Beautiful Baseball

Precisely why I love the sport:

"The game has its own peculiar aesthetic, and these days, looking at empty seats in places that were once real baseball towns, it is easy enough to wonder if that's an asset. Baseball requires both patience and involvement. It is not something passively appreciated, not a sport that overwhelms like an action movie. Full engagement every moment isn't essential - listening on the radio on a summer afternoon while doing something else can be a perfect baseball moment - but at the same time, it provides precious little bang for those with short attention spans, who need noise, need distraction, right here and right now."

- Stephen Brunt, The Globe And Mail

Mr. Brunt, as always, nails it. You can read the rest of his column on the passing of legendary Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell at GlobeSports.com.

Wendel Clark: The Anti Roy

Wendel Clark was honoured by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, not because he won multiple Stanley Cups, or had a Hall of Fame type career. Nope, Wendel was honoured because of the way he played the game.

If there was ever a guy who played hockey "the right way," it was Clark. It's probably the ultimate sports cliche, but Wendel left everything out on the ice, every single time he stepped on it.

No matter how bad some of those Toronto Maple Leafs teams were back in the day - and some of them were really, really bad - Clark played every game as if it were game seven of the Stanley Cup finals; as if it were his last. 

Patrick Roy was also honoured on Saturday night. By Montreal, and rightfully so. He had one hell of a career. Arguably the greatest goalie to ever play the game. Quite the resume: four Stanley Cups, three Conn Smythe trophies, and three Vezina trophies. 

But you know how I'll remember him? As a douchebag, for pulling that shit in Montreal back on December 2nd, 1995. You remember, don't you? That fateful night, when he was absolutely pounded by the Detroit Red Wings; when his career with the Habs came to a crashing halt.

Patrick Roy. What a drama queen. What a diva. What a quitter. Roy actually had the nerve, right after he was yanked from the game and still on the bench, to walk up to the team president of les Canadiens and say that he'd never again play for le bleu, blanc et rouge. It still amazes me. And all because his personal pride took a little bit of a spanking.

Poor guy, that Roy. Somebody pass me the Kleenex.

You know what else I'll remember about St. Patrick? His decision to not play for Team Canada at the 2002 Olympics. You know, because he wasn't handed the starting goaltending job, on a silver fucking platter, from the get go.

Classy guy, that Roy.

Patrick and Wendel. Two men, with two very different narratives, honoured by two storied hockey clubs. 

Roy had to be reaccepted by the Canadiens family for it to go down. Fucking drama queen. Clark loved being a Toronto Maple Leaf so much he came back home. Twice. He is a Maple Leaf. To the core of his being. It's what defines him.

That's the difference between the two men. Roy played for himself. Wendel Clark never, not once, thought of himself as bigger than the Toronto Maple Leafs, or his teammates, or the game. He was a warrior on the ice, but he played with humility, and it was on full display once again during Saturday night's ceremony. No matter what Rosie DiManno says, Clark deserved his moment at centre ice.

You know how I'll remember Wendel Clark? As the ultimate team player. I'll remember Wendel's wrist shots, and his thundering body checks. I'll remember him as the farm boy from Saskatchewan who captured the big city's collective heart. Most of all, though, I'll remember Clark as the guy who played for the logo on his jersey, the Maple Leaf, instead of the name on his back.

Thanks for the memories, Wendel. Number 17 looks great up in the rafters, where it belongs, for all eternity...

I'm assuming by now that you've checked out the full list, the Top 17 Wendel Clark Moments, over at Down Goes Brown. If you haven't, what the fuck are you waiting for? It's a wonderful trip down memory lane. And take some Kleenex, because something is going to, uh, get caught in your eye.

Oh, and props out to Down Goes Brown for joining TheScore.com's new Sports Federation. I may not agree with the man on many fronts, but that doesn't mean I don't know his blog is one of the best out there. And we all gotta pay the bills. Good on you, DGB.

#4 Bobby Orr Turns 60

As a young boy growing up in Toronto, I fell in love with the game of hockey. Watching the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux ply their trade was something I'll never forget. Those two players are, and always will be, synonymous with hockey greatness, along with one more: Bobby Orr.

Number four. The man whom Don Cherry says is the greatest hockey player to ever lace up a pair of skates. Of course, I never got to see Orr play. He was before my time. But many didn't get the chance either, as wonky knees robbed Orr of his prime years, and forced him into retirement at the unbelievably young age of 31.

Bobby Orr, the kid from Parry Sound, turned 60 last week. For those that were lucky enough to watch him play, it seems like only yesterday that he did. Last night on TV Ontario's The Agenda With Steve Paikin Globe and Mail sports columnist Stephen Brunt, whose work I thoroughly enjoy both at The Globe and on McCowan's Prime Time Sports, sat down with Steve Paikin to talk about the great Bobby Orr, the man and the myth.

As a self-proclaimed hockey nut, and a religious watcher of Hockey Night In Canada, I've always had a good idea of who Bobby Orr is and what he did for the game of hockey. In all honesty though, I never knew how good he really was on the ice. His statistics blew me away.

In only 657 career NHL games, Orr racked up an incredible 915 points (270 goals, 645 assists). Don't forget, Orr was a defenceman. He revolutionized the position, and is one of the few who changed the game as we know it. Orr also contributed when it mattered most, registering 92 points in 74 career playoff games, and winning two Stanley Cups.

Orr's records speak for themselves. He was the first defenceman to score 20 goals in a season, and the first player, at any position, to ever win three straight MVP awards.

When New York Rangers defenceman Brian Leetch tallied 102 points in the 1991/1992 NHL season, I remember being blown away by his scoring prowess from the defence position. Well, Leetch's 102 points had nothing on Orr. From 1969 to 1975, Orr had seasons of 120, 139, 117, 101, 122, and 135 points respectively. Simply phenomenal numbers.

Unfortunately, after his 135-point 1974/1975 season, Orr's injured knees limited him to only 36 games over the next three years. In 1979 Orr, hockey's brightest star, was forced to walk away from the sport in his prime.

Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey himself, has called Orr's premature retirement "the greatest blow the National Hockey League has ever suffered."

Orr was definitely one of the best hockey players to ever play the game, and I hope you'll click here to watch the interview with Stephen Brunt, author of "Searching For Bobby Orr," or download the podcast, to learn more about #4's life, and what he means to Canadian culture.

And before I forget, happy belated birthday Bobby Orr.