Category: Sports

Emilio Estevez must be so happy

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

The Stanley Cup has been won by the Anaheim Ducks. I’ll bet there are a lot of people who never expected to hear that sentence. At least they dropped the “Mighty” from their name and ditched the dopey logo.

.:.

I almost never remember my dreams. Maybe once or twice a year I’ll wake up and actually remember something, even just a few seconds. But when I do, it’s always about the same thing: a plane crash. Big plane, small plane…here in Toronto, back on my parents’ farm…it’s always a plane crash and I always see it happen. Every single time.

Let the psychoanalysis begin.

.:.

In case the civilized world needs another reason to ban the death penalty:

At Christopher Newton’s execution by lethal injection last month, it took 90 minutes and at least 10 stabs of the needle for the execution team to find a vein. The procedure was so drawn out the staff paused to allow Newton a bathroom break.

Sickening.

[tags]stanley cup, anaheim ducks, dream interpretation, death penalty[/tags]

Just like Mel Lastman was Canada's mayor

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

It’s warm today. Very warm. But it’s good; I think the sticky, humid weather is good for my cold. Feels like I’m in a sauna, kind of.

Another plus to being up this high, this close to the water: even on really warm days we get a cool breeze up here.

.:.

I left work just after 1:00 today. Got home, ate, caught up on a little work and just rested. I can’t bring myself to take sick days anymore — I’d have to pretty damn sick to not be able to look at a laptop — but today was a good rest for me. We’re going away for the weekend, so I don’t want to be snotty and hacky around my friends.

.:.

Apparently there’s a new poll out that says the Toronto Maple Leafs are who most would call “Canada’s Team”.

Overall, 24 per cent of the just over 1,000 people surveyed between May 17 and 20 named Toronto as Canada’s team, while 22 per cent picked the Habs and just 15 per cent chose the Senators.

This surprises me a little bit. Not because the Leafs got the most votes, but because they won by so little. Given the population of the GTA and the surrounding area, I would have expected the Leafs to have more support, but there’s Montreal right behind them. While that should be a little embarassing for Toronto, this is worse: what the poll doesn’t capture is that the 76% nationwide who didn’t vote for Toronto probably despise the Leafs, whereas — apart from in Toronto — the Canadiens have plenty of fans nationwide. If you were to do a net promoter score, I don’t think Toronto’d do so well.

[tags]toronto weather, humidity, leafs, canadiens, canada’s team[/tags]

Working for the weekend

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

OK…just barely awake at this point. Got up at 6, got to work by 7, had hectic-ass day, and left work at 8…didn’t feel tired until I got to the Auld Spot, where Nellie & CBGB were waiting for me, and around 1/4 of the way through my second beer (and following a very good veggie burger) I hit the wall. Sleeeeeeeeepy. I finished my drink (I’m not dead, after all), got the bill and then got a cab. I wouldn’t have stayed awake for the subway ride home.

Now…must try to stay awake long enough to watch the end of the Spurs-Suns game 6…Icandoit…

Note to self: remember to write paper (which is due Tuesday) this weekend.

[tags]auld spot[/tags]

The replacements

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

I am now the proud owner of a Creative Zen Vision:M, the black 60GB model. However, I won’t have a chance to play with it tonight (!) as I’m busy taking care of other shit. I have to get up very early tomorrow for a flight to Montreal. I’ll return too late tomorrow night to play with it then either. Dan == sad.

I also got a replacement Roomba; no word on whether it’s intact or if I’ll have to return it as well. On top of that we got a replacement bathtub today. It’s a day of substitutions.

.:.

From the Globe and Mail: Bring pro hockey back to Winnipeg: Manitoba Tories

From me: Bring economic lessons to the Manitoba legislature.

[tags]creative zen vision m, roomba, winnipeg, hockey[/tags]

Down swingin'

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

It was a great game last night, but the Raptors lost to the Nets, and fell out of the playoffs. The Raptors played about as well as they could, on the road in an arena they haven’t won in all year, with two busted-up point guards, but in the end came up just short. And I mean that literally; if Jose Calderon had gotten his entry pass to Bosh just six inches higher, Bosh would’ve had an uncontested dunk to win the game. Alas, ’twas not to be. At least there was no sense than Vince Carter knocked the Raptors out of the playoffs; apart from a few hard drives to the rack in the 4th quarter, Carter was pretty much an empty shirt.

.:.

I woke up early this morning (or rather, was woken up by furry beasties) so I saw the sunrise. I’m still getting used to how amazing it looks in the morning; we have an unobstructed view (for now) to the east, so it’s a pretty pleasant way to wake up.

.:.

We’re gonna go have some breakfast, run a few errands before coming home to do some more unpacking & setting up. It’s nice to be able to do that stuff, after a pretty crazy month.

Aaaaaand Sonny almost knocked the TV over just now when he attacked an in-flight golf ball that he saw on Sportscentre. I guess that could be an advertisement for Sharp.

[tags]raptors, nba playoffs, toronto sunrise[/tags]

56.465%

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

The Raptors barely held on last night, sending the series back to New Jersey. After watching the first quarter, after which Toronto had a 20-point lead, I figured it would be walk. Instead, Toronto’s two point guards got injured and the Nets clawed back into it, missing their final shot of the game to let the Raps sneak out of the building with the win.

The problem now will be playing in New Jersey with, potentially, your two best point guards in street clothes.

.:.

Nothing brings out the histrionics of Toronto city councillors and merchants like a proposed streetcar right-of-way. “Restaurant could go bankrupt”, Adam Vaughan? It’s a two month test! Drop the inflammatory statements and find some statistics.

.:.

Christopher Hitchens and I have not always gotten along, but I think I need to buy his new book called God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.

[tags]raptors, king street streetcar, toronto city council, christopher hitchens, god is not great[/tags]

Let's all personally groom in a public place

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Tonight we saw the world premiere of Let’s All Hate Toronto (hot docs), a funny & quirky little documentary about Torontonians confusion as to why the rest of the country dislikes them. I read the blog kept by Rob Spence (aka Captain Canada) when he was travelling across the country holding Toronto Appreciation Days, much to the anger and dismay of Canadians everywhere. There was nothing groundbreaking or insightful about the documentary; it was just good fun.

Except for the really loud lady sitting behind us who, unless I’m mistaken, was cutting her fingernails during the film. Awesome.

.:.

Why, why does our environment minister look just like Lester from Mississippi Burning? And why does he spout alarmist rhetoric like “meeting our Kyoto targets will put us in a recession”?

.:.

All Quiet On The Western Front might be remade. It’s one of the few movies I’d look forward to a remake of…if it’s done right. All this talk about making it into a “big budget, sweeping Hollywood epic” smacks of Pearl Harbor, and nobody wants that.

.:.

On the eve of the Toronto Raptor’s playoff series against New Jersey, I feel nervous. While confident that Toronto is the better team, should New Jersey pull off an upset, the psychological scarring that would result from losing to Vince Carter in the playoffs would be deep and long-lasting. Here’s hoping Bosh hangs a triple-double on them tomorrow, and that Kris Humphries or Joey Graham put sissyboy on his ass once or twice.

[tags]let’s all hate toronto, john baird, kyoto, recession, all quiet on the western front, toronto raptors, vince carter[/tags]

And now: a brief bullety interlude

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

I’ve had a busy day, so point form is all yer gettin’:

OK, back to work. I have a term paper to write before all the packing can start.

[tags]pixies, mogwai, anteaters, nova scotia legislature[/tags]

The universe rights itself

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

The New York Islanders just beat the New Jersey Devils in a shootout (after giving up the tying goal with 0.8 seconds left), securing the final playoff spot and sending the Maple Leafs off to compete for tee times with the Montreal Canadiens.

.:.

Still on hockey, the attention for Montreal fans now changes to gutting the house for repairs. Sergei Samsonov will never play another game in the CH sweater, and David Aebischer found himself displaced by Jaroslav Halak. Sheldon Souray may well leave as an unrestricted free agent; Alex Kovalev will be traded if a buyer can be found for his huge contract, bought out if one cannot.

Still, the core of this team is very good. They have a ton of good young talent in Higgins, Ryder, Komisarek, Lapierre, Latendresse, Plekanec, Kostitsyn, Perezhogin, Gorges and Halak. They have some solid veterans like Koivu, Markov, Bonk and Johnson, and some solid role players. What they’re missing is a #1 center and a good mobile defenseman; if they can unload or buy out Samsonov, Kovalev and Aebischer and attract a few free agents, they could resume the form they had earlier this season.

.:.

Pool news: I believe I have 1st place in my hockey pool, but won’t know for sure until tomorrow. I picked up Islanders goalie Wade Dubielewicz last night and he recorded the win in today’s game, but more importantly Ryan Smyth didn’t score the game-winning goal, which might’ve made it close. I’m also creeping up dangerously close to 1st in my basketball pool, but I don’t see how I can make up any more ground (as it’s a roto pool).

.:.

My musical inbox is out of control. My brother is partly to blame, sending me half a dozen new albums to check out, but I’m no better. I keep grabbing new stuff even though I have no time to listen to it.

  • apostle of hustle . national anthem of nowhere
  • aliens . astronomy for dogs
  • bird and the bee . bird and the bee
  • brmc . baby 81
  • clinic . internal wrangling
  • clutch . from beale street to oblivion
  • dalek . abandoned language
  • dalek . absence
  • friday morning’s regret . when lost at sea
  • grinderman . grinderman
  • in-flight safety . coast is clear
  • kings of leon . because of the time
  • klaxons . myths of the near future
  • low . drums and guns
  • marissa nadler . songs iii: bird on the water
  • national . boxer
  • nine inch nails . year zero
  • ted leo . living with the living
  • worker bee . divorce your legs

So far I’ve had quick listens to brmc (good), clinic (not so good), grinderman (starts off strong, drifts from there), kings of leon (good), low (not sure yet) and ted leo (also not sure yet).

.:.

Last night, post-apocalypse, we started to purge the old crap out of our apartment. I love the “throwing shit out” phase. LOVE it. It’ll be difficult to stop me now. “Do we really need towels? I mean need them?”

[tags]islanders, maple leafs, nhl playoffs, montreal canadiens, hockey pool, nasketball pool, brmc, clinic, grinderman, kings of leon, low, ted leo, moving[/tags]