to be true. This is a sure-fire NBA guy. He's got great roots, a great track record, and he's a known guy around the league. Anyone in Raptor's land who disputes the significance of this move is crazier than Barry Bonds in drag.

This addition gives me great hope that signing Chris Bosh to a long-term deal this summer is more of a formality now than an actual question mark.

Of course now, Canadian basketball fans from coast to coast will be wondering if Colangelo will somehow figure out a way to get Steve Nash into a Raptor's uniform before Nash's career begins to wind down.

On another note, spring training has started with all major league players reporting to their respective teams camps now. The next few weeks is one of my favorite times of the year. I don't know that there is a better time of year for sports fans.

You have baseball starting up, the NHL is full of meaningful games with playoff implications, as is the NBA, and the NCAA tournament is only a couple weeks away as well. Awesome time of year.

Sometime soon I hope to sit down and write out a post with my predictions for the upcoming baseball season.

The Extinction of the Raptors . . .

2006-02-03T14:28:00.000-08:00

Canada's lone NBA team is one sports-related topic that I've yet to comment on in this blog. I feel as though it's time to share some thoughts on our floundering Dino-buddies, late on this Friday afternoon and in the wake of a just-completed Raptor's trade.

This afternoon interim Raptors GM Wayne Embry finally completed the much-needed trade of Jalen Rose to the New York Knicks in exchange for the expiring contract (not to mention the expiring skills) of Antonio Davis. After reading some of the comments on TSN.ca's "It's Your Call" I'm convinced that sports fans in TO have to be the biggest group of simpleton's this side of the nuthouse. I mean, if this was NBA Basketball for Playstation 2 then I'd say no way would you trade Rose for AD. But this is reality folks and there's a lot more to consider when making a trade then just what the talent levels are.

This is a GREAT trade for the Raptors! This is not the debacle that last season's Vince Carter trade was.

When assessing this trade you can't base it's success or failure on name value. Sure Jalen Rose is a bigger "name" player than Antonio Davis. Sure Jalen Rose has a higher skill-set than Antonio Davis. Sure Jalen Rose was more media-friendly and Canada-friendly than Antonio Davis. BUT, the acquisition of Antonio Davis ='s the resigning of Chris Bosh to a long-term deal + the resigning of point guard Mike James + money left over to FINALLY go after a proven big body.

Davis' contract comes off the books after this season. Rose was on the hook for a cool $17 mil next year. There's no money to keep the highly underrated James or to lock in Bosh to the type of long-term deal he deserves (we're talking maximum $'s for the Bosh-man here people).

Sure the Raptors may have downgraded skill-wise for this year but SO WHAT? They weren't going anywhere with Rose this season or next. Having him on the books was only going to keep the franchise in the Eastern conference basement for this year and next. There was no room for improvement as long as Jalen Rose was eating up so much of the payroll.

Are Raptor's fans dillusional? Do they not realize that this season is already over?The best thing the Raps can do now is to start putting themselves in a position to build the type of roster for next year that will get them back to a competitive level again.

Chris Bosh is the centrepiece. No doubt about it. This is a special player and the Raps have got to start building around this kid. This trade signifies that they see that and that they are doing what needs to be done to put players around him that will help him- both on and off the court (like Mike James).

Raptors fans are also griping about the fact that Embry added a 1st round draft pick into the mix as well. So what? In exchange for that draft pick the Raptors have cleared every cent of Rose's bloated contract off their books and the Knicks salary woes only escalated. Do you think that first round pick is going to help the Knicks be better next year? No way. That team is full of Jalen Rose-type players- mid-level skills with elite player salaries who no one will want to trade for. The Knicks' payroll gets larger while their skill level stays at a B or C level.

The 1st round pick belongs to the Denver Nuggets, a team most likely to make the playoffs this year, which means that the pick will be a low first rounder. It's already well known that this year's draft is nothing special. Add to the fact that the Raptor's have enough young talent on this team with Bosh, Villanueva, Calderon, Pape Sow and Joey Graham (I won't put Araujo in this list because I said young "talent"), and it's clear to see that the Raptor's really don't need to add two more young players to the mix. They'll keep their one first rounder and get (hopefully) a nice pick somewhere in the top 10 and that'll be enough for now.

Giving up the extra first rounder in exchange for the Knicks eating all of Rose's salary is a no-brainer in my books.

This is an all-win situation for the Raptors provided they follow this deal up with other smart moves over the course of the next 6-8 months. The foundation has definitely been laid and the early indicator's suggest that we won't hear the next Raptors GM suggest that the team will be worse than they were the year before. Poor Rob Babcock- what were you thinking?

Raptors fans need to take a moment to step back and look at this trade from all angles and realize that winning basketball games in real life takes a lot more smarts than winning basketball games on Playstation 2.

24 update

2006-02-01T10:31:00.001-08:00

Well, it's starting to be that Monday's can't come fast enough. I'm turning into the anti-Garfield where I now find myself eagerly anticipating Monday's arrival (at least Monday evening's arrival).

I will say again that "24" is far and away the best show on TV. This past week's episode was another fast paced roller coaster that saw the weasel, Walt Cummings, brought down and a new twist in the terrorist plot unfold. Nothing like the threat of having your eyes cut out to make you sing like a canary.

I think that Jack is going to save President Logan's bacon and in exchange will somehow figure out a way to get his life back without having to go into hiding to avoid facing the Chinese government (if you remember back to last season). While my good friend Laura thinks I'm crazy to root for Jack and Audrey to finally be together, I'd still like to see that happen and think that either it will this season, or Audrey will somehow be killed.

I also think there's something fishy with Jack's other lady friend, Diane. I didn't like her character when she was on Spin City with Michael J. Fox and I'm not a big fan of her now. I still think there's more to this woman than we know right now. If Audrey is to be killed off in a later episode (and we all know that on this show, ANYTHING is possible), then I think it'll be Diane who does the deed. Maybe a little too close to the Nina story line from the first couple seasons but who knows?

In the next few weeks I think we'll see the reemergence of the Wayne Palmer character, President Palmer's brother, and eventually Tony Almeida needs to reappear. Pretty soon we'll also need to be introduced in a little more detail to the blond haired dude running the show. What's his deal?

Anyways, lots of story yet to unfold. The best hour of television looks to only be getting better.

Survivor 1076 kicks off on Thursday night. "Exile Island" looks really interesting to me. I hate to say this but I've yet to miss a Survivor as it's still the best of the reality shows (aside from Amazing Race- as long as they promise to never do another horrid "Family Edition"). I will be tuning in on Thursday night, and probably every Thursday night after that until the next "ultimate Survivor" is crowned.

Missionsfest Vancouver

2006-02-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Vancouver to represent the school at Vancouver Missionsfest.

This is one of the best events of the year for us to get out and connect with alumni and prospective students. Missionsfest is held at Canada Place in Vancouver, right down on the water at the beautiful Pan Pacific hotel.

I'll start with a short commentary on Vancouver. First off, after 10 years living in Saskatchewan I've now officially been totally ruralized. I hate the city. H-A-T-E HATE. Vancouver is a large-scale Hamilton really. So many one way streets that make driving an absolute nightmare. I used to be able to handle that, and even still I do okay, but now it just stresses me out. Thankfully our hotel was about a 5 minute walk from the venu so we had to do very little driving.

Secondly, Vancouver sucks. I'm sorry to any loyal Vancouverites out there in blog land but it really does. I arrived in Abbotsford on Thursday afternoon and left Monday morning and in between that time I saw nothing but gray skies and constant rain. After 4 days of that miserable weather I was ready to take a deep swim into the big ocean. They've had this weather steady for over a month now. I couldn't handle rain all the time like that. Say what you want about the flatlands of Saskatchewan, at least we get to see this thing called sunshine on pretty much a daily basis.

As for the Missionsfest event itself, it was a good time. Briercrest is coming up on its 75th anniversary (2010) and it's always amazing to me when I go to these events and meet alumni who went to the school back in the 40's and 50's. This weekend I met a lady who was an alumnus of 1951 and she still had vivid memories of her time at Briercrest.

These types of weekends always serve as a reminder to me of the value of what we do here. We're providing opportunities for young people (and old ones too if they so desire) to come and study in an environment that encourages them to make God the centre of everything they do. We invite them to come and learn in an environment that will help equip them for a lifetime of service to Jesus Christ.

So many of the people I met this weekend have had profound influences on so many other lives and their time spent at Briercrest helped them build the foundation from which they now serve God and others. I was reminded of the value of what we do here, of what I do here, and it served to blow some much needed wind into my tired sails.

Vancouver has a lot of rough spots but our time spent at Missionsfest definitely made for a diamond in the rough experience.

A view from the cheap seats . . .

2006-01-24T10:58:00.000-08:00

A few random thoughts for today . . .

First off, congratulations to new Prime Minister Steven Harper and the Conservative Party. Congratulations to the Canadian people for seeing a need for change. Here's to hoping that we all give Mr. Harper a chance to prove he's for real and turn this country around. Here's to also hoping that it takes about 60 years for the Liberals to elect a new leader so that I never have to live through another awful election.

Is it just me or are Jack Layton and Olivia Chow (is it Olivia?) not the cheesiest couple you've ever seen? I'm sure that Maintenance staff in the Parliament building are going to love having to install the new joined toilet seat for couples so that the Layton's can spend every waking moment together. There's nothing like blazing a political trail AND pinching a loaf together to make a marriage rock solid.

Kobe Bryant scored 81 points the other night against the poor Toronto Raptors. The second highest point total in NBA history. This continues to be lauded as an amazing athletic feat. I just can't bring myself to celebrate this as a great accomplishment. Perhaps if Kobe was playing in a one-on-one league scoring 81 points would be something. But basketball is a team game (or at least it once was) and, to me, 81 points seems to accentuate not Kobe's "greatness" but the fact that he's the most selfish player in the NBA today (and perhaps ever). I'd rather see someone get 81 assists- now THAT would be an accomplishment to be applauded. Give me Steve Nash and his 20 point, 18 assist games any night.

Episode 5 of 24 was last night. I wish they'd have this show on 5 nights a week. The first 50 minutes or so was fairly slow last night but the last 10 was awesome. The President's Chief of Staff, Walt Cummings, was ratted out by the Internal Affairs-planted mole, Spencer, as the man who brought in the hitman to kill Jack. Jack is now on a mission to bring down Cummings. I'm still waiting for Sean Astin to refer to Jack as "Mr. Frodo" or to start talking about his dream of playing for the Fighting Irish, but I do like his character. Jack & Audrey had their first meeting- sparks flew, emotions ran high. I for one would be glad to see them put to rest the Diane Huxley story line. Sure Jack has huge needs for "family" right now but Audrey's the one for Jack. Can't wait to see what happens next week when/if Jack gets his hands on Cummings.

Mario Lemieux is retiring today. As good as Lemieux was in his prime he will always be looked at with "what could have been" glasses. Could he have broken Gretzky's records if he had been healthy his whole career? I don't think so. I think he could have been in Messier totals as far as points are concerned but I don't think we'll see anyone surpass Gretzky's records. All the best to Mario in whatever he decides to do- will he join the Montreal Canadiens front office some day and bring Sid The Kid with him?

Finally, I read somewhere today that plans are in place for a big screen version of Magnum PI. I haven't seen Dukes of Hazzards- the screams of sheer terror from those who have seen it before me were enough to tell me to stay away . . . stay far far away- but I hope whoever does this film takes the time to do it right. Magnum is one of my all-time favorite shows and I would hate to see them do to it what Jessica Simpson and co. did to the Dukes.

I'm off to Vancouver on Thursday for Missionsfest Vancouver. Should be a great weekend to connect with Alumni and prospective students.

Catching up on old predictions

2006-01-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

Back in September I took some time to do my best Amazing Kreskin impression and predict what the final standings might look like in the NHL. Having reached the half-way point in the season I thought it would be appropriate to take a look and see how my predictions are shaping up.

In the western conference, this is what I predicted in September compared to what the actual standings are as of today:
September Today
1. Detroit 1. Detroit
2. Calgary 2. Dallas
3. Dallas 3. Calgary
4. San Jose 4. Nashville
5. Vancouver 5. LA
6. Edmonton 6. Vancouver
7. Chicago 7. Colorado
8. Nashville 8. Edmonton
9. Colorado
10. LA

Not too bad even if I do say so myself. Chicago has disappointed me with Khabibulin looking to be the biggest free agent bust of the season. They have had injury problems with Tuomo Ruutu and just can't seem to get the boat headed in the right direction.

The play of Nashville and LA have been the biggest surprises to me in the Western Conference. The Preds have thrived in the new-look NHL and are getting great goaltending from Tomas Vokoun and amazing fan support from the people in the Country Music capital of the World.

Do I see the standings changing in the next couple months? Perhaps a little. I think Calgary will hit their stride in the home stretch. I still think this team is built for the playoffs and sooner or later Iginla is going to catch fire. I think Vancouver will make a trade to get a goalie and they will challenge Calgary for the 2nd or 3rd seed. If nothing else, Vancouver will get the 4 spot with Nashville dropping slightly to the 5 or 6 spot. I still think San Jose will make a run as well and challenge Edmonton, Colorado and LA for one of the final 3 spots. So my adjusted prediction for the western conference looks like this:
1. Detroit
2. Calgary
3. Dallas
4. Vancouver
5. Nashville
6. Colorado
7. San Jose
8. Edmonton

In the eastern conference:
September Today
1. Tampa Bay 1. Ottawa
2. Ottawa 2. Carolina
3. Philadelphia 3. Philadelphia
4. Boston 4. Buffalo
5. Montreal 5. New York Rangers
6. Toronto 6. Toronto
7. Pittsburgh 7. Atlanta
8. Buffalo 8. New Jersey

Lots of surprises in the East headline by the great play of the Hurricanes, Thrashers and Sabres (who I'm proud to say I predicted as a sleeper all along). I was bang on with where I thought Philli and Toronto would be and pretty close with Ottawa but other than that, I was way off.

Boston, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh have all been big disappointments. I expect the Bruins and Penguins to further unload some players and try to retool. Boston really is starting over now that they've traded their franchise player in Joe Thornton. At least Pittsburgh has a foundation to build on with Crosby, Fleury and, coming next year, Evgeny Malkin.

Do I see the standings changing much over the next couple months? I think there will still be some shuffling as a couple underachievers will improve and perhaps a couple overachievers will come back down to earth a bit.

So my adjusted predictions for the east:
1. Ottawa
2. Philadelphia
3. Carolina
4. Buffalo
5. Toronto
6. Montreal
7. Rangers
8. New Jersey

I think Montreal will finish the second half the way they started the first and that will be enough to push them into the 6th spot while pushing the Thrashers out of the playoff picture for this year. I just don't see the Thrashers having the depth that's needed to make the playoffs this year. Rest assured though this team will be there next year. I don't see Carolina or Buffalo falling too far from where they're at now. Both those teams seem determined to prove they're for real.

There will be some great first round match-ups in both conferences highlighted by Buffalo/Toronto in the east and San Jose/Calgary in the west.

I'll stay away from playoff predictions for now because it would just make this too darn long.

All in all I think we're in for a great second half of what has been a remarkable rebirth of Canada's national pasttime. Hockey is back in a big way and I for one can't wait to see what the playoff battles bring.

Getting back to the basics . . .

2006-01-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

I'm beginning to realize that this time of my life, this part of my spiritual sojourn, is becoming more and more about getting back to the basics and relearning the many aspects of the Christian faith that I've either not paid close enough attention to in the past or have totally taken for granted for a number of years.

This is exactly what the doctor, or in this case my Heavenly Father, has ordered for me. Words can't bring justice to the work that I know God is doing in my life.

For me, after nearly 29 years of trying to figure out where I fit in this earthly puzzle, I'm beginning to see that much of my life has been about playing a role.

In high school the role I played fairly successfully was one of a torn young man, trying to please an unseen God whom he didn't really know or understand, without being "outed" by his schoolmates, whom he was afraid would ridicule and belittle him for what he feared were "uncool" beliefs. Sounds like quite the life, right?

For me though, I learned how to adapt. I learned how to walk the walk and talk the talk at school. I learned how to walk the walk and talk the talk at church and in youth group. The theme of those years could probably be summed up with one word- compromise.

I compromised everything- my integrity, my beliefs, my values- in order to fit in with two different groups of people in two very different settings. My church friends had no idea what I was like at school and my school friends had no idea that I even went to church, let alone what I was like there.

You can imagine that after keeping this up for my last 3 years of high school I was a pretty confused individual.

So what did I do? I went to Bible College in another province, some 30 hours drive away from home.

Once I started at Bible College I was finally freed from the shackles of having to living two lives. I could start to focus entirely on becoming the person God wanted me to be. Or could I?

I quickly began to realize that all the years I had spent in high school denying my true calling and denying what I knew to be foundational truths had inevitably caused me to miss out on a lot of learning and understanding of who God was and where I fit in His plans.

Now all of a sudden my new environment was filled with people who raised their hands to the sky and closed their eyes when they sang in chapel. My dorm was filled with guys who had scripture verses memorized and were genuinely excited about reading their Bible and about the classes they were taking.

I couldn't understand why I didn't have that same passion. Why didn't I have that same fire? Instead of talking to someone about these questions and seeking out the answers that were meant for me, I just adopted a lot of the behaviours that I was witnessing. Once again, a new character was formed that prevented the real me from every coming forth.

I adapted. I learned how to talk, how to pray, how to act. But something was different this time around. Now all of a sudden there were people who could see through facade. There were people who knew that I wasn't being myself. How did I react to those people? Quite simply, I avoided them. I surrounded myself with those people that I knew would just let me do my own thing without getting in my kitchen.

Half-way through my second year of college my world was rocked when my Dad passed away after a two year battle with cancer. I was 20 years old and now, according to the government of Canada, was officially an orphan (my birth mom passed away when I was 2 but my Dad remarried 2 years later and so my step-Mom is still very much a part of my life).

Why did I become a Christian? At the time I think I was a young kid who got caught up in the emotion of a youth group campfire. I wanted to be a part of something special. I think deep down I believed the gospel message to be truth but, as a 15 year old kid who always did what he was told, I think I also just wanted to make people happy- my Dad, my youth pastor, my church friends. I didn't realize what I was signing up for.

So here I was, 20 years old, dealing with the death of my Dad (who was the greatest spiritual influence on my life up to that time) and realizing that I was still proclaiming faith in a set of beliefs that I had yet to really make my own. My faith was my Dad's faith; it was my sister's faith; it was the faith of my church friends; it was the faith of my Youth Pastor. It was everyone's faith but my own.

And so I retreated. I came back to school but I decided that I was there because of the friendships I had at the time, not because of God. I went to class, I participated in Bible Studies. I preached sermons in class. But everything was surface. Nothing seemed to be able to get into my heart. God seemed so far away and distant.

And so I have gone on that road for 7 years now. There have been times when I get back on the "God bandwagon" but it never takes long before I jump off again in order to do my own thing.

While compromise would be the best word to describe my high school years, I think the best word to describe my journey since those days would be pride. I know that it's my pride that has kept me from fully trusting, from fully committing myself into God's care.

And now, at nearly 29 years old, with a wife, 2 beautiful kids and a third child on the way, I'm finally starting to develop a personal relationship with my Lord and Saviour. That pride that has kept me separated from God for so long is no longer an option because there's more at stake here than just my own life.

For years I've asked God why He doesn't use me for greater things. Why do I feel like I'm nothing but untapped potential?

Today I realize that it begins and ends with God. Today I sit here and I understand that, for me, this chapter in my life is all about getting back to the basics and allowing God to work through all the crap and crud that has built up in my life since that fateful night in Northern Ontario when I looked up into the stars and surrendered my life to God's leading.

And so I give up trying to come across like Billy Graham on the outside while inside I look more like Howard Stern.

It feels good. It feels like, for the first time in my life, I'm coming before God because before God is where my heart tells me I need to be. I'm not doing this to please anyone other than God.

I have no idea where this will take me. I have no idea how this will change my life (although I know it will). I just know it feels pretty darn good to just be me and to not care about who may or may not like that.

And the defence rests . . .

2006-01-06T10:10:00.000-08:00

12-0. That is now Brent Sutter's coaching record after coaching the Canadian Junior squad to back-to-back gold medals in the past 2 WJHC. Two undefeated runs to gold in one of the most high-profile hockey tournaments (in Canada anyways) around. That is remarkable.

Last night Sutter cemented himself as the the best World Junior's coach of all-time after his heavily underappreciated Canadian squad routed the favoured Russians to the tune of a 5-0 final score.

Say what you want about the Russians getting robbed on the goal that should have made it a 2-1 Canada lead. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. It wouldn't have mattered. 2-1 or 2-0, Canada would have one that game regardless.

Russia's best chance to put the game away was not when that goal didn't count, it came in the first 10 minutes of the game when they were outshooting Canada 15-3 and dominating the Canucks in the offensive zone.

Thankfully Canadian netminder Justin Pogge brought his "A" game and kept his team in it while they worked out the cobwebs and stayed afloat until Steve Downie, undoubtedly the heart and soul of this team, potted the game winner on a wrap around that somehow found some space between Russian goaltender (and resident smack talker) Anton Khudobin and the left post.

While it wasn't a shot up high (which is where I said Canada needed to put pucks on Khudobin) it was a rather routine shot that Khudobin let by (which I said he is prone to). Man I hate it when I'm right:).

Anyone who watched last years gold medal final must have wondered if TSN had just put in a tape of last year's game and just substituted all the names. There wasn't much difference between last year's game and this years.

How did Canada win? A complete team effort and a deep-rooted commitment to winning at all costs that led to yet another perfect game.

This team lacked the star power of last years team but Coach Sutter once again showed his uncanny ability to achieve total buy-in from every member of his team in a very short window of time.

This was maybe, MAYBE, the third best team on paper. Definitely the Russians and the US had bigger names and more individual talent but that's all they had going for them. The Americans lacked heart in a big way and the Russians showed once again that while they are a skilled team, they cannont compete at a physical level (no matter how many Russian players seemed to think otherwise before the game).

What Canada lacked in individual skill they made up for ten-fold in character and heart. As a Canadian hockey fan this year's gold medal was far more satisfying than the dominant run of 2005. Sure that team was fun to watch but the outcome was never really in jeopardy.

You could see the progression of this team and the growth that each player experienced from game to game. It was truly a pleasure to watch these young men from the first face off to the final whistle.

Not one of those boys who were a part of this team will be the same type of player again. This tournament and this experience will leave an indefinite mark on their lives, and their careers. This tournament is about so much more than just winning a medal.

Congratulations to Team Canada. You represented your country admirably and we couldn't be more proud of the job you did.

Congratulations also to TSN for a job well done on broadcasting this tournament. While I will join the masses who wish that they would find a better colour guy than Pierre Maguire- last nights all-time worst comment was when he said that Kris Russell had "just become a man" after a battle along the boards- I give them top marks in all other areas.

My only other suggestion for TSN would be to keep the cameras off the poor kids who lose the gold medal game. They've just put their heart and soul into this tournament and no one needs to see them lying on the ice, balling their eyes out. They just lost the gold medal, let's not rob them of their dignity as well. I know you want to catch the raw emotion of the moment but I think it's safe for all of us to assume that the losing team is upset, and if they're not, well then that's probably a big reason why they lost. Keep the cameras on the happy stuff and give the devastated kids some space.

Gold Medal Showdown

2006-01-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

In a rematch of last year's World Junior Final in which Team Canada easily handled an Alexander Ovechkin-led Russia squad, the two hockey powerhouses will collide once again for the gold medal.

This is meeting of two teams who have played very different styles in order to get to the gold medal dance.

This year Russia is the offensive dynamo led by the best player not playing in the NHL this year- Pittsburgh Penguins first rounder Evgeni Malkin. The Russian squad has had little difficutly this far in the tournament, and that includes the semifinal matchup against the gold medal-favorite Americans.

But that game against the US was a match up of 2 identical teams and the Russians, with more rest, and what seemed like a lot more fire in their bellies, easily eliminated the US.

The Russians have yet to face a team that plays with the physicality that this years Canadian squad plays with. No where as offensively gifted as last year's Canadian squad (probably the best Canadian junior team ever), this year's team has relied on timely goals and rock solid team defence.

This team, perhaps even more than last year's squad, is truely molded in the image of their head coach, Brent Sutter.

The Canadians possess the team speed to be able to stick with the Russians and my feeling is that we'll see a very similar game to the one the Canadians played against the Russians in last year's final.

Canadian fans will not soon forget the beating that Ovechkin suffered every time he touched the puck. It was an all-out physical attack and it simply wore out the Russians before they could get any sort of flow.

This year will be the same. I fully expect our boys to come out hitting, and hitting hard.

The only way Canada loses tonight is if the officiating robs them of their physical play. If the game is called in a European fashion then the Russians will cruise. However, if the game is called as it should be, from a North American viewpoint (where hitting is allowed AND encouraged) then give team Canada the decided edge.

Let's not forget that they'll also be playing in front of 17,000 Canadian hockey lunatics who will definitely be an intimidating 7th man from start to finish.

Canada needs to get pucks on the Russian net. Having watched Russian goaltender Anton Khudobin 3 times this year (he plays for the WHL's Saskatoon Blades) you know that you never know what you're going to get with this kid. He's the type of goalie who can make the most unbelievable saves and yet he is also susceptible to letting the routine shots get through. He's little, but he's lightning quick so the shots have to be up, and there has to be traffic in front. I expect big games from Western League boys such as Moose Jaw Warrior (and now International Hockey celebrity) Dustin Boyd, Kyle Chipchura, Blake Comeau, Cam Barker and Kris Russell. Boyd and Chipchura will especially be familiar with Khudobin as they all play in the same division.

At 12:35 in the afternoon I find myself anxiously awaiting the puck drop for this game. Like last night's classic Rose Bowl game, I fully anticipate this one to be a beauty.

Go Canada GO!

Experiencing the Heart of Jesus

2006-01-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

This Christmas my awesome sister-in-law, Shelley, bought me what is quickly becoming the best Christmas present I've received, perhaps ever.

She bought me Max Lucado's devotional book, "Experiencing the Heart of Jesus: Knowing His Heart, Feeling His Love".

I started working through this book over the past couple days and just finished working through day 3's readings.

Devotional books are made for someone like me. I know lots of people prefer to simply just open up their Bible and read whatever passage the Lord lays on their heart at that particular time.

For me, I've always been someone who liked to have a "helper" when studying. In English class it was good ol' Coles Notes to help me through Shakespeare. In College I always had a concordance with me.

I love Max Lucado's writings. Max would be one of the people that I would love to share a meal with sometime. My appreciation for his heart and his ability to help me gain a clearer picture of my place in God's plan has only grown since I started working through this devotional.

Tonight's reading focused on Jesus- God's gift to the world. It was a great reminder for me that when I fear for my future and, especially, the future of my kids, I need look no further than to the gift of the person of Jesus Christ to realize that God has a plan, and I need to keep the faith.

In the midst of wars and rapidly declining moral conscience we can take comfort in the fact that as out of control as this world may seem, there is still someone behind the wheel. As Max writes, "The engineer has not abandoned the train. Nuclear war is no threat to God. Yo-yo economies don't intimidate the heavens. Immoral leaders have never derailed the plan."

And on the next line, all by itself, Lucado writes:

"God keeps his promise."
"See for yourself. In the manger. He's there."
"See for yourself. In the tomb. He's gone."

And so I will fear not for my future or for my kids' futures. I will trust my pilot and focus on helping my kids to do the same.

I'm thankful that God has equipped people like Max Lucado to step out in faith and allow themselves to be used by God to challenge and encourage others all over the world. I know this devotional book will leave a lasting impression on my life- it already has in just 3 short days.

I'll continue to share thoughts on here as I work through this book.

Defending the Gold

2005-12-28T08:35:00.000-08:00

In a recent article on si.com, Sport’s Illustrated’s hockey columnist, Michael Farber, takes some time to share his thoughts on Team Canada’s recent “snub” when it decided to forego Mario Lemieux’s advice and not add Sidney Crosby to the Olympic roster.

Farber writes that the decision to not take Lemieux’s advice and add Crosby to the team “downgraded Lemieux from icon to just another Canadian arguing about the makeup of the Olympic team, which rates with shoveling snow as the leading winter activity.”

There were a number of things that irritated me about Farber’s article. Beyond that, there are a number of things that irritate me about much of the debate surrounding the Team Canada selection process.

Farber makes it sound like Lemieux’s opinion should not only be listened to, but taken as gospel truth. Are Lemieux’s ideas stronger than Gretzky’s, or Lowe’s, or Bob Nicholson’s? Okay, maybe I’d put them up above Lowe’s and Nicholson’s but certainly not higher on the pole than the Great One’s.
Fact is, Lemieux is still a player, and not only that, he’s an owner of a hockey team who is desperately trying to market his budding young superstar in order to save his beloved franchise. The bigger the legend of Sidney Crosby grows, the better business will be for Mario Lemieux. No doubt having his 18-year-old protégé as part of Team Canada would help to further intensify the position of Crosby as the next “Great One”.

For myself, and I would say the majority of other Canadians, I’ll continue to place a whole lot more trust in Wayne Gretzky and his decision-making ability then I will in Mario Lemieux. Every time Gretzky is doubted he proves his critics wrong. When will people finally give this guy his due and realize that he is as dominant as a GM, Coach, Director of Anything Hockey Related, as he was as the greatest hockey player to ever play the game?

The debate about whether some of Canada’s young guns should be included on this team really is something that is overblown. It’s great that we have so much young talent but the fact is, their time will come. What’s greater is that we still have so much veteran talent that allows us to fill a team with guys who have been there before, who understand what it takes to win at an Olympic level and who know how to gel as a team in a short period of time in order to accomplish the over-arching goal of defending the gold medal.

Defending the gold is what it’s all about. That is more important than showcasing the surplus of young talent that Canada currently has. When it comes to selecting the best Olympic team stats are not the primary concern.

So when Farber writes that Canada should have taken Eric Staal as the 13th forward ahead of a player like Ryan Smyth that’s where I see that this man not only doesn’t understand hockey in Canada, but he really doesn’t understand hockey in general.

Fact of the matter is that Ryan Smyth is known as Captain Canada. Nobody has put more blood, sweat and energy into representing his country than Ryan Smyth. He’s represented this great country at every level of International hockey competition.

Ryan Smyth is the central example of why Canadians love hockey so much. He plays the game the way it was meant to be played. Every great team needs at least one player like Ryan Smyth. He may not be the sexiest player statistically speaking but people who truly know hockey and understand what it takes to succeed as a team, people like Gretzky, Lowe and Bob Nicholson, know that statistics only tell a small portion of the story. I wonder if USA basketball still believes that having the biggest “name” players is the best way to create a successful team?

And so I look at Lemieux’s recommendation of Crosby as simply just a suggestion. I don’t see it as gospel truth and it’s clear that Team Canada officials didn’t see it that way either. What if Lemieux had suggested that Mark Recchi or Lyle Odelein be added? Or that his other #1 pick, Marc-Andre Fleury, be added to the goaltending mix?

I think Farber is mistaken to place Lemieux on the same level as Gretzky. Mario is a great hockey player but he never has been, nor will he ever be, Gretzky-esque.

The fact is, with or without Crosby, Staal or Spezza, Team Canada will defend their gold medal in February and, once again, Wayne Gretzky will prove to his many doubters that he is the greatest hockey mind ever involved in this great Canadian game.

A Bum in the Muffin

2005-12-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

It's funny the things kids say sometimes.

A week or so ago my wife and I asked our 3 year old son to relay a message to his grandma. We coached him for a few minutes on exactly how to say what it is we wanted him to say and it seemed as though he had it down pretty well. He's a very bright young buck who definitely has not struggled with his speech development so it looked like a slam dunk.

Grandma showed up at the house shortly after our practice session and, upon entering the house, was greeted by Carter who quickly blurted out, "Mommy has a bum in the muffin!"

"A bum in the muffin?" Grandma asked in a rather puzzled tone.

"A bum in the muffin." Carter replied with great confidence.

Grandma took a second to look up at Karlene for any kind of Motherly interpretation. Not offering any help Karlene just looked back at her as if to say, "Figure it out".

"A bum in the muffin. A bum in the muffin . . . " she repeated a couple more times.

"Are you trying to say 'a bun in the oven'?" Grandma asked Carter.

"Yep", Carter replied emphatically. And then the light bulb shone brightly over Grandma's head.

"Does Mommy have a bun in the oven?"

Ding ding ding. Tell her what she's won Johnny.

So yes, in case you too had to read that entire story to figure out what we're trying to say, Karlene is prego with little maniac #3. Carter and Jenna needed a right winger to complete their line so we're doing our part to oblige them.

Karlene is about 8 weeks along now so it's still fairly new. Baby #3 will make their grand appearance sometime in late-July.

In the meantime we need to acquire a mini-van and a bunk bed for Carter and Jenna as they'll now get to share a room for the next couple of years.

I am very excited. Some people wonder how we're ever going to survive having 3 kids who will have less than 4 years between them (21 months between Carter & Jenna and 25 months between Jenna and "the player to be named later") but I figure I'll be able to sleep when I'm dead so I may as well fill my living years with as much excitment as possible.

So, that's the big news around the Benallick household this holiday season.

Merry Christmas

"Y"

2005-11-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

Say it ain't so Stevie Y!

I read an article on TSN.ca yesterday by hockey insider Bob McKenzie (no relation to Doug, you hoser) which speculated that my boyhood idol may not last the entire NHL season before hanging up the skates.

I have been a Steve Yzerman fan since I was 9 years old! He led me out of a royal blue and white induced coma that had me cheering for the local Maple Leafs and took me away to Hockeytown USA where my allegiance has lied for the past 19 years.

I knew that this would be Yzerman's final season but I held out hope that he would last until the end. My optimism ran so high that I even dished out $100 for tickets to go see my Wings play in Calgary in April so that I can tell my 3-year-old son that he got to see one of the greatest hockey players of all time play in one of his final games.

I will continue to hold out hope that Bob McKenzie has been takin' off to the great white north a little too much lately and that he's simply speculating on Yzerman's desire to retire now as opposed to finishing out the season.

So, Stevie Y, if you're reading this (as I'm sure this is an important part of your day) I emplore you to hang in there for a few more months and give hockey fans around Canada and the US the opportunity to give you a proper farewell tour. You are truly one of the greatest- in my mind, THE greatest- player to carry the NHL torch and you deserve a proper send off.

Snow falls and cold snaps

2005-11-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Whammy! Just like that, old man winter came storming into what had been a very comfortable and manageable fall season. I went to bed this past Sunday night with no snow on the ground and woke up 8 hours later to a good 4 inches of the white stuff.

The good thing is, after living in Saskatchewan for the past 10 years, I've learned to expect anything weather-wise. This week has proven that you just never know what you're going to get.

It continued to snow all day on Monday and, when it was all said and done, we were probably left with a good 8 inches on the ground.

Then yesterday we woke up to record cold temperatures of -28 degrees (without the windchill). Snow makes for interesting driving and back-breaking shovelling, but I'd much rather have the -4 temps that usually accompany snow storms than the bitter cold of -30 degree temps that we suffered through yesterday.

Unfortunately, seeing as it's only November 17, we realize here that it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Oh well, it's put me in the Christmas spirit and doesn't make me feel quite as silly about already having our Christmas tree up and decorated :). Trust me, there's good logic behind that. I'm not trying to be Sears.

This weekend my office is hosting our annual "Experience Briercrest" event where we will have a dozen or so prospective college students come to our campus for the weekend to see if life as a Briercrest College students is for them. It's a great opportunity to show off our campus, share our story, and help give some direction to some young students who are trying to figure out which direction God is leading them in.

We have a great group of student volunteers helping out this weekend who really make this event successful. The weather is supposed to warm up to +4 or so this weekend so that should be good for our guests as well.

It should be a fun and busy weekend as we also have two Warrior games to take in- including a first-place showdown against the surging Saskatoon Blades.

Speaking of the Warriors, the player from the Warriors that lives with us was just named to play for his countries team at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Tournament in Vancouver, BC. This was both a surprise to Martin- we're still trying to convince him that he's made the team and not just received an invite to try out- and a real honor to him as this is something he's worked towards for a number of years now. As big WJHC fans we'll have a tough time rooting for Canada should they have to play against Marty's Team Slovakia in this year's tourney.

Well, in the spirit of Christmas and in the word's of the great philosopher, Frosty the Snowman, I'll be back again someday.

Off Season thoughts

2005-11-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

Well, baseball's third season has begun- the offseason. I don't know that there's any other pro sport that garners as much attention in the offseason as baseball does. For us baseball fans that tends to work well since it tends to speed up the time between the last game of the World Series and those four magical words- "Pitchers and catchers report."

So, as we move into the crazy season known as the free agent signing period I'd thought I'd use up some lines here to give some predictions on some of the top-tier fish on the market.

1. Johnny Damon- looking for a surprise team here to scoop up Boston's centerfielder. I see Damon as a good fit with the young Texas Rangers. They need a centerfielder and, even with Damon's severe defensive shortcomings, would be an unbelievable fit at the top of the Rangers order. On this team Damon could score 200 runs with ease.
2. AJ Burnett- I think you'll see Burnett land in Beantown and join Matt Clement as 2005's version of the over-hyped and overpaid "ace".
3. Paul Konerko- Chicago could be in the World Series hunt for a couple more years if their pitching staff proves that this year was no fluke. Konerko was a centerpiece for the Sox and, despite a very enticing offer to head to the coast and play for the Angels, I think he'll stay in Chicago.
4. Brian Giles- a highly underrated outfielder whose offensive stats have been killed by playing in Petco park the past couple years. I think Giles will move to the AL where he can DH a bit. I don't see Yankee pinstripes in his future but perhaps a return to the team that drafted him, the Cleveland Indians, would be a great fit.
5. Billy Wagner- Wagner will cash in this year as there are many teams looking for closers and not many good ones on the market. Atlanta's bullpen was dreadful and I see Wagner as one that John Schuerholz is going to steal from the rest of the needy teams in the league. Wagner signs with Atlanta.
6. BJ Ryan- with only one year of closing under his belt Ryan is still somewhat of a wildcard but his numbers were great in '05. After losing out on Wagner the Mets will quickly turn their focus to the cheaper option and sign Ryan to be their closer in '06.
7. Jacque Jones- after saving some money with losing out on Wagner, the Mets will take that extra cash and use it to bring Jacque Jones to the Big Apple to play in the outfield with Beltran and Mike Cameron.
8. Matt Morris- Morris will leave St. Louis for the bright lights of the La-La-land, signing with the Dodgers for far more money then he's worth.
9. Kevin Millwood- The AL's ERA leader and should-be Comeback Player of the Year will do the classy thing and reward the team that kept his career alive when no one else wanted him. Millwood will get a big, albeit much deserved, pay raise and will resign with the Indians.
10. Bengie Molina- coming off a career year (funny how that always happens in a contract year) Molina will cash in and some team will pay him far more then he's worth. That "some team" will be the New York Mets as they continue to throw money at overrated players in hopes of stealing press from the Evil Empire.
11. Nomar Garciaparra- the one-time boy wonder who now apparently could land a lead role on a rebirth of Baywatch with his life-saving skills has officially worn out his welcome in the Windy City. Nomar will trade in his Cubbies pinstripes and trade places with Rafael Furcal in Atlanta.
12. Rafael Furcal- desperate for a leadoff hitter the Cubs will focus their efforts on signing Furcal as opposed to trying to trade for Juan Pierre of the Marlins.
13. Mike Piazza- the Pizza-Man will undoubtedly keep his career alive with a move to the AL where he will become a full-time DH. He will be had at a bargain basement price and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the Blue Jays, with a desperate need for some star power in Toronto and a DH with some pop, will dip into the excess funds that are being made available to them and will sign Piazza.
14. Ramon Hernandez- the other big name catcher available this off season will surely leave the uncomfy confines of Petco for a more hitter friendly park. It says here that the Yankees use Jorge Posada as trade bait to land some much needed bullpen help and sign Hernandez to help them achieve their other goal which is to get their average age below 50.

I know that in all likelihood I'll go 0-14 on these predictions but why not have some fun with the predictions anyways.

I believe the MVP and Cy Young awards will be handed out sometime soon. I'm calling A-Rod in the AL, Pujols in the NL for MVP. Rivera in the AL and Carpenter in the NL for Cy Young.

That's it that's all. Red Wings are 11-1 baby! Go Wings!

Done and done

2005-10-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

I actually stayed up last night to watch the end of game 3 of the World Series.

The White Sox took an unexpected and commanding 3-0 series lead with a come-from-behind, 7-5 extra innings victory over the bad luck Houston Astros.

The longest game in World Series history was won on a pinch-hit, two-out solo homer by Geoff Blum in his first ever World Series at bat.

I only watched the last 5-6 innings of the ballgame and I truly tried to get into the game and get excited about this matchup but it's just not there for me. I don't know that Houston will be able to stop the White Sox's date with destiny tonight. They'll need an all-world performance from Brandon Backe in order for that to happen.

Unfortunately for the Astros, things just go from bad to worse for them as they have to beat Freddy Garcia who's been lights out in the post season thus far.

I think the worst part for Houston though, and what will probably be talked about for a while, is the way Manager Phil Garner reacted in his post-game press conference last night.

SI's Tom Verducci writes a stinging critique of Garner on Sports Illustrated's website and, once again, I find myself agreeing with everything Verducci says.

I haven't watched much of this year's finale but from what I've watched and from what I've seen in the highlights, the Astro's team has fought hard in every game. They do not look to me to be a team that quits. However, they also are not a deeply talented team and so I think it was bound to happen that eventually they would come back down to earth and play to a level that's a little more realistic of this, in all honesty, very mediocre team.

Garner's post game comments last night though was one of the worst display's of leadership I have ever seen. Verducci suggested that Garner jumped ship on his team. I'd go a step further and say he stabbed every single player in a Houston Astros uniform right square in the back.

Garner sold out his players and placed the blame for losing squarely on their shoulders. He made no mention of himself. He made no attempts to include himself with the team or to shoulder any of the blame himself. He actually tried to place blame entirely on the shoulders of the players who have far exceeded expectations all year long. It blew my mind when I heard the things he had to say after the game.

The fact of the matter is, a big reason Houston is down 3-0 isn't because they've been outplayed but rather because they've been outmanaged. Losing doesn't start at the bottom, it starts at the top. If you're the leader of the team and your team isn't getting it done, the blame is yours, not theirs. It's your job as the leader to pass the praise and absorb the criticism. Garner did the exact opposite last night. I think it shows Garner to be a real coward and the exact opposite of what you want from a leader.

If I was an Astros player and heard those comments last night I'd be telling Garner to not bother coming to the ballpark tonight. If losing is all about the players then so too should winning, and if that's the case then he's not needed if he has nothing to do with the outcome- good or bad.

The fact of the matter is that Houston had the game won in the bottom of the ninth. They had a perfect squeeze play situation with a speed guy on third with less than two outs and your two best bunters coming up. Neither Biggio (who walked) nor Tavares (who ended up striking out) even attempted a bunt and, as a result, the Astros were unable to get the winning run home from third with less than two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Sure some of the blame should fall on the hitters for not getting the clutch hit, but everyone knows that the Astros achilles heel is their offense, so playing small ball and manufacturing a run should have been a foregone conclusion at that instant.

The mistakes that Garner has made throughout the first 3 games of the series are well documented. After last nights display of selfish stupidity it's perhaps becoming clearer that, as much as the Astros have been hindered by their offense, perhaps their biggest weakness comes from the fact that they're being led by a self-centered man-child who has no idea what true leadership in the face of adversity looks like.

World Series Preview

2005-10-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

Despite Albert Pujols' late game heroics on Monday night, St. Louis couldn't keep the magic coming as they sucumbed to the Houston Astros tonight in yet another anti-climactic 5-1 Astros victory.

As boring a team as I find Houston to watch I will give props to this team. I was one of many people who believed that losing Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent would put this team in the bottom of the Central Division. I never would have chosen them as NL champs this year.

Roy Oswalt was masterful again tonight and a very deserving winner of the NLCS MVP. This guy can throw closer-type stuff for 9 innings which is pretty incredible.

Well, if you like a National League style of baseball then this World Series should be a dream come true for you. I personally prefer an NL style game but, again, I really just don't care for either of the teams playing in the final.

I guess there is some intrigue with Houston making their first ever Fall Classic appearance and the White Sox making their first appearance in something like 275 years.

Obviously pitching will once again be the deciding factors and both teams have their pitching staffs going at their best clip right now. Chicago will once again send Buerhle, Garland, Contreras and Garcia to the hill while Houston will respond with Clemens, Pettitte, Oswalt and Backe. Tough to give an edge to either team here although a lot of attention will be given to "the hammy"- that being the supposedly injured hamstring of Rocket Roger Clemens. Oooh, the suspense is killing me. Anyways, I'm going to call the starting pitching even.

On offence neither line-up really strikes fear into opposing teams which will again shine the lights on the pitchers. There are no Big Pappi's, no Man-Ram's, no A-Rod's, No Pujols'. . .

There's your Berkman's, Konerko's and Ensberg's as far as power goes but, like I said, this series will not be won with the long ball. It will be won on the basepaths. The team that can take the extra base on base hits, the team that can hit and run, the team that can lay down the sacrifice bunt or the suicide squeeze. We're going to see two teams working hard to manufacture runs. I do think that that will provide for some exciting baseball. Speed wise I'll give the edge to the White Sox as this has been their bread and butter all season long. If the Sox win the series it will be because their pitchers continue to throw the way they did against Anaheim and because Scott Podsednik's OBA will be up near. 500.

Defensively I give the edge to Houston. Getting rid of Jeff Kent and moving Biggio back to 2B was a great move for Houston defensively. Biggio is still a solid second-bagger and is surrounded by lots of other great defensive players, both in the Astros infield and in the outfield.

Houston gets the edge in the bullpen battle as well. Despite the mammoth moon shot given up to Pujols the other night, Brad Lidge is the best closer this side of Mariano Rivera. The rest of the Astros bullpen has been lights out this entire post season.

Overall, I see the Houston Astros winning the World Series in their first ever visit to the big dance. They'll continue the mystique of being the wild card winner and further cement Bud Selig's genius for instituting the once hated extra spot in the playoffs.

The Killer B's- Biggio and Bagwell- will get their just desserts and be able to retire on top. I think that is a deserving prize for a couple guys who are old school ballplayers and have always played the game the way it should be played.

Am I excited about this World Series? Not really. Will I watch the games? Probably every one of them. Do I have better things to do with my time? Probably. but it's the world series so you never know what you're going to get.

To kick or not to kick. . .

2005-10-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

The NHL recently handed down a 5 game suspension to Ottawa Senator forward Martin Havlat for kicking Boston Bruins d-man Hal Gil during Saturday nights Sens/Bruins game.

When I saw this on the highlights I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It's not like Havlat was being viciously attacked or anything like that. Gil was doing what most defencemen are supposed to do when they have a pesky winger around their net- he was keeping him from getting to the spot he wanted to go. From what I saw in no way, shape or form was he doing that in a way that was any more violent then what any other d-man would do on a nightly basis.

And then you see Havlat, out of total frustration, stick out his skate and, blade out, kick Gil right in the goodies. Truly unbelievable if you ask me.

Unfortunately I've found that my dumbfoundedness has only increased over the past couple days as this story unfolds.

Yesterday the NHL hands down a decision to suspend Havlat for 5 games for the incident. A somewhat stiff penalty considering it will cost the Van Damme wannabe a tidy $60,000 in salary. I'm not sure though that the punishment fits the crime.

Was it not attempted assault with a potentially deadly weapon? Is a sharpened skate blade directed at another person's mid-section not a potentially dangerous act that could have caused serious damage to Gil's extra attacker? Should this not be looked at with a great deal more severity?

Many will say that it was unintentional or that it was a natural reaction of frustration by someone who was being pushed and shoved. In fact, I just read a quote from Havlat where he himself says that it was a natural reaction and that he was falling down and didn't want to hurt the guy. I think it's a bunch of balogne.

The fact is, Havlat's a repeat offender who seems to think that he's wearing skate guards all the time and his right foot apparently is magnetized to opposing players crotches whenever he's getting roughed up.

It's only a matter of time before this guy really loses it in the heat of battle and kicks hard enough to do some damage.

So suspend him for 5 games but maybe be a little more creative- make him play the next game without a cup and paint a big red target on the front of his pants and bring Al MacInnis out of retirement for one game. Better yet, make him play the next game with no skates and bare feet.

I think it's a gutless move by an immature player who does nothing to help promote the great game of hockey with cowardly acts like this.

If I'm Bryan Murray and John Muckler I'm on the phones finding the first agreeable trade for Havlat because I don't want pansy's like him on my hockey team. Ottawa's a potentially great team but I've got to agree with Hasek when he says that this team has to mature first before they're really able to contend.

Having players throwing tantrums like 5 year olds is not the mark of a winning team- despite an undefeated record. There's no place for clowns like Havlat who have no respect for their fellow players.

A healthy serving of major league crow . . .

2005-10-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

Well, crow certainly has a funny taste.

This morning I wrote a blog about what I thought was a sure-to-happen World Series finale between the Chicago White Sox (a sure thing to appear) and the Houston Astros (whom I thought would end the incredibly emotionless NLCS tonight with a win at home). I wrote how a final match-up such as that one does nothing to make me feel any kind of excitement about the 2005 edition of the Fall Classic.

I think I also wrote about how painfully boring this year's playoffs have been with no underdog to cheer and no compelling moments to send you running to the water cooler the next morning.

Where oh where are the open legs of Bill Buckner? Where oh where is the gimpy homerun trot of Kirk Gibson? Where oh where is the leaping lunacy of Joe Carter? Playoff images that are forever etched in my mind.

Well, I missed tonight's game and from all accounts, it appears as though tonight was another one of those magical baseball moments that, if the story continues the way it ended tonight, could have people remembering this as another post-season to remember.

So, hours after I roast the NLCS, one Albert Pujols has to go and hit, from what I hear, an absolute MOON SHOT off the games (arguably) best closer, Brad Lidge, to put the Cardinals ahead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, in a must-win situation.

And I shake my head . . . and I take another bite of crow. Man it's a good thing I don't do this for a living and that nobody actually reads my stuff because boy would I feel like an idiot right now.

So not only do Houston and St.Louis lock horns for one for the ages, but I miss it. I guess that's my just desserts for going Ebert (or was Siskel the overly critical one all the time?) on the two teams earlier today.

Anyways, I thought I should probably admit my mistake, publicly in writing, knowing now that I should listen to the good ol' adage that tells me that if I have nothing good to say, I shouldn't put it in writing where it can come back to bite me in the Fall Classic (minus the C-L-I-C, refer to my last post).

The Fall Classic

2005-10-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

The thought of a Chicago White Sox versus Houston Astros World Series matchup has me as excited as Monitone Mary who does the in-game promotions at Warriors games. I know none of you in blog-land will have a clue who I'm talking about but trust me, she's as horrid as they come.

If Houston finishes off the Cardinals tonight- and all signs point to them doing just that- then I think MLB officials will need to remove the C-L-I-C from the word Classic and have themselves a more fitting title for what this World Series will resemble better. Let's just say it will be tough to "crack" a smile during what will be a painfully boring World Series.

Maybe I'm alone in this but I just have a hard time getting excited about watching two vanilla teams like Houston and the White Sox. Sure it's been like a thousand years since the Sox last went to a World Series and didn't lose on purpose. And sure it would be the Astro's first ever trip to the big dance, but that doesn't really do anything to get me pumped for a true "Fall Classic".

Years from now we'll look back on this World Series and remember the greatness of a 30-year-old "rookie" second baseman named Tadahito Iguchi. Or we'll remember the majestic swings of one-year wonder Morgin Ensberg. Or perhaps we'll be filled with intrigue and wonder about whether Roger Clemens' 90-year-old hamstring is going to stay together long enough to allow him to pitch one more over-puffed game? Last year we go from Schilling's bloody sock to the Rocket's tight hammy? Are we so in need of a story line that now every aching body part becomes a source of drama? Hey, I gotta pimple that's about to explode like Mt.St. Helen's, come and put me on Fox!

I'm thankful the hockey lockout happened last year and not this year. Last year we had a playoff run that was truly exciting. The right teams were winning and the games were exciting to watch. I have yet to watch a full game of this postseason and I consider myself to be a die-hard fan. Albeit I did take in about 15 of the 18 painful innings in the Braves/Astros game 4.

I have yet to find a team to root for; an underdog to attach myself to; or a character that has given me any reason to tune into this "drama" on a nightly basis. Craig Biggio? No thanks. I'd rather watch Conan. Paul Konerko? I'll take 3 hours of Max & Ruby on Treehouse then watch a one-dimensional player like that get voted ALCS MVP- how does Joe Crede not get that BTW?

Andy Pettitte? Been there done that. Looked better in Yankee pinstripes if you ask me. AJ Pierzynski? I don't think it's just other Major Leaguers that think this guys a showboat and a windbag.

Perhaps the best reason to tune into the 2005 version of the "Fall Classic" is to see how badly the umpires can screw up on a nightly basis. Rest assured poor Mike Scioscia and company will have a good 4-months of sleepless nights going over how many times the umps screwed them out of a World Series birth.

I know baseball is striving for parity without being able to instill a salary cap system and I'm all for that. I just hope that before too long we can start seeing the teams that people really care about battling it out for baseball's top prize. At this pace, next year's Series will see us with a Tampa Bay Devil Rays versus Arizona Diamondbacks matchup.

I'd rather cheer for Rafael Palmeiro in a steroid eating contest against Jose Canseco than watch many more "classics" like the one we're about to witness.

Bring on the hockey!

A weekend to forget. . .

2005-10-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

It's funny how on weekends when you have plans you're really looking forward to something always happens that takes those plans, throws them violently to the ground, and squashes them like a bug with a big boot of disappointment.

This past weekend was one of those experiences in the Benallick household.

After a long week of work I was really looking forward to some fun time. We had a Warrior game to go to on Friday night and some friends of ours were going to be joining us. We then had plans for Saturday evening to hang out with the same friends- spending the night having supper and then taking our kids out bowling and watching the Leafs/Montreal game on HNIC. I know it's not a fancy-shmancy night out but hey, it's Moose Jaw, let's be realistic here.

Unfortunately we didn't get to do 3/4's of the fun stuff we had planned. You see our house, and pretty much everyone around us, has been battling a flu bug for the past couple weeks. First my wife had strep throat. Then our son had a couple days of some Stand By Me-like vomitting. A couple people in the office have been sick as well. Basically it was down to me and my daughter, Jenna, as the only two not to be sick within the past month.

Well, my turn came Friday. I think my first mistake was the cheeseburger I ate at the Warriors game. I hadn't had any supper yet and my stomach was feeling "funny"- something I took to mean hungry, not "on the verge of yacking" kind of funny.

So I ate my cheeseburger and by half-way through the second period I found myself heading for my car and making my way home, for fear that if I stayed any longer that horrid cheeseburger would be reappearing all over the nice leather coat of our season-ticket-holder friend who sits in front of us:). Not since the 3rd grade have I thrown up on anybody so I wasn't about to relive that embarrassment.

3 years ago while visiting my family at home in Ontario for Christmas I was rocked by the dreaded Norwalk virus. Friday night I had flashbacks from that time and I was not the least bit impressed to be that sick again.

I knew I was in trouble when two gravol's and a Tylenol Cold nighttime were not enough to knock me out and dull the aches and pains I was experiencing. Sure I'll probably have an irregular heartbeat now for the rest of my life because of over-medicating myself, but darnit, I really wanted to sleep this thing off.

No such luck. I was up most of the night and experienced some slight relief when that dreaded cheeseburger finally showed it's ugly (albeit somewhat chewed up) face in the middle of the night. I'm not proud of the sounds I made during that tossing- I can honestly say I've never heard sounds like that come out of my body before- but man was I glad to get that stuff out.

Anyways, by 6AM Saturday morning I was finally able to drift off to a state of unconsciousness which I stayed in until about 3pm Saturday afternoon. Aside from feeling the effects of a long night of yackin' and the effects of over-medicating myself, I knew the worst was behind me.

Unfortunately for our youngest, Jenna, she was next on this nasty virus' hit list. She succumbed to the beast on Sunday night, just before her bedtime. After enjoying a nice pre-bedtime bottle of milk she proceeded to redistribute that milk, along with the days earlier meals of rice (supper), kraft dinner (lunch) and portions of a blueberry muffin (breakfast) all over her bedroom carpet along with various items such as books and toys.

I can deal with being sick myself but it breaks your heart to a see your little 18-month old baby girl come down with such a violent stomach bug.

The one good thing about Jenna getting sick last night? It made her uncharacteristically cuddly. Jenna is not a cuddler. She's never fallen asleep on my chest or snuggled in underneath my chin. Last night she switched between laying on my chest to laying on Karlene's chest and tried to soak up as much of us as she could.

Anyways, it appears that the worst is behind her now too (thankfully). We've pumped her full of Pedialite (and she's managed to keep the last couple doses down) and she'll be able to rest well today.

Hopefully this will be our families one and only bout with the flu during this fall/winter season.

I just know I'm staying away from Civic Centre cheeseburgers for a long, LONG time.

It's baaack!

2005-10-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the NHL is back in a big way after last night's opening night reintroduced fans to the game we've missed for some 16 months.

I know for myself and for some of my co-workers we had been counting down the days until the NHL's regular season kick-off for quite some time now.

I'm happy to see that after taking in last night's double header I was not left disappointed. I have heard a smattering of complaints about the supposed boredom of the Leafs/Sens game that TSN broadcast last night but I didn't find it to be boring at all. Sure there were spots that didn't take your breath away but, for the most part, the game served as a perfect appetizer to warm hockey fans up for the smorgasbord of what will be a healthy dose of NHL hockey for the next 8 months.

I was thrilled to see the continued enforcement of the new rules by NHL referees. There was more room for the offensively gifted players to work their magic. Guys were actually using their sticks to shoot instead of just wrapping it around an opposing players waste and holding on for dear life.

And contrary to what people such as Philadelphia's coach Ken Hitchcock have said, the game most certainly did not lack passion. There were a ton of good, CLEAN hits- just ask Eric Lindros as he was on both the receiving and donating ends of big hits all night- and both teams went hard for 65 minutes plus the shootout.

I for one would much rather watch a player like Jason Spezza or Jason Allison be able to create scoring chances out there than to watch a big plug like Derian Hatcher clutch and grab players to death. I think Ken Hitchcock is upset because he knows he's got a blueline of big, slow defencemen who, without being able to hook on or grab on to opposing players, are going to be relatively useless in the new-look NHL.

I think the NHL is on the right track. People want to see goals. People want to see skilled players making skilled plays. People also still want to see the physical component but done so in a way that enhances the speed and intensity of the game, not slow it down and rob the game of any flow. The game I saw last night between Toronto and Ottawa did just that. It had all the components (except for maybe a few more goals but that was more a testimony of some good goaltending then a lack of scoring opportunities) of an exciting, entertaining hockey game.

The bottom line is that when the final buzzer sounds the NHL wants its fans to leave the building talking about how great a game that was, without giving consideration to how much they just spent and how little they received in return.

The new rules and the new look NHL will provide its fans with a much better return on investment and when you're in business, isn't that what it's all about?

I applaud the NHL for taking the risk and making some much-needed changes in order to make a great game even greater. This hockey fan has put the past 16-months behind him and I more than happy to once again support the NHL and watch as it works its way back into the fold as one of the "big 4".

At least we know that in Canada, the NHL will always be #1 and perhaps now in this new era that will be enough to keep the league going for a long, long time.

Curse you Devil Rays!!!!

2005-09-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

What a terrible night for the Cleveland Indians. After beating just about everybody they've faced for the past month and a half the Tribe get themselves in the thick of it not only for the wildcard spot but for the lead in the Central Division.

They come into their final six games of the year and everything looks to be going their way. Before their season-ending showdown with the division-leading White Sox the Tribe was "blessed" with a three-gamer against the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

So far after two games against the Rays the Tribe is 0-2. They've now fallen a full game behind the Yankees for the Wild Card and 3 games back of the White Sox in the Central. Obviously they need a win tonight and losses from the Red & White Sox and the Yankees.

How do you lose 1-0 to the D-Rays when they have a guy on the mound with an ERA over 7 and you have the most balanced lineup in the league? Only in baseball and only at this time of year.

I'm sure Red Sox fans are wondering the same thing as their Sox were pretty much stymied by Ted Lilly last night as the Jays get set to take 3 of 4 from Boston and make the upcoming season finale between Boston & New York that much more compelling. From what I've seen from Boston over the past couple nights this team should not make the playoffs.

However, they seem to come to life whenever they play the Yanks. The Blue Jays have rediscovered some of that magic they had back in mid-July. The pressure is off them now, they're just simply trying to finish the year out strong. I think that's a good sign from a young ball club. If they can add AJ Burnett in the offseason and perhaps package Alex Rios and Eric Hinske (probably the only way you'll get rid of Hinske is to add him with Rios) for a slugging outfielder (Adam Dunn perhaps?) then this team could make some noise next year.

They'll need to decide what to do with their middle infielders too. Aaron Hill, Russ Adams and Orlando Hudson all deserve an everyday spot. I really like Adams but he looks to be the weakest link defensively of the 3. Perhaps you convert Adams into an outfielder, play Hill at short, the O-dog at second, with Koskie at third and Hillenbrand at first. Who knows what Gonzo . . . I mean, Ricciardi, will come up with.

Anyways, here's to hoping that the Indians pull a Pedro Cerrano and sacrifice a bucket of KFC's finest in order to wake their bats up. They need to run the table and win their last four games.

I have a good friend who loves the White Sox and it would bring me extreme happiness to call him up on Monday and congratulate him for his teams monumental fall from grace.

Go Tribe!

Only 7 more sleeps. . .

2005-09-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

That's right hockey fans, only 7 more sleeps until the new era of NHL hockey kicks off.

I was reading an article on Sportsnet.ca today with their predictions for who will finish where in the NHL this season (http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article.jsp?content=20050928_115322_5076) and thought this would be a good time to chime in with my own predictions.

We'll start with the Western Conference.

I have been a Detroit Red Wings fan pretty much my entire sports-loving life. It would be against the rules for me to not have optimism about my beloved (albeit aging) Wings. Apparently the boys at Sportsnet have the same optimism as they have selected Detroit to finish atop the Western Conference. I'll have to agree with that prediction.

1. Detroit

The rest of my picks differ quite a bit from what Sportsnet has predicted. Here's the rest of my predicted order for the Western Conference in the new-look NHL:

2. Calgary- Iginla is the MVP and this team is so deep and playing in the best hockey city in the world.
3. Dallas- Modano returns to form, Guerin has a big year in the new offensive-minded league, and Turco backstops them to a division title.
4. San Jose- not much optimism here- Sportsnet ranks them out of the playoffs as the #9 team- but I like Marleau & Nabokov and think they'll compete again.
5. Vancouver- they have one big line and a decent supporting cast but Cloutier will kill them.
6. Edmonton- Goaltending, a lack of depth on D and the absence of an offensively gifted #1 center will keep this team from truley revitalizing the Battle of Alberta.
7. Chicago- made some big acquisitions with Khabibulin and Aucoin and already have some great young players highlighted by Tuomo Ruutu.
8. Nashville- finished 8th in 2003-04 and will be solid again in 2005-06. Paul Kariya's not the great acquisition that everyone expects him to be. I predict he plays less than 40 games.
9. Colorado- FINALLY we can have playoffs without the Av's.
10. LA- Andy Murray is one of the best coaches in the game and will have this team in the hunt for a playoff spot late into the season.
11. Columbus- Nash scores 50 and Columbus makes some serious strides towards being a threat in 06-07.
12. Phoenix- Gretzky & Co surprise all critics by being a much-more competitive team than predicted. Doan will challenge Iginla for league MVP and cement himself as one of the games best leaders.
13. Anaheim- I like Brian Burke as the GM but this former one-year wonder will underachieve badly.
14. Minnesota- Gaborik will shine if healthy but, as Sportsnet wrote, can you name another player on this team?
15. St. Louis- Overpriced Doug Weight and Keith Tkachuk battle injuries all year and this team takes a big-time fall in the new world of salary-cap hockey.

I like Detroit, Calgary, Vancouver & Edmonton to come out of the first round (that's right, all 3 Canadian teams baby!). I like Detroit over Edmonton and Calgary over Vancouver in round 2. Unfortunately I think my idol, Stevie Y's season ends with a Western Conference Finals loss to the Calgary Flames.

The Eastern Conference is the Young and The Restless Confrence. Okay, I don't know if they're restless but they're definitely young. With Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and the highly underrated Zach Parisse (sp?) making their debuts there are some great rookies to watch for.

1. Tampa Bay- questions in goal but some awesome forwards in Lecavalier, Richards and St.Louis.
2. Ottawa- Hasek has a little more magic left and Ottawa watches a new star shine in Jason Spezza.
3. Philadelphia- Forsberg is a great addition but the most valuable are the kids- Jeff Carter & Mike Richards.
4. Boston- Thornton and co. are too good to handle.
5. Montreal- Theodore wins the Vezina again and this team brings hockey fever back to Montreal.
6. Toronto- As long as they're healthy, they'll be competitive.
7. Pittsburgh- If this team could have about 40 minutes of PP time each game they'd be #1.
8. Buffalo- the surprise of the east. You'll see Ryan Miller emerge as one of the games best goalies and Tomas Vanek is another Eastern Conference rookie who's soon to be a star. Daniel Briere will light it up.
9. Islanders- Yashin as captain?
10. Florida- good young team with the best young goalie in Roberto Luongo.
11. New Jersey- the loss of Niedermyer and Stevens hurts, but Parisse gives them something to look forward to.
12. Atlanta- Hossa will be great but their hopes lie in whether they can sign Kovalchuk.
13. Washington- not as bad as anticipated. They've drafted many from the WHL and we all know that that's where the best hockey players are formed.
14. Carolina- Were they really in the cup finals a couple years ago?
15. Rangers- They suck.

In the east Tampa, Ottawa, Montreal (beats out the Bruins again) and Toronto (who finally beat the Flyers in the playoffs) will advance to round 2. Tampa will break the hearts of Leaf fans and Ottawa will send Montreal packing. It won't be a Cup rematch though of 2003-04 as Ottawa will beat T-Bay and earn the right to play Calgary in an all-Canadian finals (probably the last thing the NHL brass would want to have happen).

Calgary will right the wrongs from 2003-04 and defeat the Senators in 7 games to capture the Stanley Cup.

It will be interesting to see how close, or (more likely) how far off, these predictions are in another 8 months or so. Regardless of whether I turn out to be right or not I'm just glad that we're back to predicting who's going to win the Cup instead of who's going to win the Lockout battle.

Enjoy the season.

Did I mention the pennant race is heating up . . .

2005-09-26T11:57:00.001-07:00

What a final week baseball fans are in store for as the MLB regular season enters its final 7 days.

The schedule makers must feel like the world's smartest people now as each team gets set for its final two series' of the 2005 season.

Only 1 of the 8 available playoff spots have been confirmed at this point with Atlanta and the Anaheim Angels all but sure things (Atlanta more of a sure thing then the Angels right now).

The most intriguing storyline comes from the AL with the race going on in the AL East & Central div's along with the Wild Card. The Red Sox & Yankees are at it again as they sit tied for the division lead. A season-ending series in Fenway between the two teams will not only determine who wins the division, but probably will mean that one team goes to the playoffs and one team goes home. I think the wild card winner will be from the Central division (either Chicago or Cleveland).

So far it looks like my predictions from the previous post are still on track to come true.

So once again I'll be finding myself glued to the ticker watching to see how things are playing out.
__________________________________________________________________

Moving on to hockey, our home town Moose Jaw Warriors - www.mjwarriors.ca- kicked off regular-season play this past weekend.

Last season our boys took 19 games before they notched their first win. It was an abysmal year that eventually saw the team squeak into the final playoff spot and lost in 5 games of the opening round. This year there was a lot more optimism surrounding the team and it looks to be with good reason.

The Warriors won both their games this weekend with decisive victories over division rivals the Prince Albert Raiders (5-2 win in PA) and Saskatoon Blades (a 9-3 blowout in the home opener on Saturday night). PA and S'Toon are thought by many to be the top-two teams in the Eastern division so this sends a loud message to the division and to the rest of the league.

Many hockey fans have been complaining about the new rules and how it has changed the game. Personally, I love it. I love that it's more wide open and there's a lot less clutching and grabbing. I love that guys need to move their feet instead of just hooking on to a guy with their stick. I love that every game has the potential to be 8-7 instead of 2-1. Eventually players will figure out that the new rules are here to stay and they'll stop playing the way they've become accustomed to over the past 10 years. Just like it took a number of years for hockey to move from a wide open game to a game of clutching and grabbing, it's going to take time to go back to the way it was in the 80's. I think it's worth the wait.

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And finally (going back to baseball), I applauded (not physically, but in my head) the decision of the Baltimore Orioles to send Cheater Palmeiro home for the rest of the season (likely signalling the end of his career). Apparently there's no limit to this guy's selfishness as he tried his darndest to take one of his teammates down with him before he fades off into a steroid-enlarged sunset.

Not only does this guy lie in front of a grand jury by saying he's never taken steroids before. Not only does he lie to the fans of baseball and try to make it sound like he "unknowingly" took steroids; but then he goes and tries to say that one of his teammates, Miguel Tejada, was the one who gave him the steroids that were found in his system.

Thankfully tests proved that Tejada was not in fact the villain that Palmeiro hung him out to be.

How much of a coward is this guy and why is there even a debate about whether he should be considered for the Hall of Fame? Not only should he not be considered for the Hall but he should be wiped out of the baseball history books altogether. In 50 years if someone were to look up the name Rafael Palmeiro they should be able to find no evidence of his existence in Major League Baseball.

This is a classless individual who unashamedly tried to pin his transgressions on a high-profile teammate. What he should have done was do what Jason Giambit did and be a man. Stand up, admit your mistakes, admit you cheated and then go out and do your best on the field- as a clean ballplayer- to make people realize that your abilities are natural and not steroid-induced.
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Finally, what's up with the season premier of CSI:Miami? Did anyone else find it absolutely ridiculous that Archie Andrews- AKA Horatio Cane- was able to single-handedly bring down the "new Florida Mafia" in a span of about 20 minutes? I mean, is this guy not the most unbelievable superhero to ever be created? I have never watched a show where a character is as indestructible as Carusso's character is in Miami.

I realize they're now trying to show some weakness and that he has some dark secret from his past that seems to be haunting him. It will probably end up being something along the lines of an allergy that he has to a mysterious green rock that comes from his home planet. Oh wait, that's already been done.

Well maybe he was bitten by a radioactive spider and now. . . no, that's been done too.

Okay, well perhaps his parents were killed in front of him when he was a little boy, leaving him to be raised by the family butler . . . nope, that's been done too.

At least Grissom is pretty much a science geek who refuses to carry a gun and has a hearing problem. They don't make him out to be the perfect man.

MLB pennant race is heating up

2005-09-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

I have to say that this is one of my favorite times of the year. Even though I hate to see the hot weather leaving and I hate the thought of having to endure another long Saskatchewan winter, this is one of the best times of the year for a sports fan (which I of course am).

NHL training camps are now in full swing with the new-look NHL set to kick-off in less than 3 weeks. The NFL season is underway (which I really don't care about but it's nice to have the option to watch if I'm really bored on a Sunday afternoon). Major Junior hockey is entering it's final weekend of exhibition play before regular seasons open up next week. The CFL is getting into it's final weeks of the regular season. And last, but certainly not least, the MLB regular season is winding down and providing plenty of intriguing story lines to watch over the final few weeks.

For starters there's the Wild Card race in both the American and National Leagues. When the wild card format was introduced a number of year's ago baseball purists everywhere bashed Commissioner Bud Selig for implementing a change that many thought would ruin baseball. I have been a fan of the wild card format since year one. I think Bud Selig was a genius for bringing this about. The wild card race has produced an exciting race for fans to keep a close eye on through the home stretch in September.

In the NL we have 4 teams giving everything they've got for that coveted final spot. Philadelphia, Florida, Houston and Washington are all vying for that final playoff spot and are providing incredible entertainment for their fans as the summer winds down. Everyone knows what the Marlins did as the wild card team a couple years back.

I predict that the City of Brotherly Love will be enjoying post-season baseball for the first time since Joe Carter broke the city's hearts with his World Series winning walk-off homerun off Wild Thing Williams in the '93 series. I think Houston will fade, Washington just isn't deep enough, and it will come down to a very tight race between the Marlins and Phils. With the ups and downs the Marlins have gone through all season though I think they're destined to finish as the season's biggest disappointment.

The Braves will win their millionth consecutive NL east title; the Cardinals had the central wrapped up in October 2004; the Padres will be the "champs" of the pitiful NL west.

I believe that means the Braves would play the Padres and the Cards & Phils would square off. That should set-up a meeting of the NL's top two teams in the NLCS with St.Louis & Atlanta. I'll take St.Louis to make a return trip to the World Series as the NL's best team.

In the AL I find myself glued to the highlights as one of my favorite teams, the Cleveland Indians, look to regain the magic of the late 90's that made them one of baseball's best franchises. Having been to a game in Jacobs Field when the Indians were at their best I can tell you that it is one of the greatest baseball cities and parks to have baseball fever in. It's great to see "The Jake" full to the rafters again and those great fans getting a chance to watch winning baseball again.

I truly believe that the Tribe will hold off the Yankees and A's and take the wild card spot in the AL. They have a deep lineup of hungry young players, they have solid starting pitching and the best bullpen in the AL and they've got a team that is firing on all cylinders right now.

There are still some other questions to be answered in the AL though- such as will the Yankees forget about the wild card and focus on beating out the Red Sox for top spot in the east?

Right now the Sox are riding on the shoulders of should-be AL MVP David Ortiz. If he gets hurt or goes in a slump then I think this team is done and the Yankees will very easily catch and surpass them in the east.

In the west I think Anaheim will hold off the A's and stumble into the playoffs as the AL West champs. The White Sox will make it as the AL Central champ but not before Cleveland closes the gap even more and gives them a good scare.

That will leave New York and Cleveland to square off while Chicago and Anaheim meet in the other series (I think that's how it would work anyways). I'm going to stick with Cleveland continuing their resurgence and Anaheim making quick work of the overachieving White Sox. In what would be a great ALCS I think the temperature in the city of Cleveland will rise as baseball fever continues along with the Tribe to the World Series.

I think Chief Wahoo's train though will be derailed by Albert Pujols and the Cardinals and St. Louis will be your 2005 World Series Champions. The Cardinals have played like champs all season long and sport the games best hitter (Pujols) and pitcher (Chris Carpenter). It will be a great final series but the Cardinals are the class of MLB this year.

I'm sure it won't play out this way- if it does then I hope some newspaper or magazine out there offers me a job- but it's always fun to predict.

It definitely is a great time of year- unless you're the wife of a sports nut like me, in which case you probably hate this time of year.

Enjoy the playoffs.

Catching up amidst crazy times

2005-09-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, it feels like it's been an eternity since I last posted. Before I get into my latest post I've got to put a question out there- what's with all these comments coming on people's blogs from anonymous posters about "Dealing with Divorce" groups and a whole slew of other blogs that they're trying to get you to check out? Even blogs have now been invaded with spam? That's brutal. Hey, if you're a spammer and you're thinking of leaving me a message because you think I might be interested in checking out your, "How to properly shampoo your dog" blog, don't bother sending me a link because I DON'T CARE.
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Now, on to the update. A lot has been going on in the Benallick household over the past few months. On the job front, we've just come through our busiest time of year. For those of you who don't know, I work for Briercrest Family of Schools in the bustling metropolis of Caronport, SK. We have a College (our primary school), Seminary, High School and Distance Learning school that enrolls about 1300 students (combined between all 4 schools) annually. Briercrest is the largest Bible College in Canada, privileged by the attendance of about 750 students each year from around the world. You can visit our website at www.briercrest.ca.

On September 5th my office (the Enrollment Services Office) welcomed in over 300 new students to our College. These were bright-eyed freshmen from all corners of the globe (but primarily Canada and the US). For many of these students they would have been working with us for close to a year now so it was great to finally put a face to the many voices we've been talking to over the past 12 months.

I had kind of a funny incident though during the college check-in day. In the morning I was to be a part of a Parent's Orientation presentation. The President of our Institution, along with a VP and a Senior Faculty member were also presenting during this time. It was a great opportunity for yours truly to meet with parents and help to give them an idea of what their sons/daughters would be experiencing in the months to come.

About 10 minutes into my presentation I lost all train of thought, the room started to spin, I started to feel really woozy, began to panic because 30 parents were staring at me wondering what was going on, and proceeded to take a seat and pass out. Talk about leaving an impression on people. As one of the other presenters said to me in an email the next day, "You should came up with a dramatic way of showing people how hard you've been working lately."

Probably one of the most embarrassing moments of my life but also, at the time, somewhat scary as well as I have never passed out before. I've done a million public presentations in my life too so I couldn't see how it could have been stress related. Anyways, I've since been to see a couple doctors and they assure me that I'm totally fine and that this was simply an isolated incident that I should not be concerned about. I think the next few public presentations I do though I'll have that in the back of my mind.
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We've had our Moose Jaw Warrior billet living with us now for almost a month. It's been going great so far. He's a great kid and has been an absolute pleasure to have in our home. The only difficult part of the experience is that he's from Slovakia and this is his first time living away from home so we've had some interesting times trying to get over the language barrier. Thankfully he's a smart kid and is eager to learn the language. His english has improved by leaps and bounds during these first few weeks. We're looking forward to seeing him play as he is a very gifted hockey player with a great work ethic and an incredible focus on his goal- which is to eventually play in the NHL.

Our beloved Warriors have played 2 exhibition games thus far and are 1-1 with 2 more exhibition games to go. There's a lot of optimism around the team this year which is great to see. We've got some incredibly gifted players on the team this year and they look to be a solid bunch of kids. As sad as I am to wave goodbye to the summertime it's always nice to have 7-8 months of hockey to look forward to.

Speaking of hockey, how great is it to see NHL training camps starting up today? There's a few of us around the office here who are counting down the days until October 5th when the NHL returns to the ice. What better way to kick off the season then with the Battle of Ontario?

Being a Red Wings fan, I don't really care who wins that game but it will just be nice to see one of the games best rivalries kick it off for the league that night. I don't know what the response to the NHL will be in the US but I don't think they'll have a problem filling rinks in Canada. It will be great to have Hockey Night In Canada again, even if they don't have commentators for the first part of the season while the CBC works to resolve their labor issues.
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And finally, our little boy celebrated his 3rd birthday on Saturday. His actual birthday was on Sunday, September 11th (that's right, he was born on the 1-year anniversary of 9/11) but we had the big party on Saturday.

I can't believe the little man is 3 years old already. Time certainly flies. There are many nights when I absolutely cherish saying good night to him because I know that one day he'll be moved away or staying up later than I and I won't have that little boy to kiss goodnight, or say prayers with, or read Veggietales books with. I'm okay with that, but I'm going to soak up every opportunity that I have right now.

You'd think after 3 years of living with this kid that I'd be able to put into words just how special our relationship is but yet I'm still searching for the words. There are times when I am so consumed by how much he means to me and how much I love him that I feel like I am going to burst inside. There are times when I feel like I want to hold on to him and keep him from growing up because he's so little and innocent now and I don't want him to be hurt by the world when he gets older. It's at those times when I have to remember that he does not belong to me. I don't own him. His life belongs to the Lord and I have simply been entrusted with caring for him for as long as God requires. I heard my favorite writer, Phil Callaway, speak about his son in those terms and it really hit home with me. He said something along the lines of, "Thank you Lord for our son. . . I know he was only on loan to us but we've really become attached to him."

It's hard to remember that my son's life- the direction he heads, the decisions he makes, the life he leads- has less to do with me and more to do with him coming to know the Lord in a deep and meaningful way. I am fortunate that I can still play a part but I need to keep in mind that I am not the lead character in this movie. I'm more like the goofy sidekick. . .

Anyways, I'm extremely thankful for my son (and my daughter) and cannot wait to celebrate a whole bunch more birthdays with him.

Enough from me for today.

Little Blue Bear's and a Wall of Green Ivy

2005-08-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

Many will read this blog title and wonder what I've been smokin' today.

When you find out that today's blog is devoted to my beloved Chicago Cubs you'll really start to wonder what I'm smokin'. Yes, I am one of the millions of baseball fans out there who have given their heart to luckless wonders from the Windy City.

For as long as I have loved baseball (which has been the majority of my 28 years) the Chicago Cubs have been the focus of my passion. Sure I've shared some of that love with other teams like the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays but never with the same kind of zest that I've bestowed upon the Cubbies.

Recently I've read a few articles about the trials and tribulations of the south-siders. Now that the Red Sox have ended their World Series drought the Cubs have been thrust into the lovable loser spotlight to an even greater degree than ever before. Having gone some 97 years between World Series victories in one of the greatest baseball cities will do that to a franchise.

I'm sure that there are just as many people who have given up on cheering for the Cubs as there are those who still pledge allegiance to the team that has a harder time getting lucky than the 40-year old virgin (which looks like a very funny movie btw).

This season has been no different as it looks like the Cubs will go through another 162 games with virtually nothing to show for it. Barring a major hot streak over the last 7-8 weeks of the regular season the Cubbies chances of earning the wild-card spot seem pretty slim. No way will they catch the St.Louis Cardinals despite taking 3 of 4 games from the rival Cards this weekend.

And yet there is still a sense of hope that perhaps something will click and the Cubs will make a magical run for the last playoff spot and then turn in a Florida Marlins-esque Cinderella run in the playoffs. If that should happen the first thing that should be done is the first 5 rows of seats along either baseline should be taken out so that another Steve Bartman incident doesn't occur.

The pieces are there for the Cubs to compete. Derrick Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Nomar, Prior, Wood, Zambrano and Maddux. Trying to answer the question of why this team can't put it all together is like trying to figure out how they get the caramel inside the Caramilk bar.

Injuries, bad luck, goats, Bartman's, whatever it is, something continues to work against this team.

I continue to hold out hope though that one day Cubs fans everywhere will be rewarded for their patience by an historical run in the playoffs capped off by a deliciously sweet World Series victory. Against who? It doesn't really matter. Although it would be nice to see us beat the Yankees or Red Sox, but it really doesn't matter.

And so continues the plight of a Cubs fan. Forever cursed to walk this earth (ala the Incredible Hulk) wondering when our pain will be eased. Maybe it's not that the Cubs and their fans are unlucky. Maybe it's just that we're all nuts.

First steps and the All-Concussion Line

2005-08-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

Today's blog will be divided between family and sports. I don't write too much about the family stuff so I'll start with the "out of the norm" stuff before diving back into the familiar.

To kick things off I thought I should write a little about the excitement that's been going on around the Benallick house for the past week or so. Our daughter, Jenna (the cutest little girl EVER), started walking this week. Just a couple weeks short of 14 months old which would put her at about the same pace as our son, Carter, was when he started walking.

In the past week we've seen her figure out how to stand up without using the furniture or toys for help and then all of a sudden one day she started taking steps. Really up until that point she's shown no interest in walking. She crawls so stinkin' fast that we figured she had no reason to want to walk. But now she's well on her way and all I can say is look out world!

Jenna possesses an adventurous personality that rivals the great Indiana Jones. She has a desire (and an impressive ability) to get into things that we'd never thought possible. She is the reason that childproof locks and toilet seat clamps were invented.

As tough as it is to always be looking over your shoulder to see what kind of trouble she's getting into, in no way, shape or form do we ever want to crush that spirit or dissuade her from being so inquisitive. I look at her know, all of 14 months old, and I envision a world-travelling reporter, agressively seeking out ground-breaking story after ground-breaking story. It's no wonder her favorite thing on TV is Dora The Explorer- Jenna is the real-life version of Dora (minus the ability to speak Spanish or the talking Monkey for a best-friend- how cool would that be?).

Whatever she grows up to be I sometimes wonder if I'll ever live to see it because at this pace, she's bound to give me a heart attack well before her adult years come along:).
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Moving on from the family arena to the sports arena, I had a good chuckle today when I read the story on TSN.ca about the Leaf's signing the "Big E", Eric Lindros, to a one-year contract.

I'll admit that this could be a real sleeper pick-up for the buds, if- actually, make that IF- Lindros can keep his head up and not suffer any more concussions.

All the Leaf's need to do now is sign Adam Deadmarsh and they will have the All-Concussion line. They'll have to hire runway workers from Pearson Int'l to stand at center ice with glow sticks and direct the trio in the right direction.

I know it's not nice to make fun of other's misfortunes but really, what are these guys doing still playing hockey? Lindros has suffered so many serious concussions that I'm sure his head is like a bowl of jello. It makes me think of Cousin Eddie from "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"- "I had that metal plate removed Clark. Everytime Catherine would turn on the microwave I'd piss my pants and forget who I was for a half-hour."That's the Big E in a few years from now.

Really, Lindros should be sporting the Don Beebee of hockey helmets and wearing something gigantic and padded. Just because the NHL has been off for 15 months doesn't mean the list of guys waiting to deliver the final check on Eric has become any smaller. Going to a hated team like the Leaf's isn't going to shrink that target anymore I'm afraid.

For Eric's sake, and perhaps even for the NHL's sake, I hope he can return to form and perhaps become a dominant player again. Say what you want about ego and what not, the fact remains that the NHL needs its stars and Eric was one of its brightest not so long ago.
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Staying in the sports arena I wanted to comment on Rafael Palmeiro. I won't spend much time because I don't believe the topic is worth much time but here it goes:

1) On whether Raffi should be considered for the Hall.
NO WAY. If Palmeiro gets into the Hall of Fame then I should get into the Hall of Fame because as far as I'm concerned my career stats are the same as his- zero's across the board. The guy's a juicer and therefore everything he's "accomplished" up until this point should be attributed to the juice and not to his God-given talent. The same should go for Giambi and any other steroid user in baseball. Giambi's career stats should start with this season- probably his first season as a "clean ballplayer". If you've ever been to Cooperstown, NY to visit the hall of fame you've felt what a pure and awe-inspiring place it is. Cheaters like Palmeiro don't deserve to be enshrined in there with the baseball icons who played the game hard and played the game clean.
2) The Viagra endorsements make a lot more sense now.

That's all for today.

Swung on and missed . . .

2005-08-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Well, amidst great hopes and aspirations of a first-round upset, the boys from Remax came up a little short in our first-ever playoff series against the Bugsy's Canadians. After taking 2 out of the first 3 games we only needed to win one more game to pull off the upset and advance to the league finals.

Game 4 took place last Friday night and we didn't amount to much in that game, losing by a score that I can't even remember at this point in time- I think it was 9-2 or something like that.

Game 5 went last night and your's truly was out of the lineup due to the arrival of a rather painful migraine that is still somewhat bothering me today. I heard on the radio this morning though that our boys lost 10-1 in the decisive game 5 to end our season.

I'm not sure that we can be disappointed about this. Sure we had them on the ropes and were unable to deliver the knock-out blow but the fact remains that we were never expected to be in this fight to begin with. I think we can take a lot out the fact that we put a real good scare into them. I know what you're thinking, spoken like a true loser. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic but I'm okay with that.

I'm proud of our team and the way we competed. I'm proud that we never gave up and showed that we are capable of competing at a high level. I'm proud of the fact that, in spite of losing the series, we were still the better team- you'd have had to have been at the games to know what I mean by that.

It was a fun season and while I'm sad to see it end (mainly because I know that means summer is also coming to an end), I'm looking forward to even more improvements next year.

Can you say 2-1 series lead?

2005-08-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

That's right sports fans, the boys from Remax have now taken a 2-1 series lead in our opening round playoff series in the the Moose Jaw Men's Fastball League.

The past two games have been the best we've played all year and it has been a lot of fun to be a part of it. Our pitcher has been nails for the last two games, throwing a 3-hitter in game 2 and following that up with a 4-hitter last night.

I was somewhat happy with my own contribution last night as well. I was playing CF and hitting in the nine-spot so that was a surprise because I wasn't expecting to swing the bat last night. My first time up I hit a 2-2 fastball into the right-center field gap and legged it out for a triple. When I hit the ball I thought for sure it was gone so, like an idiot, I jogged slow and watched it for a bit but still got to third without a play. I scored a few batters later to give us a 2-1 lead. The Canadians tied it up an inning later but that was it for scoring for them. We went on to score 5 unanswered runs- highlighted by back-to-back bombs in the top of the 7th by our catcher and pitcher- and took the game 7-2.

Game 4 goes tonight at Memorial Field and we will be working hard for our first ever playoff victory. We are not taking anything for granted but rather just going out there, playing hard and having a lot of fun. Hopefully we can finish things off tonight.

Game 3 goes tonight!

2005-08-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

My ball team plays game 3 tonight under the lights at beautiful Memorial Field in Moose Jaw. After the tense battle in game 2 I'm expecting another tight game and hopefully a good crowd will be there to enjoy it.

Since I've been hitting so terribly lately . . . correction, since I haven't been hitting at all lately, I expect that I will be patrolling the outfield in Centerfield again but that we'll be using a Designated Hitter to hit for me. As much as I'd like to be swinging the bat in there my confidence is shot right now and I know it's best for the team to having someone else swinging the bat in my place. It's a good lesson in humility for sure as I've never had this much trouble hitting a baseball before in my life. Maybe it's time to go back to slow pitch :-).

Shifting gears to hockey I have to say I've been pretty much captivated by the frenzy of free agent signings over the past 4 days. As a Red Wings fan it's difficult to see all these big names signing with none of them coming to Hockeytown. I would have loved to see Adam Foote and Scott Niedermyer on the back end with Nic Lidstrom but it just wasn't meant to be. Even though my team has not been able to make a blig splash this year and are probably going to experience some lean years in the immediate future, I'm still all for the new-look NHL.

How great was it to see Jarome Iginla ink a 3-year deal to stay in Calgary? How great was it to see the once mighty Oilers actually be buyers instead of sellers and be able to land big-time players in Chris Pronger & Michael Peca? When have the die-hard fans in Alberta had this much to be excited about (aside from the Flames Cup run two years ago)?

Aside from the coma that the Toronto Make Me Laughs appear to be in (hello McFly?), the Canadian teams are definitely wreaping the benefits of a level playing field.

Staying with hockey, my wife and I met with the Head Coach and the guy who looks after Billoting for the Moose Jaw Warriors last night. We're going to be billoting a Warrior player again this year so Steve Young & Bert Hunt were by to go over some things with us last night. It's a great opportunity for us to get involved with the organization and to provide a good home for a young guy trying to make his way in the crazy world of major junior hockey. We're hoping to have the same player back that we had for the last half of last season. It was a great experience for us and our player was a real blessing to have in our home. If that doesn't work out, then so be it. We look forward to the opportunities that God will give us through this. Hopefully the Warriors have a turn-around season as well. I know the coaching is definitely there.

Well, I'll try to report back in tomorrow with the results from tonight's game. Hopefully we'll really shock everyone and take a 2-1 series lead tonight.

The First Playoff Victory

2005-08-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well, last night our fastball team secured our first ever playoff victory in game 2 of our best of 5 series.

This is my second season playing in the Moose Jaw Men's Fastball League and it's been a lot of fun (for the most part). Our team, sponsored by the fine folks at Remax, is only in it's third year of existence. We've improved by leaps and bounds each year, going from 0 wins in year 1, to 3 wins last year and then to 6 wins this year and our first ever playoff appearance.

As the fourth place team we have the dubious honor of going toe to toe with the first place squad, the Bugsy's Canadians. The Canadians have pretty much had our number all season long. They're a great hitting team with strong hitters throughout their lineup. They also have two good pitchers that are capable of throwing a gem every time they take the mound. Needless to say we haven't been given much of a chance to stretch this series beyond 3 games.

In game 1 we jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before the Canadians even had their first at bats. By the time the fifth inning came around we were only down 4-3 and were very much in the game. The Canadians got a big two-strike, two-out grand salami in the bottom of the fifth and then a solo shot right after that to give them a 9-3 cushion. We went down quietly after that and lost game 1 by the same 9-3 score. Our guys very much felt though that the score was not indicative of how close the game was.

Game 2 saw a much tighter contest. The Canadians were missing their lead-off hitter and main catalyst so that hurt the top of their order. They also had their catcher, and one of the best hitters in the league, ejected in the second inning for arguing balls and strikes. Bad for them, good for us. However, regardless of who was missing we were still facing an excellent team with a lot of weapon's still in the lineup.

We got up 3-0 before the Canadians scored a pair in the top of the fourth inning. We quickly got a run back in the bottom half of the fourth when our catcher led off the inning with a first-pitch tater to deep left-center. Our catcher was interviewed on the radio after the game and proceeded to describe himself as a "swinger" (referring to his tendency to jump at the first pitch). That was all the scoring after that as our pitcher shut 'em down for the last 3 innings and we went on to a 4-2 win to tie the series up at a game a piece. It's now a best of 3 series and you can bet no one expected us to put up a fight like this. Our boys have been playing great. Our D has been tight. Our pitching solid. Our hitting has been good enough.

Hopefully we can continue to battle and maybe even pull off the upset.

And the first pick in the 2005 NHL entry draft goes to. . .

2005-07-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Well, this past Friday afternoon the world (or at least Canada- I don't think anyone else in the world really cared) knew where the next "Great One" of hockey would begin his NHL sojourn. Sidney Crosby would be donning the yellow and black and joining the flock of Penguins in Pittsburgh.

This is great for both the NHL and for Sid "The Kid".

Why is it great for the NHL? Because he's going to the eastern US which, in my humble opinion, is FAR better then having him cast off to an NHL wasteland such as Florida, Anaheim or Carolina. Even though Pittsburgh was a franchise on the verge of extinction you have to remember that that was in the old NHL. With the new Ice Age Pittsburgh could very well recapture some of the magic they had when Mario was in his prime and they were winning Stanley Cups. Crosby's presence, coupled with the chance to see him on a line with Mario and Mark Recchi, will put butts in the seats. And not just in Pittsburgh either. This kid will sell out road games as well, much like Lebron does in the NBA.

This gives Pittsburgh yet another hard-working Canadian citizen to model before their blue-collar public. The Pirates have Jason Bay and the Penguins have Crosby. Add the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger into the mix and you've got 3 young, high-quality pro athletes practicing their trade in your city. Not bad for the U.S.A.'s version of Steeltown.

Going to Pittsburgh is also a great thing for Crosby. With all the hype surrounding this kid and all the pressure that is being hurled on him as the savior of pro hockey, who better to learn under than Mario? Not only will Mario take off some of the immense media pressure that will hound this kid in the next year, but it will also relieve a lot of the on-ice pressure that was sure to come his way. Imagine if he ended up in Florida or Minnesota, teams with no stars whatsoever. He'd be destroyed on a nightly basis.

In Pittsburgh, assuming Mario remains healthy, you can focus on Crosby but that means paying less attention to Mario. And who ever heard of paying LESS attention to Mario? That's crazy.

If I'm Sidney Crosby and his family I'm thinking that this is the best thing that could have happened to him. Well, perhaps next to going to Detroit and getting to learn from the Greatest One, Stevie Yzerman.

And let's not forget that the past two years the Pen's have already welcomed a couple of high-profile draft picks into the fold in Marc-Andre Fleury and Evgeni Malkin. Is there a team that has had 3 better first round picks in successive years at any time? I guess we can't really say that for another few years but all 3 look to be the real deal.

Anyways, I think the NHL and its fans should be excited about what lies ahead. Sure Crosby didn't end up in a bigger market such as New York or Chicago or Los Angeles but I think there's still great potential for an amazing story to be written here. I for one am really looking forward to watching each chapter unfold.

The New Look NHL

2005-07-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

The NHL & NHLPA has reached a tentative agreement on a new CBA.

A whole season wasted. If I'm an NHL player right now I'm wondering what the heck the past year was all about. Absolutely everything they said were not grounds for getting a deal done are now the foundational pieces to the new CBA.

Obviously the two things the players wanted nothing to do with was salary caps and linkage to league revenues. And now the two central pieces to the new deal is a hard salary cap and linkage tied back to league revenues. Not only that but the players also had to keep the 24% roll-back on the table. So, they lost the salary cap. They lost the linkage. And they're still giving back 24% of their salaries.

Anyone who thinks the players got anything but railroaded in this deal needs to get their head out of the stinky hockey bag.

But really, did anyone realistically think that the outcome would be any different than it has been? I knew the moment that Gary Bettman announced the cancellation of the season that the players would have to give up everything if they wanted another opportunity to play a game and get paid millions of dollars for doing so. There was no way the players were going to win this battle.

I for one am glad for that. I think if the players had won this battle it would have been the beginning of the end for the NHL. Say what you want about the greed of the owners versus the greed of the players but the fact remains that without big-pocketed owners and their willingness to spend millions on a game, there is no NHL. There will always be players but there may not always be people willing to put up the money to give those players a platform from which to showcase their considerable talents.

While the NHL may have to suffer through a couple of lean years as a result of the past years fiasco, I think it will be better off in the long-run with the changes that are rumored to be taking place.

First off, the new CBA is great for Canadian hockey fans and Canadian hockey teams because it will create parity throughout the league. No longer can the New York Rangers afford to pay Bobby Holik $9 million/yr to be a forth-line waste of space. The salary cap will usher the dinosaur's, who continue to hold on each year for more money and to break more records they don't deserve to break (hello Mark Messier), out the door a little quicker and welcome in younger players who will be more exciting to watch and will bring a renewed (and much needed) level of energy and enthusiasm to the game.

No longer do the faithful fans in Edmonton have to watch budding superstar after budding superstar leave the team for greener pastures. Now fans in Edmonton can realistically dream about having bonified stars on their team in their primes.

The playing field has now been levelled. I love that about the new NHL and I'm a Red Wings fan! My team looks to be one of the teams that will benefit least from the new CBA. But I'm okay with that as long as I get one more chance to see Yzerman play- so Stevie, if you're reading this, PLEASE PLAY ONE MORE SEASON!

If I'm Gary Bettman and I'm looking at what to do to rebuild the wall that came crumbling down with the cancellation of the 2004-05 season, I focus on quality over quantity.

It's time to eliminate a few teams and focus on those markets that are viable and still have some life in them. Wave bye-bye to Anaheim. Although with Brian Burke involved there now Anaheim could very easily become the next Tampa Bay. I hated Burkey in Vancouver a couple years ago but he has since become one of the hockey people I respect the most.

Say see ya later to Nashville, Florida and Carolina. These teams do nothing for the NHL.

Give the torch to Sydney Crosby and watch him run with it. This kid is the real deal. I am exceedingly more impressed with him each time I see him interviewed and each time I see him on the ice. Sure he's played in the softest Junior league around but there's no denying the skill sets that this kid has. Whoever lucks out and gets him in Friday's lottery draft had better make sure they've got the next Dave Semenko on their team as well because it's time to bring back old-time hockey with this kid.

I for one am really looking forward to getting all the paper work and technicalities out of the way this week so that teams can start doing all the juggling their going to have to do to get ready for the fall.

NHL teams (collectively) are going to go through such an extreme makeover during the next few weeks that I think they might consider hiring Ty Pennington as the next head of the PA.

Back in February I vowed that I would no longer care about the NHL nor its players. I knew then though that I was talking out of frustration and that, when a deal was finally reached, I would be one of many (especially in Canada) who would be excitedly anticipating the return of this great game. This past year aside, when it all comes down to it NHL hockey is still a great game. Now that both owners and players have had their "It's A Wonderful Life" moment, and have seen what their lives would be like without it, maybe they too will appreciate what they've been given the opportunity to do for a living and will seek out ways to make the most of it.

Garage Sales and Toothaches . . .

2005-05-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we've just come off a fairly busy and eventful weekend.

We had a garage sale this past weekend at the outlaws house in Caronport. It was a good "cleansing" experience for us. We had a lot of junk which, surprisingly to us, turned out to in fact be other people's treasure. When it was all said and done we were able to sell pretty much everything we had hoped to sell.

The outlaws didn't fair as well and so, as a result, we will be hosting another garage sale at our house this weekend in Moose Jaw. We'll see if the "city folks" are a little more into the garage sales then the rural setting of Caronport.

It nevers ceases to amaze me at the stuff people buy at garage sales. There were things that were for sale that I thought would sell in a heartbeat and other stuff that I thought you'd have to be crazy to spend money on. Guess what stuff is still sitting in the garage and which stuff has now found a new home?

I think part of that probably has to do with the fiscal make-up of Caronport where most people are trying to make the most out of the little they actually have. Thrifty would be an understatement.

Unfortunately the garage sale did not come without an injury. My little guy, Carter, was running around with a bunch of his little friends and ended up running into a bed frame that was set-up, minus the box spring and mattress, in the middle of the driveway. This led to a major face-plant onto the hard driveway which has now led to an appointment with the dentist (which my wife and son are at as I type). We took him to an on-call dentist on Friday night after it happened because we were afraid he had pushed his two front teeth up into his gums. Thankfully that wasn't the case.

However, 4 days later our little guy still refuses to eat basically anything and that includes the things he loves the most- yogurt, ice cream, chocolate pudding, and french fries- so we're sure he's in a lot more pain then he's leading on. Basically his two front teeth are mess. His one tooth is pushed back and the other one is chipped basically in half. He's also got a good-sized gash on his gums so I don't doubt that eating pretty much sucks right now. We just pray that he doesn't have to go through any major dental work- praying for both Carter and the poor dentist who would have to try and tackle that next-to-impossible feat.

Thankfully he's going to lose those teeth eventually anyways but hopefully there's no permanent damage done that could cause problems later on.

On a totally unrelated note, it was a sad night last night watching the final episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. The funniest sitcom since Seinfeld provided yours truly with countless belly laughs and numerous moments where I wondered if the writer's had just spent a week in my life. I think anyone who watched this show probably experienced the same feelings. I noticed a poll on CNN.com the other day where they asked if people considered Everybody Loves Raymond to be one of the alltime great sitcoms. I was shocked to see that, at the time I replied to the poll, that only 41% or respondents had said yes.

I will watch Raymond re-runs for as long as they are on-air. It is hands-down the funniest sitcom I've ever watched.

So, I say cudo's to Ray Romano and the rest of the crew for going out with class and for going out on top. It takes a lot of guts to stop while you're still at the top of your game when the rest of the world would tell you to stretch out every last penny you could.

It's a dark time for TV sitcom fans when all we're left with is Two and a Half Men and the painfully awful Hope & Faith (I have hope, and will hold out faith that some will eventually give the axe to that terrible show).

Good to be a Canadian sports fan. . .

2005-05-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

These days it's good to be a sports fan in Canada.

This weekend the surprising Blue Jays took 2 of 3 from the evil Empire in Yankee Stadium. Sure it's early in the season and sure in 5 months time the Yank's will be headed to the post-season (maybe) while the Jays will be fighting to finish the season at .500 (almost definitely). But hey, the fact right now is that the Yankees and there $200 million-plus payroll are below .500 and actually looking up at the Jays and there sub-$50 million payroll. The Jays have looked good for the most part this season minus a little 5-game spell versus the same Yankees and the even more surprising Baltimore Orioles. If Vernon Wells ever gets going for the Jays and Shea Hillenbrand remains hot, this team will compete. And how good did Roy Halladay look on Friday night against the Big Unit? Say what you want about Dave Stieb's no-hitter but that game Friday night has to be one of the best-pitched games the Blue Jay's have had in a long, long time.

Moving to basketball, the NBA playoffs continued tonight and Steve Nash and his Phoenix Suns polished off the Memphis Grizzlies tonight. Perhaps after tonight's sweep critics will finally start to give the Suns their props. 62 regular season wins, a decisive first-round sweep of a very good Grizzlies team, and still the so-called experts want to say that the Suns aren't for real.

Say what you will about this team but I say they are the real deal. Not only that, Steve Nash is the MVP this season. Hands down. The Heat proved through the last month of the season, and through the first-round of their series against the Nets, that they can win without Shaq as long as they have Dwayne Wade (a future MVP).

The Suns on the other hand proved that when playing without Nash they are still a good team, but more like a 7 or 8 seed in the playoffs, not the dominant #1 they are now. No player makes a bigger impact on his club than Nash does with the Suns.

This is a great story for Canada but not one I think that gets near enough press time. While Canadian media continues to want to focus on the NHL lockout like a dejected junior high girlfriend (get over it already), the Steve Nash story is something our country should be celebrating more. Sure he's way down south playing in Arizona but the guy has never hidden the fact that he's proud to be Canadian, and Canadian's should be returning the favor and showing how proud we are of him.

I think back to when Mike Weir won the Master's and how proud this country was of that achievement. Everyone jumped on the Mike Weir bandwagon then, whether they were a golf fan or not. The guy's got his own line of clothing now for crying out loud.

Perhaps it's because Nash has a hairstyle like a 12-year-old girl that doesn't make him marketable. The fact is, he has a very good chance of being the first ever Canadian NBA MVP. Not only that, but he's a little white dude in a sport dominated by giant, athletically superior non-little white dudes. That in itself should make every little white dude (and Canada has the most of them per-capita) stand up and give their props to the finest professional Canadian athlete to come along in a long, long time.

Enough about Steve Nash, although, in case you couldn't figure out, I'm a big fan.

The World Cup of Hockey has commenced somewhere overseas. My first question is, does anyone really care? As I write this blog I'm watching Sportsnet and they currently have a story running on who's going to start in Canada's next game versus Slovenia. Again, I ask, does anyone really care?

I think Canadian media, along with NHL players, owners and anyone else affiliated with the game, are totally dillusional if they believe that anyone does. This report on the "goaltending situation" has been on for a good 5-minutes now. Interviews with Brodeur, Coach Habscheid, and anyone else wanting to put their forgotten mug in front of a camera. Yet, no one from Sportsnet was down in Memphis to interview Nash after his team sweeps through the first round and now improve to 66-20 on this season. Sorry, I said I was done talking about Nash.

The fact of the matter is that this one-time fan of the NHL has realized that there is life, and good life, without NHL hockey. And I considered myself to be die-hard. So, if it took me, a die-hard fan, only one missed season to basically forget about NHL hockey, how quickly have other's been able to move on who were only moderate or even fairweather fans?

What's more is that I don't plan to come running back to the NHL as soon as these morons make a deal. And so again I ask, if a die-hard fan like myself has little to no interest in whether the NHL ever comes back, how much more apathetic will the casual fan be when the arrogant millionaires of the ice come back to try to show how important they are?

My advice to sports media? Forget the NHL. There are bigger, better, and more inspiring stories to focus on in Canadian sports. Stop wasting our time with reports of who's offering what, who's playing goal in a meaningless game against Slovenia, and acting like anyone really gives a rip about hockey at this point in time anyways.

Sunday thoughts. . .

2005-05-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

It's funny how some of life's more simple things can cause you to enter into a contemplative frame of mind.

Tonight my son asked me to play trucks with him in his room. My son will be 3 in September (he was born on the one-year anniversary of 9/11). This was nothing unusual as we often spend time hanging out in his room. Whether it's playing cars, looking at the hockey stickers on his bed, or watching one of the many Bob the Builder or Blues Clues videos he already has memorized, hanging out in his room is one of the things he enjoys doing.

As we were making truck sounds and driving these little plastic trucks around his room I was overwhelmed with the realization that, at that point in time, nothing in the world could have made me want to trade that time we were spending together. It was such a simple thing (to me), and yet, to my little man doing his best dumptruck sound, the time I was spending with him meant everything.

There are many times during my day when my thoughts drift to my kids. I find those times are when I feel both proud, and terrified. It's a confusing twist of emotion really. I mean, for the most part I still feel like a kid myself (or perhaps act is a better choice of words- you'll have to ask my wife on that one).

I do not feel worthy, or capable of the responsibility that comes with raising children. Feelings of inferiority aside though, I press on because I know that my kids need it, and I know that regardless of whatever else I do in this life, my legacy now lies in the people my children grow up to become.

For months (perhaps years) now I have been riding a rollercoaster where I have been trying to figure out where "I fit" in this world. I have a decent job (it's getting better) but it's not something I grew up dreaming of doing. I have a house. A big backyard. A swingset. The world's largest sandbox (which took me an entire Saturday to shovel 5 yards worth of sand from front-yard to back yard). A beautiful wife. Two beautiful children. A faith that, while still young, anchors everything else in my life. I really have nothing to complain about.

And yet, there has always been a part of me that seems insistent on asking, "Isn't there more than this?" And perhaps now, for the first time, I'm starting to realize that all the time I spend wondering about whether there's something better for me is perhaps causing me to miss out on how good I already have it.

As I get to know myself better and start to understand more about what is important to me, I start to realize that first and foremost, I am a family man. As I said before, my legacy lies in the people my children grow-up to become.

The fact is, the job I have now, while not my dream job of playing shortstop for the Chicago Cubs (although with Nomar out perhaps they're looking :-)), allows me to be the type of Dad I want to be- an active one. It allows me to be home by 5 and to be home on the weekends. Very rarely do I have to travel and very rarely do I have to bring any work-related stress or baggage home with me. It also pays the bills, feeds the bellies, and keeps clothes on our backs.

In this day and age when so many people poor themselves into their jobs so that they can have the "perfect life" I find myself going against the flow. Sure it would be nice to have millions of dollars in the bank account. Sure it would be nice to get away from living paycheck to paycheck. But am I willing to sacrifice wrestling matches with my son, or watching my 10-month old little girl experience the wonders of all the new things she learns on a daily basis? No way Jose.

I am understanding that I am in the place that God wants me to be. My anxiousness to "do more" and "be better" is the world trying to tell me that I'm not good enough where I'm at today.

Tonight, my son taking my hand and walking me down the hallway so that just the two of us could have some father and son time told me that I'm actually doing quite well and that, in fact, it doesn't get any better than this.

Statis Pro Baseball

2005-03-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

With the 2005 baseball season quickly approaching I find myself in a nostalgic mood; reflecting back on how big a role the great game has played in my life.

Most of my fondest childhood memories involve baseball. Trips to Cleveland's old Municipal Stadium to cheer on an up and coming Indians team with a young thirdbaseman by the name of Jim Thome. A road trip that included stops in Cooperstown, NY, Pittsburgh, Cincinnatti, and Detroit to see all the old ballparks in those cities (and the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown of course). Blue Jays games in old exhibition stadium. Sitting in the left field general admission seats, cheering on George Bell and booing Rickey Henderson whenever the hated Yankees came to town. And then there are other, non-Major League related memories involving baseball.

Playing in a men's fastball league with my Dad a couple years before he died. For many games we actually comprised a pretty darn good middle infield combo with Dad at second and me at short. I remember him playing a playoff game, he played first base, with a broken index finger. He was the only guy on our team, probably in the whole league, to use a wooden bat. In that playoff game he went 1-1 with a single, an RBI, drew 3 walks and scored 4 runs. All that with a broken finger. And Sammy Sosa missed how many games last year because of a sneeze!?

Today, I was reminded of another childhood memory involving baseball. The Statis Pro Baseball game. I don't know if you've ever heard of the Statis Pro game before but as a young 11 or 12 year old (and into my mid-teens) I lived for that game. One of my brothers introduced me to this tabletop card-style game. This was before video games came along but Statis Pro was equally, if not more, addictive then any video game I've played.

I used to love going through season after season, keeping track of player stats, making trades, and just getting a sense of what it must be like to be a big league owner and/or general manager. It was a game that allowed your imagination to really get involved as you flipped through cards and came up with strategy- are you going to let Sandberg swing away with a man on first and two outs, or are you going to call for the hit and run and see if you can't get that man over to third? It was awesome!

Unfortunately, Avalon Hill, the company who made the game, ceased productions in 1992 after a dispute with Major League Baseball over royalty fees. I was 15 when Statis Pro ceased to exist but for a couple years after production stopped I would create my own player cards and try to continue to play the game.

Now, 13 years after Statis Pro produced it's last game, I find that there are still those out there who continue to play the game. Not only that, but there are those who continue to create player cards, continuing on from '92 season right up until this past 2004 season. How excited I was to find this out.

Unfortunately, I do not have my last version of the Statis Pro game anymore (which I believe was either the '91 or '92 version) so I have begun a desperate search to find the actual board game and playing cards that accompany the player cards. I would love to be able to introduce my son (in a few years when he's old enough) to the wonderful world of Statis Pro Baseball. For any true baseball fan it is a great game to play and it brings me back to a simpler time of life.

If anyone out there knows where I can get my hands on the actual Statis Pro game let me know. All I could find on Ebay was a 1986 version.

Who's In Control?

2005-02-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

This morning we received news that a girl my wife went to school with was killed in a head-on car crash yesterday.

It's difficult to put into words what news like that makes you feel. I personally did not know this girl. I know of her and I know of her family- they are a missionary family that live here in Caronport. My wife knew her casually at best, but well enough to have a friendly conversation whenver their paths crossed after graduation.

For me, the worst part about this news was the fact that she was a wife and a mother to two kids who are about the same age as my two angels. It is that part of the story that tugs at my heart strings the hardest and makes me wonder what God is thinking in allowing something like this to happen.

I don't doubt God's plan. I don't doubt for a second His promise to not let us bear more then we can handle. This is a situation though when I come before Him and ask why?

Why does he see fit to let these two little kids grow up without their mother? Why is He allowing this poor husband to carry the burden of having to raise two young souls who will no doubt be asking him where Mommy has gone?

I think of my own family situation and I can't help but wonder what I would do if put into the same situation. My wife and I talked about that today as we drove along the Trans-Canada highway, feeling slightly less safe and sure of ourselves then we normally do when driving.

Having grown up not knowing my birth Mother- she died when I was 2- I am all-too familiar with the painful curiosity that comes from never knowing one of the most important people in your life. I am well aware of the days when you feel robbed or cheated. I am well aware of the sleepless nights when you lie in bed and wonder, "What would life had been like if only she was still here?"

Having outlived both my parents- my Dad died in when I was 20- I've come to learn that the why questions will probably never be answered (at least not in the way we might like) while we continue to dwell on this earth. For a long time that really bugged me. I wanted answers. I felt like I deserved something; like I was owed answers in return for God taking my parents away from me and forcing me (and the rest of my siblings) to endure such heartache and loss.

I am learning that there is no discerning the plans of God. They are far too elaborate for a simple man like me to understand. I'm learning to be content with that and to trust without conditions. My faith in God is not based on how much inside information I am privy to. Once upon a time my allegiance did come with that price tag- which would suggest that, in spite of my many convincing "masks", I had no allegiance at all.

Instead, as troubling as news like today's can be to the human heart, I find myself falling to my knees before my God and simply praying for the day when God's children no longer have to endure this pain and hardship.

Parents premature passing, tragic car accidents, whatever hardships God decides to put in our paths, should not crumble our faith. Rather, they should strengthen our resolve so that no matter what- no matter how many trials litter the pathway- we will continue to follow the road that will one day lead us home to Heaven.

Glad I'm not Sidney Crosby

2005-01-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

At a time when Canadians from coast to coast seem to be really feeling the effects of no NHL hockey, it appears that all the media and fan frustration is being focussed on one particular phenom on the east coast.

Sidney Crosby's decision to forego tonight's CHL Top Prospects Game has been met with so much controversy that you'd think the kid just Bertuzzi'd someone in broad daylight.

In my opinion it appears though that it is young Sidney who is being Bertuzzi'd by overzealous fans and ridiculous media-types who are desperate for anything even remotely interesting (read controversial) to report.

I feel for this kid, I really do. It started during the World Junior's tournament when TSN's Gino Reda did an pre-game interview with the phenom. When asked if he would consider joining the NHL as a replacement player, Crosby spoke from the top of his head (meaning he wasn't pre-coached on what to say by his agent) and stated that it would be something he would consider. I lost a great deal of respect for Gino Reda and the TSN people for basically railroading a 17-year-old kid into making a controversial statement.

To no one's surprise TSN followed up that interview with a taped statement from Crosby where he backtracked and stated that it would not be right for him to come in to the NHL as a replacement player and that that would be something he would never consider as an option.

To me, this looked like a shameless maneuver on TSN's part to stir the pot and to use this kid to create some much needed media hype.

For a kid who is just coming in to his draft eligible year I have been extremely impressed with Crosby both on and off the ice. On the ice there's no denying the fact that this kid is the real deal. Having been too young to have witnessed Gretzky and Lemieux at this stage in their careers, I think it is special to see young Sidney now; knowing that in 10 years my son will probably be talking about Crosby the way I talked about Yzerman or Lemieux or Gretzky.

Off the ice this kid is first-class all the way. He appears to be humble, well spoken, intelligent, and he has a clear idea of what he wants his future to look like and what he needs to do to make that picture a reality. There is no Alexander Ovechkin in Sidney Crosby.

But I think we lose sight of the fact that this kid is only 18 years old. He's still very much a kid. No matter how mature he may seem or how bright his future may be, he's still a kid. The expectations that are being placed on Crosby are ridiculous.

Now the hockey world is all in an uproar because he won't be playing in tonight's top prospects game. Whether he's genuinely injured or not I for one cannot blame the kid for not going.

First off, he's just come off the World Junior's tourney where he, as always, was the focal point of every teams top defenders. This kid was knocked down, slashed, punched, and cross checked at every available opportunity. Canada may have dominated but that's not to say that they still didn't have to give it all they had every game in order to be so dominant.

Secondly, according to TSN, the games that Crosby was supposed to have missed with his QMJHL team in Rimouski were all rescheduled to allow Crosby to be there. It appears the teams they were to play against all wanted to reschedule the games so that they could take advantage of the sell-outs that having Crosby in the lineup would produce. So not only is this kid carrying the responsibility of making his own team successful, he's now on the hook for the financial success of all QMJHL teams? Are you kidding me?

Thirdly, he's the first overall pick without a doubt. If teams could divide him up in to 10 equal pieces he'd probably be the first 1o picks. Scouts don't need to see Crosby play tonight in order to better decide if he's a sure-fire #1 pick. If anything, not having him there allows some of the other players to enjoy a little of the gigantic spotlight that would have been thrust on Crosby all night.

Fourthly, can we please have some major Canadian sporting events outside of Vancouver for crying out loud! Is it not ridiculous that a game involving players spreading from coast to coast is being held on the far west coast of Canada? Put the game in a central location. Winnipeg is an amazing hockey town. It's nicely located in a more central location. Players from the QMJHL and OHL have to fly across the country for one nights game and then return to start playing again for their respective junior clubs. Vancouver is getting enough attention already. Enough is enough.

If I'm Sidney Crosby I do the same thing that he's done. Say what you want about him needing to be responsible for the fact that he's in high demand and that he has an obligations to the fans and to the CHL to be there tonight, I don't buy it. Say what you want about the fact that there's hundreds of other junior players that would love the opportunities that Crosby has been given; there may be hundreds of other players that would love to take his spot, but there's only one kid in this country that has the skill level that Crosby does, and that's Crosby himself.

Tonight's game is going to be a dandy with or without Crosby in the lineup. There are a ton of talented hockey players in tonight's game- I for one am looking forward to watching a couple of our Warrior's boys- Kendall McCardle and Blair Jones- tear it up.

This kid is not Wayne Gretzky . . . yet. . . he's an 18-year-old kid trying to make his dreams of being a professional hockey player come true. Let's cut him slack and let him enjoy this time of his life. You'll have plenty of time to badger and harrass him when he's an unexcessible billionaire playing in the NHL.

It's January and I'm already talking baseball!

2005-01-13T15:06:00.000-08:00

Just 3 months removed from one of the most memorable World Series runs ever, I find myself already getting the itch for the return of baseball.

After reading some of my brother Brian's pre-season musings, I thought I should perhaps chime in with some of my own.

It has no doubt been another off-season to remember in Major League Baseball. The past couple seasons it looked as though teams were returning to a certain degree of fiscal sanity when it came to the amount of money that was being spent on free agents. This year though all that sanity got blown out the window as many owner's tore open the wallets in hopes of getting that prized free agent who would take them to the promised land.

Some day soon I would love to see a small market team go on to win the World Series and prove that you don't need to have a $200 million dollar pay roll to be the best. The parity that has been created in Major League baseball is making it so that you almost need to have the league separated not by geographic location, but by payroll.

You could have the high-rollers division:
Yankees
Red Sox
Dodgers
Mets
Angels
Cubs
Mariners
Diamondbacks
Expos (just kidding)

Followed by the Wish I Were Richer Division:
Cardinals
Astros
White Sox
Giants
Padres
Braves
Twins

Next you could have the I'm Doing The Best I Can With What I've Been Given division:
A's
Tigers
Indians
Blue Jays
Reds
Marlins
Orioles

And finally you could have the, I'm Just Here To Have Fun division:
Devil Rays
Rockies
Pirates
Royals
Brewers
Expos (for real this time)

I think that might be a more realistic way to reallign the division in this day and age.

Anyways, on to some random thoughts from this off season.

Winners in the off-season:

Mets- Carlos Beltran is the real deal. Whether the "real deal" justifies a 7-year, $119 million dollar contract is still heavily debatable. Regardless, he will make the Mets better just as he made the Astros better.

Red Sox- Bringing back their backbone in Jason Varitek was key even if he's vastly overpaid as a $10 million dollar/yr player. Adding Matt Clement and Wade Miller to the starting rotation will help make up for the loss of Mr. Soul Glo himself, Pedro Martinez. Edgar Renteria I think will be a good pick-up too.

Seattle Mariners- Richie Sexson at first and Adrian Beltre at third. Wow. If Sexson stays healthy and Beltre proves that his stats were real and not just because he was in his last year of a contract, then Seattle is going to score a lot of runs. The biggest impact could be what having these two in the lineup does for Brett Boone. Ichiro could score 1000 runs this season with those three batting behind him.

Losers-
New York Yankees- in spite of my older brothers optimism that his Yankees have done good things this off-season, I think they're greed for championships is leading them to the grave. Randy Johnson is one cold day away from retirement (and New York has plenty of those in the early going). Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright are one-year wonders. My guess is that they turn out to be the next Esteban Loaiza.

Chicago Cubs- no new closer. Haven't rid themselves of Sammy Sosa. No replacement for Matt Clement (unless they think that will be Glendon Rusch). Cubbies still have lots of work to do.

Arizona Diamondbacks- Vastly overpaid for Shawn Green who appears to be on the downward curve of his career; vastly overpaid for Troy Glaus. He has to be the most expensive bandaid ever bought. Vastly overpaid for Russ Ortiz. And of course, the biggest mistake was the hole Wally Backman fiasco. What was up with that?

New York Mets- wait a minute, didn't I have them listed as one of my winners? Yep, they fit into both categories. Good for getting Beltran; bad for vastly overpaying Pedro. If he gives them more then this season I'll be shocked.

Anyways, it's been a fun off-season for baseball fans. I'm looking forward to the new season and to witnessing another chapter of New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox Baseball, I mean, Major League Baseball. I sometimes forget that there's more then just those two teams.

Oh Canada!

2005-01-05T15:19:00.000-08:00

It will be a long time before Canadian hockey fans get to watch a World Junior team as good as the one that brought home the gold last night.

As I said in an earlier post, it is very rare, in any sport, to have a team that shows no flaws. Team Canada had no holes in their armour, no weak links in their chain. This team was as close to perfection in the sporting world that you can come. Looking back over the years I would have to say that the only team that even comes close to being as dominant as this year's Junior squad would be the Chicago Bulls team that went 72-10. Absolute dominance.

Not even when the Russians scored to make it 2-1 did I feel uneasy about Canada's chances of ending the 7-year gold medal drought.

Canada responded in a big way in the second period. I believe the Russians knew they were in for a tough game but I don't think they ever imagined just how physically punishing it would be on them. Just ask one Alexander Ovechkin. The chances that his shoulder was really injured are about as high as my chances for winning the Pulitzer Prize for this blog. The only thing that was bruised on that hot dog was his ego. All I can say is if that is all it takes to get a supposed "superstar" off his game then the Washington Capitals got screwed in the draft. Perhaps we're looking at the next Alexandre Daigle?

The fact that Canada outscored their opponents 41-7 is fairly impressive. The fact that only 3 of those goals came at even strength is mind-boggling.

What is really remarkable to me about this team is how many future NHL (or whatever pro league is existing in the next few years) stars are on this team. Usually as you look back on past Junior squads you can pick out one or two names that went on to become stars, a bunch of guys who became role players, and then the last few who just never panned out.

This year's team has more sure things then a college frat party. Phaneuf, Crosby, Bergeron, Carter, Getzlaf, Seabrook, Coburn, Webber, Perry, Fraser, MacArthur, Richards . . . it's an incredible list of talent to say the least.

Hockey Canada should be very proud of what is going on throughout the minor hockey ranks. Watching these kids play the great game of hockey makes you understand why Canadians are so passionate about this great game.

Way to go Canada! You made us very, VERY proud!

It's movie review time!

2005-01-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

The Christmas holidays are always a good time to do some movie watching. This year provided no shortage of options. I believe I've lost count of the number of movies I watched in the month of December. The highlight of the movie watching month? I found a new holiday classic to add to the list of must see Christmas movies.

Of course the list of holiday classics alone takes up a lot of time during the Christmas season. You always have to make time to watch the Dali Lama of Christmas movies- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation- at least 3 times. Then there's good ol' Ralphie Parker and his quest for the Red Rider B-B gun in The Christmas Story. Once you've knocked those two off there is still a number of good choices to take in. I tend to move on to Jimmy Stewart and "Zu Zu's pedals" in It's A Wonderful Life. I'm also a big fan of Tim Allen's Santa Clause movies (I prefer part 2 to the original believe it or not).

This year though I added a new holiday classic to my list that may very well give Clark W. Griswold and his family a run for their money as far as air time is concerned. If you haven't seen Will Ferrell in Elf yet, it's never too late to run out and pick this movie up. Will Ferrell's facial expressions alone are worth the $25 it costs to buy the DVD. The guy is just plain hilarious. The movie is filled with holiday goofiness. It had me laughing from start to finish. The scene where Buddy the Elf (played by Ferrell) confronts the department store Santa (for not being the "real" St. Nick) is hilarious.

My holiday movie watching wasn't just devoted to movies with a Christmas theme. I took in a number of new releases as well.

Spiderman 2
The Manchurian Candidate
Anchorman
The Bourne Supremacy
Dodgeball
Meet The Fockers (saw it in Theatres)

If you haven't guessed by the titles of the movies, I'm basically an action and comedy kind of guy.

Being a big Ben Stiller fan I found that I loved Meet the Fockers but really did not like Dodgeball at all. Dodgeball seemed like a movie that was perhaps written overnight, or maybe even over an afternoon. A lot of the jokes went way over the line and after watching it I felt like I had just watched something that I really didn't need to see. The concept behind the movie had lots of potential, but they just seemed to be satisfied with getting the cheap laughs from dirty humor.

Meet The Fockers on the other hand continued the hilarity that started in Meet The Parents. I think Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand were perfect fits as Gaylord Fockers parents. I don't think you'll find a more perfect pair of movie parents. They were hilarious.

Of course everyone's favorite male nurse finds himself getting into the same predicaments that caused him so much trouble in the first movie. With his ultra-suspicious father-in-law watching his every move, Greg finds himself working hard to keep his ultra-liberal parents from embarrassing him. There are many great spots in this movie.

As for the other movies I watched over the holidays I'd give thumbs up to all of them all though I was a little disappointed in the way that The Manchurian Candidate ended.

Overall, I'd say it was a very enjoyable movie watching month in my household.

World Junior Hockey Championships

2005-01-03T14:58:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season is full of good things for me. Turkey dinners, After Eights, Clark Griswold, Ralphie Parker and his quest for a Red Rider beebee gun, the smell of the Balsum Fur in the living room, nicely wrapped gifts under the nicely smelling tree . . . so many things that warm the heart and stretch the waistband.

Over the past few years though one of the things I look forward to most of all about the Christmas season is the IIHF World Junior Hockey Tournament.

With the absence of NHL hockey this year's tournament is feeding a craving for high-level hockey that many Canadian hockey fans have been dying for.

What a year for Team Canada to send what will probably be looked upon as the best Canadian Junior squad ever assembled.

As a big-time Western Hockey League fan I have had the opportunity to watch many of this year's squad play with their regular major junior team. What you are seeing from these kids today is what they put forth with their junior clubs night in and night out. These are kids with a gifting to play the great game of hockey.

During last year's Western Hockey League playoffs I watched in angst as Brent Sutter's Red Deer Rebels sent my hometown Moose Jaw Warriors packing in the second round of the playoffs. The difference in that series? Dion Phaneuf.

If you've watched any of TSN's broadcast's during this year's tournaments you'll have heard lots about the 19-year-old Calgary Flames prospect. I believe that Pierre Maguire is madly in love with the future star.

Canada's 2004-05 squad is a model of what a winning hockey team should look like. For those who questioned Brent Sutter's selections before the tournament began, I'm sure Mr. Sutter would enjoy watching you try to remove your foot from your mouth.

I'll admit, I thought he was nuts when he cut Brandon Wheat Kings forwards Eric Fehr and Ryan Stone in favor of Colin Fraser and Clarke MacArthur. I've gladly eaten my crow and realize once again that there is a reason why Sutter is head coach of the Junior team and I am sitting at my desk writing about them.

In life you strive for one thing- balance. Balance is what keeps you moving forward. Balance is what provides you with the healthiest lifestyle.

Team Canada is all about balance. Say what you want about the lack of a big name goaltender. We had one of those last year and look what that got us. The US was said to have had the best tender in this year's tournament and that ended up being their biggest weakness. Jeff Glass may not have faced much pressure so far in this tourney but he's been good when he's been needed. When you have a defence like Canada has you could throw Red-light Racicot between the pipes and still come out with a shut-out.

You rarely get to see a team play flawless hockey. Very rarely do you get to see a team that has all parts working in perfect unison at all times. From what I have seen in this year's tourney, Canada has played flawless hockey. They have had all parts working in perfect unison at all times. If you're a hockey fan, it really has been something special to watch.

Of course all that will be for naught if they fall short of their ultimate goal of winning the gold medal.

Only the Russians stand in their way now. And what about those Russians.

Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Malkin look to be the real deal. The only problem is it looks like perhaps all the hype around them has gone to their head. To quote Mike Myers from "So I Married an Axe Murderer", "Look at the size of that head. It's like an orange on a toothpick. It's got it's own weather system."

The Russians appear to be very confident and extremely arrogant. It will be fun to see Team Canada clean the ice with them. I really think that, in spite of the Russians two top-guns, Canada will walk all over them.

Been a long time. . .

2005-01-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

It has been a long, LONG time since I last posted. Part of the reason was I kept forgetting my username and password so it was kinda hard to access my blog homepage. Anyways, I figured it was time to share some random thoughts.

Gone is 2004. Overall I would say 2004 will be a year that my family and I will look back on with great fondness. First off, we welcomed our second child, a beautiful baby girl, into the world at the end of June.

Another highlight of 2004 was when we purchased our first house. It's been a great house for us and we look forward to watching our two kids grow up there.

So from a personal perspective 2004 was a good year.

I wonder what the rest of the world would say when they look back on this past year?

It obviously ended in tragedy with the tsunami in Thailand and area. People might make fun of Saskatchewan but when I see pictures of the destruction and mayhem that has occurred over there I find myself feeling very thankful for the flatlands of the prairies. I can't even imagine what people are going through over there. The latest update has the death toll rising above 150,000 people. That's three times the amount of people that live in the entire city that I live in! We're looking at loss of life of Biblical proportions.

It sickens me to see the shots of the innocent little children who have been lost in this terrible tragedy. My heart sinks and I squeeze my own two kids a little tighter. I can understand why, when things like this happen, people question God's goodness. I can't understand why something like this had to occur but I can just add that to the already immeasurable list of things that I already don't understand. I'm content with not having to know why. I'm more concerned with wanting to know how much longer I have to spend on this planet to see these types of things happening. These tragedies make me long that much more for the day when my family and I are called home to Heaven. I don't question God's goodness, but I long for a day when this type of suffering is no more.

In the same breath I am amazed at the outpouring of support, worldwide, that has come as a result of the tsunami. The human race has shown me that in spite of our inheritantly flawed nature, there are still millions of people who are capable of doing good. The money that is being sent to these countries for relief; the volunteers who are over there helping people; it amazes me to see people from across the world coming together to help those who have been devastated by this disaster. It makes me wonder if this was the type of response that the Lord was hoping to see from His people all along.

Cubbies, Cubbies

2004-09-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Major League Baseball season is winding down. Today my Cubbies are playing a HUGE doubler header against my least favorite team in baseball, the Florida Marlins. I hated them last year during their Cinderella run to a World Championship (I actually cheered for the Yankees! You made me cheer for the Yankees, Florida Marlins!). I hated them in their improbable World Series victory over my other team, the Cleveland Indians. The Marlins continue to upset my favorite teams and that in itself puts them way down on my love scale.

So far so good today as my Cubbies are currently up 5-1 through 5 1/2 innings in game 1.

This really is one of my favorite times of the year. I have always loved watching the World Series and the playoff series that lead up to it. Even when the Yankees are playing. There are nothing but good memories associated with the MLB postseason.

More then anything, baseball in it's entirety, not just the playoffs, remind me of my Dad. When he passed away a few years ago watching baseball took on a whole new meaning for me. Now, watching the game isn't just about watching overpaid egomaniacs smack a little white ball around a diamond shaped field. It's about reliving my childhood and being taken back to a time when life was a lot simpler.

Baseball has always represented peace to me. Some of my precious memories are of the times spent at a major league ballpark with my Dad and brothers. Cleveland, Cincinnatti, Detroit, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Fenway Park, Cooperstown, NY . . . all great places to go when you're a baseball fan. There's something magical about being in a ballpark. Everything's better at the park. The weather's better, the food's better, the people are better. Life is better when you're in the ballpark.

I can remember watching Jim Thome as a rookie third baseman for the up-and-coming Cleveland Indians in the early 90's. Or watching Wade Boggs play thirdbase for the Boston Red Sox at historic Fenway Park. I can remember seeing my Dad caught in a day-dream while his face was plastered on the jumbotron at old Three Rivers Stadium.

As my son get's older I plan to do everything I can to teach him the love of the great game of baseball. No matter how high salaries get, how pampered and panzied players become, how commercialized and mediatized the game becomes, there will still be a big place in my heart for the game.

There is one magical ball park that has escaped me thus far (well, there are many but there is one that I'd really love to go to), and that is Wrigley Field. As a kid I grew up idolizing Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson and Mark Grace. I cannot wait for the day when I can take my son to Wrigley and sit amongst the greatest baseball fans in the world.

As this season winds down and the Cubbies continue to battle for a spot in the post-season, I am going to make this bold prediction. The Cubs will beat out the Giants for the National League wild-card. They will then defeat the Atlanta Braves in NLCS semi's and move on to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. Then, they will finally bring peace and rest to the millions of Cub fans around the world who have waited for so many years for a World Series championship when they defeat the Boston Red Sox and become the 2004 World Series Champions.

What a magical post-season it will be for Cubs fans! Go Cubbies!

And your Canadian Idol is. . .

2004-09-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

18 year old Kalan Porter of Medicine Hat, AB (one of the nicest towns in Canada) was crowned the 2004 Canadian Idol over Saskatchewan's own Theresa (not even going to make an attempt at spelling her last name).

My wife and I definitely got in to this year's Idol competition and, while we were rooting for our SK girl to win it, we felt that the best performer definitely won the competition. I have to agree with the incredibly annoying Zac though that when it comes to who's music I'll listen to, it will probably be Theresa.

3.6 million Canadian's voted on Thursday night and while they didn't say how many votes each person received, my guess is that it was not even close. This year's show, while fielding a much more talented group than last year's inaugural season, didn't really have any surprises. I think everyone knew from the get-go that Kalan would win.

Personally, I thought this year's Canadian Idol competition was far better than last year's and better than any American Idol show that I've watched. I did not watch much of last year's American or Canadian Idol because really, the talent was very, very weak.

Now, if we could just get rid of the ultra-annoying Ben Mulroney and John Dore (one guy looks terrifyingly uncomfortable up there and the other is a moron), replace Sass Jordan with someone who knows what they are talking about (just as long as it's not Jann Arden) and get rid of the Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell wanna-be's (Farley & Zac), you'd have a pretty decent show (because that would leave you with no host, no useless supposed to be funny skits, and only Jake as the judge). We've already shown that we have more talent then our neighbors to the north, we just need to step away from their model of the show and do our own thing.

September is a CRAZY month for TV watching. While trying to catch all the season-premieres of old favorites, you're also trying to find the time to catch all the season finale's from all the summer shows- Amazing Race, Big Brother, Canadian Idol- as well as check out some of the new shows debuting this month. Who's got time for all that?

Thanks to having an Expressvu and being able to watch shows on east and west coast time slots, you can pretty much start watching shows at 4 pm (maritimes channels) and catch the shows you missed on west coast time slots.

The Amazing Race is winding down and this past weeks episode looked to be ending in perfect fashion. The gruesome twosome- Colin & Christie- looked to have finally been brought down after a very smart use of the yield by my favorite couple, Chip & Kim. However, Colin & Christie lucked out and, after finishing dead last, were told that this was the last of the non-elimination pit stops, meaning they were still in the race but would have to start the next leg of the race with no money.

The game is officially on as Colin & Christie are now out to get Chip & Kim. 4 teams are left- Colin & Christie, Chip & Kim, Brandon & Nicole (the Christian models) and the bowling Moms (Linda & Karen).

My guess would be that Brandon & Nicole will be the next two eliminated. The Bowling Mom's have dodged so many bullets already that you just get the sense that they'll keep getting lucky. Colin & Christie will definitely be out to get Chip & Kim but I think Chip could take Colin pretty easily and Kim would mop the floor with Christie if needs be.

It's going to be a great end to what is without a doubt the best reality show on TV.

Speaking of which, Survivor 9000 (or whatever number it is) debuted last night from the island of Vanuatu. They have their usual recipe of competitor's with a lot of eye-candy mixed in with some red-neck spice. Even though I think the show is getting really old I still watched the debut episode last night. It's women vs. men and once again, the women defeated the men for reward and immunity. A nice twist to this year is that the old guys appear to hold the power over the studly young fellas and ended up voting out one of the cocky young bucks. Hey, if you want to shut your brain off and just be entertained for an hour, Survivor can still do that.

I also checked out "Joey" last night. Still not sure if I'm a fan or not. Joey's character was by far my favorite on Friends (except for the whole Joey & Rachel disaster) so I was glad to see the character continue on. I'm not sure if Joey will have the same success spinning off Friends that Fraser had spinning off Cheers, but I think the show provides enough laugh's and enough memories of Friends to have a decent run.

I'm realizing I could probably write a book on all the TV shows going on right now. You know you have a couple kids and no life when you can spend an entire lunch hour writing about your TV watching habits. Oh well, it helps speed up the winter season which, in Saskatchewan especially, is something to definitely be excited about.

I'll save my thoughts on the NHL lockout, the upcoming MLB playoffs (GO CUBBIES) and various other random thoughts, for next weeks Blog. Have a good weekend to all those in Blog-land.

The Birthday Boy

2004-09-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my big brother's 37th birthday. He has had the joy of having me around for 27 of those year's.

Having one older brother is a blessing. I have been fortunate enough to grow up with two.

Today's blog is dedicated to the birthday boy who, whether he knows it or not, has had a huge impact on my life.

So brother, thanks for taking your role as a big brother seriously. I know that Aidan will learn to do the same for his little brother/sister as the years go by because he's got an awesome role model in his Dad.

As a big brother you never made me feel like a burden. In spite of the fact that there are 10 years between us you always made time for me.

Whether it was taking me around Dad & Patti's room to teach me the fine art of snooping for Christmas gifts (which, by the way, was how I found out there was no Santa Claus!) or allowing yourself to be humiliated in countless numbers of driveway basketball games, you made time with me a priority.

I have a love for movies because of you. Your passion for the flicks rubbed off on me.

I love sour gum balls because of you. The first time you brought home one of those giant containers of Tear Jerkers was one of the best days of my life! My taste buds have never been the same since.

I have a head full of useless knowledge because you showed me how much more fun life is when you don't fill your head full of "useful" things. I can't remember my wedding anniversary but I can pretty much recite every line from Major League-You may run like Mays but you hit like . . . anyways, moving on.

Speaking of baseball, it's true that baseball is a universal language. It's like the scene in City Slickers when they're talking about how baseball was the one thing they could always talk about. It's one of those things that you either love it or you hate it. You and I have always been on the extreme end of the love it scale. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if in 20 years we're a couple of fat guys attending a fantasy baseball camp in an attempt to recapture our glory years. "I'd run to first but I just pulled a fat swinging at that 30mph fastball." If we're not at a fantasy camp in 20 years, we'll still definitely be a couple of fat guys.

I have seen you grow and mature as a man, as a follower of Christ, and as a father. You challenge, encourage and inspire me constantly, even though there are 3000 km's between us.

I am so thankful to know that while we may not get to spend as much time together as we'd like in this life, we have the rest of eternity to look forward to.

I am proud of you. I am proud of the values and morals that you live by. I am proud of the passion and commitment with which you serve Christ with each and every day. I'm proud of the way you intentionally sit back on lazy fly balls so that you can sprint under them at the last second and make a spectacular sliding catch (H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D).

I am proud to call you my brother.

You are a good man and I pray that this year brings you incredible amounts of joy, success, growth and fulfillment.

Thank you for all that you have done for me and all that you continue to do.

Happy Birthday young man.

2-0

2004-09-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

2 games are in the books and Canada sits at a perfect 2-0. Last night's decisive win over the Slovaks should show that Canada is definitely the team to beat in this year's tournament.

I didn't get to see the whole game unfortunately but I did see enough to know that this is a very deep Canadian squad that should be crowned as champions in another week or two.

I think the insertion of Kris Draper for Brendan Morrow was a good move by Pat Quinn. Morrow is a solid player but Draper's speed, penalty killing skills, and big game experience make him a more valuable commodity. With the way the other Canadian forwards are playing I think the only way Maltby & Marleau are going to see the ice is if another injury occurs.

Once again the best line last night was Lecavalier, Heatley and former Moose Jaw Warrior (and alumnus of our high school here) Ryan Smyth. Props also go to Jarome Iginla who, in spite of his lack of goal production thus far (he's been robbed a few times already) continues to be an impact player; and Martin St. Louis who continues to prove that big things can happen to little people. His Brett Hull-like goal last night was a true goal-scorer's goal, set-up by a great feed from Brad Richards (another Canadian who's playing great hockey right now).

Last night my wife and I took our two kids to the Civic Centre to take in the Moose Jaw Warriors annual Black & White intrasquad game. As the exhibition season nears in the WHL last night was a good chance for some of these young players to show what they can do in front of a fairly decent crowd.

All I have to say is thank goodness for Junior Hockey. It maintain's it's purity with the absence of big-money contracts, unions, and money hungry owners. Junior hockey is all about playing hard, winning championships, and taking steps towards achieving a dream.

Junior hockey in western Canada is the best hockey around. Having grown up in Southern Ontario where junior hockey is virtually invisible, it was like a whole other world was unveiled to me the first night my wife (then my girlfriend) took me to a Moose Jaw Warriors game. It didn't take long for me to get hooked on the team and the league.

There's an energy at Junior hockey games that I've yet to experience at an NHL game (although I'm sure some of the games during the Flames improbably run in last year's Stanley Cup playoffs would compare).

At the Civic Centre in Moose Jaw you can only seat about 3000 fans. The rink has been nicknamed the Crushed Can because the centre of it is sloped and makes it look like a pop can does after you step on the middle of it. It is an awesome atmosphere in there.

Moose Jaw fans are passionate people. We love our hockey and we are fanatically devoted to our team. Games against the hated rivals, the Regina Pats, make for some of the best hockey games (playoffs or not) that you will ever see. Hard hitting, fast paced, highly intense contests.

My advice is this, if you're ever in a western Canadian city that is home to a Western Hockey League franchise, take the time to get yourself a ticket and take in a game. Moose Jaw is a great place to watch a game but there are many other great western league cities that boast great fans- Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Kamloops are a few that come to mind.

For those of you out there who are interested in hearing about the trials and triumph's of the Moose Jaw Warriors for the 2004-05 season, I have started another blog titled "From the Cheap Seats" that will give regular recaps and opinions on the Warriors season. Check it out at www.moosejawwarriors.blogspot.com. Posts will be infrequent for the next couple weeks but will become much more regular in early October.

One win in the books

2004-09-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Canada vs. USA did not disappoint last night in each team's opening bout in the World Cup of Hockey.

I fully expected Canada to win the game by 3 or 4 goals but was actually relieved to have the game be much closer then that.

I will give the Americans credit, they played a gritty, playoff style game and they had lots of opportunities to tie the game up after Guerin scored to make it 2-1. Thankfully we have the best goalie in the world between the pipes for us and Brodeur shut the door after Guerin's goal.

I thought for sure the best line of the night for Canada was the line of Ryan Smyth, Vinny Lecavalier and Dany Heatley. They cycled the puck well, they had sustained pressure in the offensive zone, they were grinding it out in the corners, and they weren't staying on the ice longer then they should be. That line deserved a goal or two.

Of course Canadians everywhere will be complaining about the chippiness of the American squad as Brodeur was bumped and run a couple of times. Having watched the game though I don't think Marty is totally innocent in this case as we threw a few blocker shots and tugged on a few red, white and blue jersey's himself.

Speaking of jersey's, was Wayne Gretzky on acid or something when he signed off on the jersey's Team Canada was wearing last night? I didn't see the first half of the first period so perhaps they explained the reasoning behind the disaster they call a jersey. What was the deal with the Winnipeg Falcons crest on the left shoulder? It looked like Gretz and co. went in to an American Eagle store and bought 25 jerseys and sowed a red maple leaf on them. Go back to the red and white boys, this is a hockey tournament, not a fashion show.

So, outside of the fact that our boys looked like they were covered in mustard, I was pretty pleased with their first game (better then the drubbing they took at the hands of the Swedes in the last Olympics).

There wasn't really anyone that stood out as not being effective in last nights game. Pat Quinn will have a difficult time getting the Marleau-Draper-Maltby line into any games, although if any line is going to sit, I would guess it will be Joe Thornton's line. It looks like Jovanovski is out with one of those pesky "lower body injuries" so I would expect to see the speedy Jay Bouwmeester in the lineup tonight as they take on the high flying Slovaks.

Our junior team here in Moose Jaw (the beloved Warriors) are playing their annual intrasquad game tonight as training camp continues on. So, yours truly will be taking that game in instead of watching the Canada/Slovakia game.

All in all a great start for Canada. I would much rather see them pushed in these round robin games instead of seeing them blow everyone out by 5 or 6 goals. Kicking off against the USA was the best thing that could have happened to this team.

Go Canada!

World Cup of Hockey

2004-08-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

My brother tells me I need to post more so here it goes.

Canada kicks off their World Cup of Hockey tournament tonight in a beauty way with a rematch against the '96 defending champs, the USA.

On paper I would say that Canada should not only win, but win decisively. However, I think Canadians everywhere thought that way 8 years ago when the US shocked everyone to win the tournament. Mind you, they won mostly because they Mike Richter played the best hockey of his life in that tournament.

This year though, the US is without Mr. Richter and will be backstopped by a trio of unproven netminders in Robert Esche, Ty Conklin, and Rick DiPietro. Esche will get the start tonight against the Canadians but it doesn't sound like he's the #1 guy by any means. Fact is, none of these guys are going to lead the US to a title in this year's tournament.

Goaltending will not be their downfall though, age will. As the game of hockey continues to evolve, youth and an ability to play within a system will win over veteran experience and "big names". Even with big name guys like Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Chris Chelios, I still think the US will finish near the bottom of this tournament.

Give me guys like Ryan Smyth, Kris Draper, Patrick Marleau and Jarome Iginla any day.

I like what Wayne Gretzky and co. have done with this World Cup team. I like their selections and I like the direction they are heading in for the future. The fact that we could have a fourth line of Shane Doan, Joe Thornton and Brendan Morrow gives me a great deal of hope for this team (that line could be a #1 line for any other country).

As this might be our only taste of world class hockey for a few months I plan to enjoy this tournament as much as possible. I expect big things from the Canadian boys and I think anything less then winning it all will be a disappointment.

I think our best competition may very well come from Finland. They looked phenomenal in yesterday's opener against the Czech's. Mika Kiprusoff appears ready to start up where he left off and that in itself makes Finland a dangerous team. The Slovaks also have a great offensive attack, and against what I believe to be a shaky Canadian defence, could cause some problems for us if Brodeur is not on his game.

My question is why is Simon Gagne so high on the list of Canadian talent? Watching Bob Mackenzie on TSN last night, he mentioned that Gagne was one of the foregone concluded guys to dress in every game in this tournament. Guys who were on the bubble- Doan, Thornton, Draper, Maltby and Smyth. Outside of the fact that Gagne has Olympic experience I don't really see what the big deal is about this guy? I think Doan is one of the best young forwards in the game, as are Smyth and Thornton. To sit any of those 3 guys out would be a crime as far as I'm concerned. Being that I'm a die-hard Wings fan, I'd hate to see Drapes and Maltby ride the pine as well. However, I can concede that, outside of their penalty killing prowess, either of them would probably be a good candidate to sit. Especially Maltby.

Whatever happens, the decisions will not be easy for Pat Quinn and his coaching staff.

Anyways, if you're a hockey fan, take advantage of being able to watch this tournament because from the sounds of it, it's going to be a long time before we see these players competing at this level again.

Thank goodness for Junior hockey.

Keep your stick on the ice.

The Amazing Race

2004-08-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

Summertime TV watching is usually about having the opportunity to catch reruns of missed episdoes of your favorite shows, as well as checking out shows you've never taken time to watch before (thus finding new favorite shows). For example, my wife and I have become big fans of Without a Trace this summer. It's a show we don't normally watch because I believe it's on at the same time as CSI.

Summertime TV has also brought me one of my favorite shows of the year- The Amazing Race. It's no surprise to me that this show has won the Emmy for favorite reality TV series. Compared to most of the other "reality" shows that are out there, this one is miles apart in terms of entertainment value and in terms of being worthy of taking up an hour of my busy life each week.

I don't know if any of you out there are Amazing Race fans but if you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend that you do so. Next to 24, NYPD Blue and CSI, the Amazing Race is the fastest hour of television that I've ever sat down and watched.

My only complaint about the show is that they have not yet had a leg of the race through Canada (at least I don't think they have). I'm not sure why this is but I for one would love to see some of these American participants have to ski the slopes in beautiful Whistler, or perhaps join the squeegee kids in washing windshields in downtown TO. Even better, bring 'em out to Saskatchewan for some gopher hunting :).

Anyways, just wanted to make a quick plug for the show that gets me speeding home from work every Tuesday night. They are down to the final 5 couples now and they've added a very cool twist to the game. They have pitstops that mark the end of each leg of the race (the end of each episode). Most of these pitstops are elimination stops where the last team to arrive is eliminated from the race. Every few episodes though one of the pitstops is not an elimination stop, meaning the last team to arrive gets a second chance to stop sucking.

BUT, this year what they've done is that if you're the last team to arrive at a pitstop that's not an elimination point, you still get to continue BUT you have to turn in all your money and start the next leg of the race with no cash.

That's what happened this past week and the two twins, Kami & Karli (The Amazing Race's version of the Olsen twins- they weigh like 75 pounds combined), were the last to arrive at a non-elimination check-point. So next week they get to start the next leg of the race with no money, and the race kicks off from the middle of the desert (can't remember which desert though). It's one thing to be stuck in a big city with no money- at least you can panhandle- but what do you do in the middle of the desert? Sucks to be the twins.

Anyways, check out The Amazing Race 5 if you haven't already, it is just what the title suggests, Amazing.

Peace out,

Mike

The Inaugural Blog

2004-08-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well here it is kids, my first blog. I have been meaning for quite some time now to start up with this but life seems to move at a faster pace then I can keep up with. I guess having two kids will do that to a guy.

I'm quite excited about having this creative outlet at my fingertips. This will mainly be a weekday practice for me as I am currently computerless at my home. That actually suits me fine because I can then focus my time on wrestling with young Mr. Carter or perhaps changing the dozens and dozens of diapers that 2 month old Jenna goes through on a daily basis.

I have sent invitations to a few people who I consider to be important in my life. I hope that you will accept my invitation to start up your own blog, or to at least check out this page from time to time as I plan to write often. With so many miles between us it is awesome to have something like this to allow us to stay in close communication.

What can you expect from Prairie Ponderings? Well, expect the unexpected really. You never know what I'm going to write about from one day to the next. If I don't know what I'm going to write about then I don't expect you will either. For those of you who know me you'll already know that the majority of entries will probably revolve around sports or some form of media- TV, movies, books (yes, I can and DO read), music, etc.. I'll throw in some funny stories about my family, perhaps some work-related stuff, and perhaps even dabble into some religion and politics (although politics is not something I tend to pay a whole lot of attention to).

I think you will find my blogs to be eerily similar to my brother Brian's- popsnbuzzes.blogspot.com- although with some destinct differences. One being that my taste in sports teams is far more refined then his. Other then that, we're cut from the same mold as far as having a warped sense of humor, an oddly similar taste in movies, tv shows and music (although I have to admit that I think the West Wing is painfully boring to watch- why don't they make a show about the life of the Prime Minister of Canada :)?). Anyways, if you like my blog, you'll probably like his and vice versa.

So, in closing (because this has taken on a speech feel so I should probably give a formal close) I would like to say that I look forward to sharing my random thoughts and my calculated thoughts with you as the days, weeks, months and years pass by.

Talk to you soon.

Mike