Ahh, for when times were simpler.
It'll be 25 years on the air in Montreal come mid August and yes I'm feeling a little age.
The bones are not creeking though the hair has greyed quite a bit.
I haven't suddenly developed a paunch around the middle, I already had that.
It's how we gather and deliver the news and especially the news itself.
Once upon a time we waited by the ticker machine for all the news,
yes kiddies there was a time before computers and the internet.
There was big trouble for the idiot that left that machine off all night or forgot to put a new roll of paper in it.
Scores, standings and stats were pretty much what you needed to know.
A clear understanding of alphabet words were soon to come.
ACL, MCL and CBA amongst them.
I'm not a doctor or lawyer but have been forced to play one on the radio.
Shocking things can come at you when you least expect it.
I was in the press box talking with beatwriter Jeff Blair for just a moment one night in St Louis when all of a sudden I had to run back and help out Bobby Winkles on the broadcast because Moises Alou's ankle was hanging by a few tendons as he wailed in pain on the turf.
We were all surrounding a television set watching O.J.'s bronco while the Expos played a few feet away at the Big O.
What to say when an umpire dies in front of your eyes on opening day in Cincinnati.
One Hilton after another finding their way to the big house including Paris who I didn't have to talk about.
THE Expo season wiped out.
An entire campaign in the National Hockey League.
Now,
Football has gone to the dogs with Michael Vick, Baseball is Barry Bonds better homers by chemistry, a betting scandal in the NBA and don't get me started on the Tour De France.
All this nonsense of course has spawned 24 hour sports radio stations,
which of course means I get to be employed.
So if you will, please raise a glass with me as I toast:
O.J. Simpson, Todd Bertuzzi, John Rocker, Zinedine Zidane, Michael Vick, Rae Carruth, The Hiltons, Mike Tyson, Pete Rose, Kobe Bryant, Lawrence Phillips, Pacman Jones, Ron Artest, Ricky Williams and all their friends.
And now if you'll excuse me, I must go play golf.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Habs Didn't Need Souray
I hope Sheldon Souray spends his money well.
I hope life works out okay for the Alberta native, he seems like a decent enough guy.
Why the Canadiens made him a pair of free agent offers
and why they didn't trade him at the deadline last season is beyond me.
I don't believe too much in coaching x's and o's in the National Hockey League but it was clear that when teams carried the puck over the Habs blueline the last few years they made a beeline over to Souray's side of the ice and there was good reason why he was a minus hockey player.
He wasn't the one hurt in the minus department by his teammates,
it was the other way around.
In the 3rd, 4th or 5th year of Souray's contract, how many of those young defensemen will be better than Souray and would be taking away the ice time of the $27 million man.
I really do like the way Bob Gainey is going about the business of trying to put the Canadians back on the map.
Whether he's right about all those young defensemen he's collected for the very near future I can't tell you but it would be amazing if he's wrong about all of them.
This is not going to be a great hockey team this coming season.
Maybe not even the season after that but this has been a boring hockey team chasing it's own tail for a few years now.
The only way to stop the cycle is to build with youngsters and hope you're right.
Best of luck Bob.
Keeping busy includes an internet only baseball show I do for the folks at http://www.mcnsports.com/
we are currently on hiatus in the process of switching studios.
Please come and have a look.
I write a blog over there too.
Here's this weeks:
I hate to say I told you so, no wait a minute, that's a lie.
I love to say I told you so !
OK, so I'm not perfect, but not bad at all at the all star break as we look back on pre season predictions.
Every division winner I picked is either in first place (Red Sox, Angels, Mets, Brewers),
or, at the most, one game out in their respective divisions (Dodgers and Indians).
My National League wild card pick (Braves) stand only 2 games back of San Diego.
In the American, shame on me !
I let the Yankees money flash blind me instead of going with the League's best team last year (Tigers)
I thought the Yankees would paper over their pitching problems.Clearly Roger Clemens won't be enough.
I don't think the Yankees will be catching either the Red Sox or Tigers in the second half no matter how much they spendand that's fine with me.
I hate the way baseball is set up to allow money to cover tracks.
The Yankees in most years can spend their way past mistakes while if a team like the Brewers don't get it exactly right,it's basically tough luck.
In the National, there's several ways things can change.I think the Phillies will make a run, the Brewers to hold off the Cubs and the Dodgers to catch the Padres.
I don't think the Padres will hold on for the post season at all.Despite the 574 career victories that Greg Maddux and David Wells have run up, this is all about the BIG TWO.
These guys need a rhyming name.
Remember Spahn and Sain and pray for rain ?
Well how about Peavy and Young and then they're dung ?
nah, not with 574 career wins.hmm...
How 'bout Peavy and Young and then they're done ?
Peavy and Young and their song is sung ?
Peavy and Young and cough up a lung ?
Why the hell isn't there anything to rhyme with Peavy ?
Wait a minute !!!
Chris and Jake, the rest are fake.
Chris and Jake, through your heart with a stake,
the rest are fake, for goodness sake.
This all star break has been too long.PLAY BALL !
By the way.
History lesson time.
As for Spahn and Sain.
Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain.
They were teammates for six seasons, all with the Boston Braves before they moved to Milwaukee.
Both had four twenty win seasons in those six years but team success was really limited to one season.
Four 4th place finishes, a 3rd and the 1948 pennant before losing to Cleveland's last world series winner.
I hope life works out okay for the Alberta native, he seems like a decent enough guy.
Why the Canadiens made him a pair of free agent offers
and why they didn't trade him at the deadline last season is beyond me.
I don't believe too much in coaching x's and o's in the National Hockey League but it was clear that when teams carried the puck over the Habs blueline the last few years they made a beeline over to Souray's side of the ice and there was good reason why he was a minus hockey player.
He wasn't the one hurt in the minus department by his teammates,
it was the other way around.
In the 3rd, 4th or 5th year of Souray's contract, how many of those young defensemen will be better than Souray and would be taking away the ice time of the $27 million man.
I really do like the way Bob Gainey is going about the business of trying to put the Canadians back on the map.
Whether he's right about all those young defensemen he's collected for the very near future I can't tell you but it would be amazing if he's wrong about all of them.
This is not going to be a great hockey team this coming season.
Maybe not even the season after that but this has been a boring hockey team chasing it's own tail for a few years now.
The only way to stop the cycle is to build with youngsters and hope you're right.
Best of luck Bob.
Keeping busy includes an internet only baseball show I do for the folks at http://www.mcnsports.com/
we are currently on hiatus in the process of switching studios.
Please come and have a look.
I write a blog over there too.
Here's this weeks:
I hate to say I told you so, no wait a minute, that's a lie.
I love to say I told you so !
OK, so I'm not perfect, but not bad at all at the all star break as we look back on pre season predictions.
Every division winner I picked is either in first place (Red Sox, Angels, Mets, Brewers),
or, at the most, one game out in their respective divisions (Dodgers and Indians).
My National League wild card pick (Braves) stand only 2 games back of San Diego.
In the American, shame on me !
I let the Yankees money flash blind me instead of going with the League's best team last year (Tigers)
I thought the Yankees would paper over their pitching problems.Clearly Roger Clemens won't be enough.
I don't think the Yankees will be catching either the Red Sox or Tigers in the second half no matter how much they spendand that's fine with me.
I hate the way baseball is set up to allow money to cover tracks.
The Yankees in most years can spend their way past mistakes while if a team like the Brewers don't get it exactly right,it's basically tough luck.
In the National, there's several ways things can change.I think the Phillies will make a run, the Brewers to hold off the Cubs and the Dodgers to catch the Padres.
I don't think the Padres will hold on for the post season at all.Despite the 574 career victories that Greg Maddux and David Wells have run up, this is all about the BIG TWO.
These guys need a rhyming name.
Remember Spahn and Sain and pray for rain ?
Well how about Peavy and Young and then they're dung ?
nah, not with 574 career wins.hmm...
How 'bout Peavy and Young and then they're done ?
Peavy and Young and their song is sung ?
Peavy and Young and cough up a lung ?
Why the hell isn't there anything to rhyme with Peavy ?
Wait a minute !!!
Chris and Jake, the rest are fake.
Chris and Jake, through your heart with a stake,
the rest are fake, for goodness sake.
This all star break has been too long.PLAY BALL !
By the way.
History lesson time.
As for Spahn and Sain.
Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain.
They were teammates for six seasons, all with the Boston Braves before they moved to Milwaukee.
Both had four twenty win seasons in those six years but team success was really limited to one season.
Four 4th place finishes, a 3rd and the 1948 pennant before losing to Cleveland's last world series winner.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
