More Pops!!!!1

The legend of Mensah-Bonsu continues to grow ...

Sick, eh? I loved the little stroll Pops went for after he slammed it home. Seriously, how could anyone not like him?

My friends at Hoop Heads North are all about Pops as well. Make sure you check them out during your travels on the information highway; they're good people.

So, four wins in a row for the Craptors. Much like their cousins at the ACC, it's too little, too late. Alas, at least we've got Pops to enjoy ...

Deep Thoughts: The Leafs are the Bruins' Bitches

If there was any doubt that Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs need to re-sign Martin Gerber, there shouldn't be anymore, not after last night ...

Justin Pogge's .844 save percentage is downright pathetic.  Small sample size be damned. Drafted in 2004, Pogge is still not ready for prime time, and I'm truly beginning to wonder if he ever will be. How he performs for the Toronto Marlies in the playoffs (!!!!1) is going to say a lot about him. The pressure is on ...

The Boston Bruins took five of six from the Leafs this season. I hate the Bs. Especially Milan Lucic. And by "especially Milan Lucic" I mean I'd love to see him in the blue and white ...

The Bruins have allowed 95 fewer goals than the Leafs this season. Ninety-five! Sure, they're the best team in the Eastern Conference, but that's fucked up ...

The Leafs' 271 goals allowed is worst in the NHL. Other than the forever pathetic Atlanta Thrashers, who have allowed 262, no team comes close to that number ...

Some good news: Alex Ponikarovsky scored his career-high 22nd and 23rd goals of the season last night, and Niklas Hagman hit the 20-goal mark with the 100th goal of his career. Both of them are rudeys. My Poni-love post is coming down the pipe. Stay tuned ...

Mikhail Grabovski's Mickey Grabs' personal March Madness (two more assists last night; 14 points in March) has been HUGE for my fantasy hockey team ...

Toronto's won only 14 games at home this season. Only the hapless Tampa Bay Lightning have won fewer games on home ice. For shame ...

Is there a better camera shot than of Brian Burke with his binos, watching Luke Schenn pummel Steve Montador? Burke is boss. Literally ...

You know what really breaks my heart? The fact that the Paul Maurice led Carolina Hurricanes are going to make the playoffs (!!!!1). That's some bullshit ...

After this, another, clusterfuck of a season, I will never again take good goaltending and solid penalty killing for granted. I promise ...

Thieves in the Night

This one's for my man Lloyd the Barber ...

Black Star. Making me choose between it and Reflection Eternal is akin to making me choose between Mats Sundin and Dougie Gilmour, or Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. There is no right or wrong answer.

The following is from Wikipedia:

The title [Black Star] is a reference to a shipping line founded by Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey ...

The centrepiece of the album, "Thieves in the Night," was inspired by author Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye. In the album's liner notes, Kweli explains that the paragraph "struck me as one of the truest critiques of our society, and I read that in high school when I was 15 years old. I think it is especially true in the world of hip hop, because we get blinded by these illusions." The excerpt interpolated in the song is as follows:

And fantasy it was, for we were not strong, only aggressive; we were not free, merely licensed; we were not compassionate, we were polite; not good but well-behaved. We courted death in order to call ourselves brave, and hid like thieves from life.

And the version on the track:

"Not strong, only aggressive/Not free, we only licensed/Not compassionate, only polite (now who the nicest?)/Not good but well behaved/Chasin' after death so we can call ourselves brave, still livin' like mental slaves/Hiding like thieves in the night from life/Illusions of oasis making you look twice.

Amazing, eh?

There's more. Check out the following. Mos Def and live jazz music is an incredible combination ...

Mos and Kweli released Black Star back in 1998. Should the two of them return to the studio to make another album together, it would be like your favourite team winning a championship, 11 years after their first title. Needless to say, it would be a beautiful thing.

Deep Thoughts...

Chris Bosh, a deadbeat dad? Let's hope not. No matter what happens, his problems will never be as bad as Travis Henry's ...

Rob Iracane of the fine Walkoff Walk, where Lloyd the Barber of Ghostrunner on First fame (read this; I guarantee you'll subscribe to GoF when you're done) resides on the weekends, thinks the Toronto Blue Jays will finish last in the AL East this season. He's wrong. Simple as that ...

Points wise, Jason Blake is having the second-best season of his career. Fist pumps all around. They're on me ...

Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange have written a book called "Leafs AbomiNation." It will be sold for $19.67. Of the two authors, which do you think thought of the sticker price? ...

Sobering statistic alert: Post NHL lockout, I'm talking almost four full seasons, Toronto Maple Leafs goalies have 10 shutouts. Columbus' Steve Mason recorded his tenth of this season last night against Calgary ...

Incredibly joyous statistic alert: Andrew Raycroft allowed four goals on eight shots Wednesday night against Anaheim. Raycrap's save percentage, at .889, is now lower than Vesa Toskala's .891. I told you, the universe is wise ...

I can admit it: I'm officially worried about the Jays' rotation. But Toronto's still winning the pennant. It's going to be quite the fairytale-like story. Something to tell the grand kids ...

I believe Pavel Kubina will still be a Maple Leaf come training camp in September. And I wouldn't be opposed to him wearing the captain's "C"next season ...

The NHL's MVP debate is heating up. I love Alexander Ovechkin, but Geno Malkin gets my meaningless vote ...

Right about now is when I get really sick and tired of spring training. I can't wait until opening day. If you're looking for a ticket, holla at ya boy, I've got plenty ...

The Blast

This blog needs some music.

Every now and again, I'm going to drop some tunes around here via my good friend, YouTube. Music that I'm feeling. And some Toronto-specific content, of course. Why not, right? 

First are foremost, one of the tracks that made me fall in love with hip hop, real hip hop, "The Blast" by Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek, off the most incredible "Reflection Eternal."

I would argue until my final hours that "Reflection" is one of the greatest hip hop albums. Ever. 

Enjoy:

"Even when we suffer losses, I count the victory." Amen, Kweli. I think that's something all of us Toronto sports fans can relate to. 

Trust me, go out and pick up a copy of "Reflection Eternal." Don't download it. Buy it. It's worth every penny.

Leaving on a high note...

In five minutes and 57 seconds of stellar relief work off the bench, followed by a perfect performance in the shootout, Curtis Joseph made up for a season's worth of horrendous backup goaltending.

That wasn't the Cujo of 2008/2009 who replaced Martin Gerber between the pipes last night. No sir. That was Cujo, circa 1998/1999. The Cujo who never finished a season in Toronto with a save percentage lower than .906.

Thrust into a tie game with less than a minute to play in regulation, Joseph made a great save on an Alexander Ovechkin one-timer to send the game to overtime. He then made eight saves in the extra session, a number of them of the difficult variety on a Washington power play.

It was something else. The crowd was on its feet in appreciation of Cujo's heroic efforts. It was 1999 all over again.

In the skills competition to decide the game, Joseph shut the door on Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, and Ovie. Another standing ovation. Two. On a Tuesday night. Unreal.

Speaking of the shootout, it's been a lot more fun to watch this season, hasn't it? Amazing how much more enjoyable it becomes when the Leafs aren't complete and utter failures at it.

And I'm with the General; loved Gerber's passion last night.

In a perfect world, Curtis Joseph announces his retirement from the NHL today. As Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza taught us, it's all about showmanship. And talk about leaving on a high note.

It's been tough to watch Cujo this season, a shell of the incredible goaltender he once was. But for one more night, he was phenomenal, and I can't think of a better way for him to leave the game behind.

His performance last night; that's how I'll remember Cujo as a Toronto Maple Leaf.

And, most unfortunately...

The good die young. Way too young.

You will be missed, John Brattain. "Best Regards," indeed...

Andrew Raycroft's career...

Encapsulated in one picture.

Beautiful, isn't it? I thought so too. 

A Pulitzer is in order.

(Full disclosure: this picture now hangs in my cubicle.)

Just as sweet on Monday...

I don't know about you, but I find the Monday after the Maple Leafs kick the shit out of the Montreal Canadiens, on Hockey Night in Canada, on a Saturday night, for all the country to see, to always be the greatest Monday of all.

The boys took no mercy against a fragile Habs squad. It was the type of game - the type of performance - that gets me excited about next season. It was all business.

And you know, of course, who took care of said business: Mikhail Grabovski Mickey Grabs. A goal, three assists, and another reminder of just what Montreal will be missing out on for years to come. With 40 points, he's now third in NHL rookie scoring, and his 18 goals rank fourth among freshman.

Those 40 points; they're as many as Andrei Kostitsyn has, and more than Saku Koivu, Tomas Plekanec, Sergei "AHL" Kostitsyn, and Chris Higgins have.

Looking like a pretty svelte trade now, eh Damien Cox?

Keep booing our boy Mickey, Montreal. We love it when you do that.

I can't talk about Saturday night and not mention Alexei Ponikarovsky. It was his second four-point game in March, and it couldn't have come at the expense of a team I dislike more.

My man crush for the big Ukrainian somehow continues to grow. No Mats Sundin? No problem. The trade-age of Nik Antropov? No big deal. Poni's simply gone about his business all season, cracking the 20-goal mark once again, and putting up a career-high 53 points. With a salary cap hit of only $2.105 million, there isn't a better bargain in the NHL, period.

You still hating, 40?

How about the Habs' goaltending? Yikes.

A veteran keeper like Martin Gerber sure would look good in the Montreal crease right about now, don't you think? It's a good thing he wasn't on waivers, you know, and available to any team, twice before the trade deadline.

Well done, Bob Gainey. Well done.


Saturday night was another coach killing performance by the Leafs. Gainey's just out of coaches to fire.

Happy 100th anniversary, Montreal. See you on the golf course next month.

2009: We're 0-for-2...

The Toronto Maple Leafs are inquiring into tee times. Yep, it's springtime. 

Chris Bosh is going to have all the time in the world to make crazy awesome ridiculously lame YouTube videos once the Toronto Raptors are eliminated from post-season play. I can't wait.

The Toronto Blue Jays are going to need a miracle of biblical proportions in order to either win the AL East, or win the Wild Card. (I've got faith in Jesus. Dude walked on water, yo. All I'm asking for is the pennant. That's nothing.)

For calendar 2009, my city's hopes and dreams lie on the shoulders of Toronto FC, who begin their quest to make the playoffs (!!!!1) tonight in Kansas City.

The Dwayne De Rosario and Adrian Serioux era is upon us. Finally. And I've got a good feeling beautiful footy music will be made on the BMO pitch this season.

DeRo and Serioux, the local boys representing. Amado Guevara. A healthy Danny Dichio. A full season with Chad Barrett up front. Carl Robinson. A hopefully more confident Rohan Ricketts. Jimmy Brennan. Marco Velez. Greg Sutton. And, last but certainly not least, my man Marvell Wynne.

I don't need to tell you what all those guys above add up to. You know the answer.

Believe in the Reds. They're going to make sure 2009 isn't a complete bust.

Hot Fire

Loved the celebration. Absolutely loved it. Want to marry it.

If you didn't, you're probably a terrorist. You probably hate freedom, too. 

The xenophobic wonder Don Cherry likely popped a blood vessel watching that epic celebration. And, I'll be honest, that makes me like it even more. Coach's Corner on Saturday night should be a doozy.

Ovie time. All day, everyday. 

A Song About the Buffalo Bills

Years and years of losing and heartbreak are really beginning to take their toll on fans of the Buffalo Bills. Check out the following, it's pretty amazing:

Some great lines, eh?

My favourites would have to be:

"Give me a break, it can't happen every week."

"Let's not talk about the early 90s, how every play I see, makes my eyes bleed."

"Lee Evans was the best wide receiver, he runs routes like a golden retriever."

"Aaron Schobel doesn't get recognition (editors note: so true; since 2001 he ranks second in total sacks, behind only Jason Taylor), when the ball is snapped he turns on his ignition."

A big tune if there ever was one. 

You know, I wonder how that dude might celebrate when the Bills, one day, do win the Super Bowl. (Yes, it is going to happen.) Would he riot in the streets? Would he break down and sob uncontrollably? Would he write another song? 

For his sake, and for all of Buffalo, I hope it happens. That town has had to deal with more than its fair share of misery. It's no wonder I root for their football team.

If I find one of these...

In my change, I'm throwing it in the garbage.

I'd literally be throwing money ... into the garbage.

But it has to be done. Thanks, but no thanks, Royal Canadian Mint.

Go Leafs go.

UPDATE: I've come to my senses. (I'm sure many of you have been waiting for me to write that.) Well, sort of. Any Canadiens loonies that come my way will be donated to charity. Let some good come out of the despicable coins.

Dare I say 2010?

Contract talks between Jason Bay and the Boston Red Sox have broken off.

Bay will be a free agent next winter. Already, when I close my eyes, I see him in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform.

If arguably the best Canadian baseball player in the game signs with Canada's team, well, Richard Griffin's column the day after sure would be a must read.

Bay. A Blue Jay. Imagine.

That excited feeling between your legs? Embrace it.

How does a 2010 Jays team with Bay in left field, Alex Rios in centre field, Vernon Wells in right field, Travis Snider DHing, and Adam Lind at first base (so long, Lyle) sound?

With Roy Halladay leading the way on the mound, of course...

Pops!!!!1

Just when I think I've lost all confidence in Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo, he goes out and signs Pops Mensah-Bonsu. He goes out and gets me all excited to watch a matinee between Toronto and Indiana, so I can see what this kid is all about it.

Well, I watched. And I believe the hype. Forget about Shawn Marion. The rest of this dreadful season is about Pops.

Look at that picture above. Pops brings the fire. He is one intense mother fucker. And intensity is the last thing that comes to mind when I think of the Toronto Raptors.

Pops' line today: 21 points in just under 22 minutes, five-of-10 from the field, 11-of-13 from the free throw line, along with eight rebounds, five of them offensive. Read: filthy.

(Clearly, I like saying "Pops.")

He's only played five games, but Pops looks like the player the Raptors have lacked for so very, bloody long.

It's tough not to enjoy watching Pops, the undrafted product of George Washington college and London, England, on the court right now. And there hasn't been much to enjoy this season when watching, or listening to, Toronto basketball.

And with a name like Pops Mensah-Bonsu, how could anyone not like him?

Do your thing, Pops. For Colangelo's sake, and for mine, I sincerely hope you're not just another Jamario Moon.

T.O.'s a Buffalo Bill...

and Hitler isn't too pleased about it. (Hat tip: Stoeten at The Score.)

Signing Terrell Owens is worse than "wide right"? Fuck off. Wide right has its own God damn Wikipedia entry. Hitler's an idiot. 

Clearly, the Fuhrer and I don't see eye to eye on Owens. As a matter of fact, I'm going to come out on record and say that Hitler and I don't see eye to eye on a whole lot of things.

Anyway, huge move by the Bills. With it, they all but sold a group of 20 tickets to someone in Toronto, likely my brother, for a game at the Ralph next season. We were thinking of changing up the venue for our annual pilgrimage down south to an NFL game, Detroit perhaps, but now that T.O. is a member of the greatest organization in professional football, we're going back to Buffalo. And we can't wait.

Trent Edwards + Terrell Owens + Marshawn Lynch + Lee Evans = Playoffs!!!1

Shout!

Like these clowns, who are clearly the biggest Buffalo Bills fans ever, and hopefully very, very drunk:

As you can see, there's not a whole lot to do in Buffalo. But, go Bills.

(Another) Podcast, Please

My good friend and yours, Stephen Amell, from Searching for '93, had me join him on another podcast to talk some more Toronto Blue Jays baseball. This time, we were betting on the Blue Jays. Well, I was betting on the Jays. Stephen was busy betting against them.

Here's a link to the mp3. Have a listen. I guarantee you will enjoy the song off the top. Anyway, we lay down our bets, talk some hockey, where I admit to the world that I am a New York Islanders dynasty denier, and, brace yourselves, even talk about the weather. In Canadian Celsius of course, my American friends. You know who you are. But, yes, exciting shit.

No, I'm not going to tell you what we bet on. You have to listen to the podcast, silly.

Alright. Fine.

There's eight categories, each being an over/under, and each worth one point, with the exception of the first category; wins. It's worth two points. Whoever accumulates the most points at the end of the season is the victor. Scientific, I know.

Categories:

1. Blue Jays O/U wins: 80.5

2. Vernon Wells O/U games played: 125.5

3. Home opener O/U number of fans: 49,500

4. Roy Halladay O/U wins: 17.5

5. Lyle Overbay & Scott Rolen O/U combined home runs: 35.5

6. Alex Rios O/U home runs: 22.5

7. B.J. Ryan O/U saves: 31.5

8. Total attendance O/U for the season: 2,000,000

I took the over. On all of them. If that surprises you, you're an idiot. I'm nothing if not a fatally optimistic homer. And I probably wouldn't be too good at The Price Is Right.

Logic? You want logic? Look, no Blue Jays team led by the Gastonian one is winning fewer than 81 games. Especially not this one ... Am I worried about Vernon's health? Sure I am. But the way I see it, with his bum hamstring, he's getting the injury over with now ... Will the home opener be a sellout? It better be, Toronto ... Barring injury, Doc's winning 18 games. Actually, more ... Can Overbay and Rolen combine for 36 home runs? Let's just say that's probably the stupidest over I went with, but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen ... Alex Rios is going to be frighteningly good this season. Frighteningly. Good ... If The Beej can save 32 games 10 months post-Tommy John, he can do it again in '09 ... As for total attendance, when the Jays are well on their way to winning the pennant, people will be rushing to the Rogers Centre SkyDome. Daily.

So, there you have it. A cool, crisp $100 is on the line. And I'm sure Stephen and I will update you as to who's closer to glory over the summer. We've also decided that the loser (Stephen, eventually) has to be videotaped getting an autograph from the one and only Mike Wilner. In a perfect world, the loser (Stephen, eventually) will pay me via one of those massive cheques, which will then be presented to me by the one and only Monsieur Wilner. (Let us know, Mike.)

Oh, and I've decided: when Roy Halladay is pitching at home this season, I'm heading downtown. A little walk-up ticket action, please. He's worth the price of admission, every time. And like I said in the podcast, he won't be around forever.

Remember to regularly check out Searching for '93. Stephen's got a new layout, and is doing his thing. Follow him on Twitter (follow me, as well), get him up in your RSS reader, and subscribe to his podcast. He's good people. While it will pain me to take his hard-earned money, it's something I must do.

And if you're interested in getting in on some of the monetary action, I'm still taking bets on the Jays winning more than 80.5 games. If you're foolishly thinking under, holla at ya boy, along with how much you're willing to lose. Want to shit on the Jays? (PPP, I'm looking at you.) Put your money where your mouth is.

For the last fucking time: Blue Jays baseball ... you gotta believe.

UPDATE: PPP is taking the under on wins. $50 on the line. I'm going to be fucking rich come September.

A different team. Literally.

Is there anything you would rather do with your Tuesday night than watch the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs duke it out? If you said no, much like me, you have a problem. Actually, it's more like a sickness.

I don't know why I watched the game, but I did. To no one's surprise, it was like pulling teeth. It was the Leafs and Isles, after all. Borderline AHL hockey. But, hey, the Leafs won. In overtime, of course. Mickey Grabs with the winner, eh! It's a celebration.

Anyway, while I was walking home from work yesterday, I was thinking about just how much the Leafs' roster has changed in a calendar year. Yes, this is in fact my thought process as I stroll along Yonge St. after a long day at work. Don't judge me, yo.

Thanks to Google, which has completely changed all of our lives, I pulled up the box score to a game between the Leafs and New Jersey Devils, played on March 8, 2008. The Leafs were 2-1 losers (fucking Devils). Here's the roster the Leafs put out that night:

Nik Antropov (traded)

Jason Blake

Carlo Colaiacovo (traded)

Tomas Kaberle

Pavel Kubina

Bryan McCabe (traded)

Dominic Moore (traded)

Kris Newbury (in the minors)

Alex Ponikarovsky

Matt Stajan

Alex Steen (traded)

Anton Stralman (is half Leaf, half Marlie)

Mats Sundin (LEFT VIA FREE AGENCY)

Jiri Tlusty (owning the AHL)

Darcy Tucker (bought out)

Kyle Wellwood (waived)

Ian White

Jeremy Williams (in the minors)

Vesa Toskala

Andrew Raycroft (bought out; thank God)

Now, compare that with last night's Leafs roster:

Jason Blake

Boyd Devereaux (picked up on waivers)

Jeff Finger (free agency)

Mikhail Grabovski (acquired via trade)

Jeff Hamilton (free agency)

Pavel Kubina

Nikolai Kulemin (drafted)

Brad May (acquired via trade)

Jamal Mayers (acquired via trade)

John Mitchell (drafted)

Ben Ondrus (will never be anything but an injury call-up)

Phil Oreskovic (drafted)

Alex Ponikarovsky

Luke Schenn (drafted; thank God)

Matt Stajan

Lee Stempniak (acquired via trade)

Anton Stralman (still half Leaf, half Marlie)

Ian White

Martin Gerber (picked up on waivers)

Curtis Joseph (free agency; oops)

As you can see, the roster turnover has been nothing short of phenomenal. Granted, there have been a lot of injuries this season, as there always are. Ben Ondrus is up with the big club right now because Nik Hagman is hurt. I don't imagine Ondrus is part of the grand plans going forward. 

Guys like Stralman and Oreskovic are only up because Mike Van Ryn is made of glass, Kaberle's got a busted hand, and Jonas Frogren is done for the season. Don't forget about Jamie Sifers, who's also seen some action with the big club this year.

And Martin Gerber is a Leaf only because Vesa Toskala is injured, and because both Curtis Joseph and Justin Pogge stink.

Gone too are guys like Mark Bell (waivers), Robbie Earl (traded) and Staffan Kronwall (waivers). Rookies like Alex Foster and Darryl Boyce, who saw action with the Leafs last year, haven't been able to make the jump this year. While Tim Stapleton is down on the farm, enjoying a fine season, I think we'd all be pleased if Andre Deveaux and Ryan Hollweg (worst trade ever) never play for the Leafs again.

Ian White is one of the more interesting cats to think about, March 2008 to March 2009. A year ago against the Devils, he played 13:13. Of all the six defensemen in the lineup that night, White received the fewest minutes, even less than Stralman. Last night, White played 27:25, by far the most on the team. He has skyrocketed up the depth chart, and it's a testament to his hard work and flexibility. Also, his stache. He's rocked it like a champ all year and, make no mistake, it definitely has something to do with his success.

Clearly, change has come to Toronto. And the Brian Burke purges shall continue. I imagine it will be another busy summer in Leafs land.

Bring it on, I say.

Playoffs!!!!1

Eventually.

Down Goes Brashear

I'll be honest, I never thought I'd write those words.

Sheeeeit.

It's official: I miss Wade Belak. I can't believe we traded him, and then traded for Ryan Hollweg. Fail.

What the blood...?

Italy. Italy! Team Canada, ousted from the World Baseball Classic, by Italy. No offence to Italy but, well, they're Italy. No matter how much I've been drinking the past few days, that's rough.

The World Baseball Classic tournament just began for Canada. And, just like that, it's over. Ended in our own backyard, no less. Cue immense sadness.

I'll be honest, I drank a lot during Canada's two games. But I'm pretty sure I didn't see Toronto Blue Jay, and The Blue Jay Hunter man-crush, Scott Richmond throw a pitch. Why not? What was he being saved for? I'm off Ernie Whitt. Huge.

It sucked to see the homeland go out like complete bitches, especially to bloody Italy, but the tournament wasn't a complete loss. After all, on Saturday afternoon, I got to experience firsthand what PLAYOFFS!!!!1 baseball would be like at the Rogers Centre.

My man Lloyd at Ghostrunner on First wrote about it, and the Drunks wrote about it, too. The atmosphere was electric. Everyone was on their feet, hanging on to each and every pitch. It was loud. It was, frankly, the opposite experience than you'd expect at the Dome for a baseball game. Sure, Canada lost 6-5, but it didn't matter. Meaningful baseball - for all intents and purposes, playoff baseball - was played at the Rogers Centre, and I was there. It was magical.

Canada may have been eliminated from the World Baseball Classic last night, but let it never be said that Toronto is not a baseball town. My city proved that it was, and is, on Saturday afternoon.

You know, there's still 162 games to be played, but it sure is a good thing the Toronto Blue Jays will be taking part in playoff baseball this October. The Cable Box will be rocking, much like it was over the weekend. The Jays are winning the pennant, after all.

UPDATE: Make sure you read Stephen Brunt's column, Arrivederci, Canada, in today's Globe and Mail.

Excerpt: "On Saturday it felt as if baseball had returned to Canada for real, for the first time in a long, long time.

"A big crowd filled two-thirds of the Rogers Centre. There was a crackle of emotion in a place not known for it in the past decade and a half. And the plucky underdog Canadian national team ... repaid the fans in full by battling to the last out against the all-star Americans. 

"If you love the game, it made your heart sing. All of those wheel-spinning Blue Jays seasons when it seemed as if the sport would never again be first in the city's heart, and still when you give people a reason to really care, it seems they will."

Clearly, that shit made me cry. Read it. Toronto is a baseball town. Believe it. Brunt is a rudey.

The Perfect Day

As far as Saturdays in March go, this is about as good as it gets.

At about 11:30 AM, I'll be opening my first beer of the day.

At 2:00 PM, mildly drunk, I'll be at the Rogers Centre to watch Canada beat the USA in World Baseball Classic action.

At 5:30 PM, wonderfully inebriated, I'll be at Spadina Garden, enjoying the finest Chinese food Toronto has to offer.

At 7:00 PM, in a stupor, I'll be at the Air Canada Centre, where the Leafs will proceed to crush the Edmonton Oilers, and continue their most unlikely quest to qualify for the second season. Playoffs!!!!1

It's the perfect day, nothing's standing in my way. (Thanks for the big tune, Lori.)

WEEKEND UPDATE: Canada lost, the Buffalo Bills signed Terrell Owens, the Leafs lost, and, on Sunday night, I watched Venezuela vs. USA from a private box at the Cable Box. Ri-dic-u-lous.