NBC Sports Fashion police

Entering a new phase, the National Hockey League (NHL) seems to be getting pressure from NBC. One of the senior executors insist that most hockey players be clean cut. Its for image. A lot of other malarkey from the vacuous brain of a suited executive.

Why is it that American sport media feel the need to manage a sport? I doubt the slagging ratings experienced annually by NBC have anything to do with player's face hair. Check the employee list. NBC sports pun-ditz carry the worst baggage on television. 

Pan American Pan (PAP)

Heading into the Pan American Games the organization deserves to be wiped across the examination table of the provincial auditor. Call the PAP smear.

Contrast the original forecast with now. They forecast a rush on hotels, reserve early. Recent comments by the phenomenally greedy Toronto hoteliers there was no rush to reserve. Indeed there will be vacancies all over the place.

Contrast. They pushed the idea to buy advance tickets. Unfortunately up til this moment, this date, ticket sales are so far behind that the officials are skirting around the issue of ticket sales. Trust this observation. If ticket sales were furious they would be bragging like it was 1066ad in Normandy.

Indeed, there are rumored price drops which means that advanced ticket buyers hoping to purchase seats at a discount will now be paying the premium price for some events. Some people are upset.

After the fun ends there will be the predictable hangover. Except so few people will see the games in person that no one will get much of a headache. Rather taxpayers will be outraged by the final enormous cost overruns of which cost points will trickle rather than pour out.

Is there a beneficiary, certainly UofT Scarborough campus will be a big winner. A low cost world Olympic class swimming pool is in their use. After it will certainly be declared as a probable venue for Toronto's next summer Olympic bid. Its certain to happen. The Pan Am Games will be declared by all the politicians as a success. Taxpayers will go..."What the hell?"

And everything will be right with the world.

The Big Elephant

FIFA fell on its own twisted arrogance. In some ways, this scandal was good not just for football/soccer but brings a framework for scrutiny for all professional and amateur sports. The message it sends is fatigue over the escalating costs of major international and national sports events.


Wrapped in total angst, the observer must ask whether bribery in this case truly effected the outcome of the choice of event venue(s). The Republic of South Africa(RSA) was chosen. When the investigation proved that FIFA officials allegedly received bribes and kickbacks the decision was criticized albeit encased in the convenience of hindsight. Here lies the problem. Before the decision to have RSA hold the World Cup of Football, FIFA was under considerable pressure to have the cup sited on the African Continent. Of all the nations on the African continent, RSA was the most capable from an economic, political and social aspect. Its the number one pick if one wanted to hold any major sports event in Africa.

The same goes for the World Cup choices of Russia and Qatar. Bribery seems totally pointless because both those nations can and will comfortably host successful tournaments. They would have been the best choices on that cycle. This fact which sustains those choices despite the rapacious challenges of the bribery scandal. And that is the problem with bribery in these cases. The payments were quite unnecessary.

One must also question the selectivity of American justice. The massive arm of the United States Justice system goes after FIFA for very two very strange reasons. When the choice process took place the nation in second place was the United States. But it was a second place that wasn't even close in voting. The last round Qatar had 14 votes to the United States 8.

The American prosecution seems a major case of the sour grapes of being the poor loser. Their prosecution seems very legitimate because FIFA officials carelessly used US based banks and financial firms. The allegations include money laundering and this is illegal in the USA. This single fact opened the door for the USA government to undertake legal action against FIFA officials.

Whether these officials will be successfully convicted seems likely since the modern US court system smells a lot like the kangaroo. The United States does seem very selective in its choice. The reason for this assessment emerges as the righteous weight of the US comes down on FIFA, other professional organizations continue on unscathed. The big one, the big international fish is the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Some time ago, some Olympic Committee members were accused of the very same thing. One prominent point of strangeness was when the City of Athens magically lost its bid to the much weaker Atlanta bid. Up to the final vote, the contention by rumor that some votes were enhanced by money offers. Indeed, the wining and dining of Olympic officials seems to point to the use of financial or perk incentives. It comes to the single question, the big elephant. Does the IOC stand up the to the same scrutiny as FIFA experienced?

Gilmour for ....

On paper Mark Hunter will get the job. Should he? Yes he is a skilled scout and player negotiator. The problem for the Leafs is to get more of a politically diplomatic powerhourse. Unlike other clubs, the Leafs have a monumental wailing wall of sports media. The guy should have some Leaf cred but been on his own so as not to get tainted with failure.

In that light then, if they are as smart as they pretend to be there is only one effective choice. The only person to fit that role and is now a General Manager, is Doug Gilmour of the Kingston Frontenacs.

He played for the Leafs during a more successful period. He does wear a Stanley Cup ring. He has played with a variety of hockey clubs, not just the Leafs. The variety means he's been in a position to study other organizations. He would also provide cover for those who will assert that the Leaf's have no tradition blah, blah. He has been away from the Leafs long enough so as to be free from the taint of the recent Leaf regimes. Gilmour would be far more recognizable and popular with the fans and with the media in other words, Leaf-cred.

And most important of all, unlike Hunter, the presence of Doug Gilmour would be a hip check to Don Cherry's voice. He's a good Kingston boy too.

Kadri sent home. Not see any Buffalo roam

You guys (Leaf fans) are the most horrible fans on the planet. What game are you watching? At least Kadri tries. Right now they are all trying. He's one of the players that have always been on the demand list of the tradeable players. Any smart team would like to have him. So what happens?

... Have a disastrous night game. Call an emergency morning team meeting. Then one guy shows up a little late then get all Mugabe on one of the forwards whose play seems essential to the morale of the team. If Kadri has a bad game, then the Leafs have a bad game or has anyone in Leaf Fandumb put those two things together.

... Its astounding that all the sport expertise in this city, all the alleged hockey experts in T.O. and they cannot figure out the simple reason why this team doesn't play well. It isn't one player's fault. And simply finding a scapegoat will not work to solve anything. They are all talented players. It wasn't any coaches fault. They just didn't gel into a team. Its called sport for that reason.

... Besides the patently obvious, just what else would this frigging meeting entail? Suspending a player at this period of time, isn't exactly a morale booster.

... There are a hundred ways of giving a proportionate punishment. Hold a Kangaroo Court. Fine a dollar for every minute late to the Sick Kids Hospital. Have extra wind sprints. Get him to pay for pizzas. Anything, but the one thing that was done.

Passing the rubber Belichick

One or two screwed up balls wouldn't do anything. However 11/12 were under inflated. Look I was cheering for the Pats. I've detested the Colts since the days of Johnny Unitas. Not that I hated Unitas per se, but every kid playing touch football in the school yards were going, "I'm Johnny Unitas, I'm Johnny Unitas." Uggh.

... Back to the issue, the integrity of the game is more important than any team, or any one. I like sports. And two aspects to sports. I like honest players and there are many. There are some cheaters. Cheaters are a part of every game. Yet, cheaters must not be caught. And this game was a playoff game, which should hold a higher standard than a seasonal game. The Pats should be disqualified, period, lose draft picks for three years, Belichek fined and suspended for a year.

... Compounding this is the fact that the game officials checked all 24 balls before the game and they were all legit. So in the two hours between the time of audit and the kickoff, its obvious that the Pat's balls were tampered with.

... At the moment, I think the investigation has concluded now the league office is debating just what the punishment should be. They must take into account the impact on the fans. They must consult with every other team, and as most of the other team players and managers are on vacay, that takes time. ... Reasons: One: They ruined the credibility of the game. Two: Cheaters shouldn't get rewarded. Three: Send a heavy message to the rest of the teams that if caught, the gettin caught cheating the boom will be lowered hard.

... In any sport, the integrity of the game must be paramount. 

(Well unless you're NASCAR. Another story there.)

Oilers hit the greasy slide

A once great hockey team from a great city is now wallowing in last place. The Edmonton Oilers fired their head coach a few games ago, but not much changed. Eakins is one of the elite coaches in the sport of hockey. Even he had to realize once he had a chance to evaluate the team that the roster was filled with poorly developed hockey players. Loads of talent. Lacking in skill.
... Typical. The Oilers overrate their players. One really has to wonder where the management derives its plan. McT probably issued the funniest assessment about his inability to forge a meaningful trade.
... He said that he doesn't want to trade away his core players. Worse. He said it with an absolutely straight face.
... The Oilers management has bungled their player development so badly that it is totally believable that every player would likely pass through recallable waivers. And if there was interest, none could attract a value trade of better than a 6th round draft pick.
... Every other team in the league recognizes that there isn't a single player on the Oilers who would not benefit from doing a year or two in the AHL. If the Oilers manage to get another first, or second pick in the first draft round put them into a year in the AHL. And throw away the key.
... The NHL is no place to develop players. Too focused on winning. Too little practice time. Too many games. Very little time for meaningful long term one on one coaching.