X-tastrophe

Ok, in my many years of following some of these "extreme sports", I've seen a lot of stupendous feats. Some nailed. Some bailed. This failed front flip attempt on a freaking motor bike definitely ranks in the top 5 of gutsiest, most envelope pushing tricks ever. And top 3 in nastiest bails.

The more I watch these mx guys the more I think that their discipline is truly the most insane out of the whole show. I mean, how do you decide that you're going to whip a full dirt bike upside down off a huge jump...and oh do it frontwards, is just plain asylum worthy.

Selling The Future For The Further Future

Earlier today, after reading about the then imminent Oswalt deal, I couldn't shake the feeling that something more was afoot. Something of significance regarding the Jays. Even posted the sentiment on one of the message boards that's on the daily morning Maniwaki route.

It was a day off, so took the dog and board out to Spanish for a skim. iPod was dialed to mid tempo early 90's post hardcore classics, Quicksand and locals legends, Sparkmarker. Switched gears later by blasting vintage RATT all the way home. Some times fuck the angst. You just need to hear Stephen Pearcy wail about groupies and boozing whilst Robin Crosby cuts through the scorching summer air with Hitori Hanzo sharp solos.

It was a good day.

***

Came home to find that indeed my baseball barometer was not off and my inklings were correct. The Jays had just unloaded top prospect, and piece in the Halladay blockbuster, the Big League ready, Brett Wallace.

And all for some 19 year old still in Single A. What?

Weren't we supposed to see Overbay shipped off? And watch Wallace bash bombs ala Prince Fielder next season? Weren't we supposed to be anticipating September in hopes of getting a glimpse of a plate appearance of one of the Halladay three? The same one one who's hitting .301 with 18 bombs right now in Triple A, Las Vegas?

I mean Christ when are we supposed to compete for this thing? 2022?

***

After some furious internet scouring and message board mania, I think I'm a bit more at ease with the deal. Or at least I keep telling myself I am. I mean trading a Big League bopper who could get plugged onto any squad tomorrow, for a projected five tool outfielder light years away from the Dome is worth it right? Not getting anyone else in the deal is ok right? And Alex Anthopolous is still on the road to upstaging Theo Epstein right?

I don't know. On paper it seems like sheer lunacy. But the Jays' thinking is that power hitting first basemen are much easier to acquire than amazing multi tool Leatherman centre fielders. Which I can acknowledge. Sort of. But does this really make the Halladay deal worth it? So in the end we get;

Drabek (AA), d'Arnaud (A), and now Gose (A)? For Roy?

To quote Vlad The Dad. Is that "good value?"

Maybe Wallace (and Michael Taylor, who the Jays got from Philly for Halladay and then immediately flipped to Oakland for Wallace) were never really part of Anthopoulos' plan to begin with. Everything I read about the new Jays boss says he's pro active in targetting players and then acquiring said players. The word is that Gose was on the Jays radar for a while and that Philly wasn't budging.

When the opportunity came for AA to get Houston to nab him for Oswalt, the Astro's price was Wallace. So the Jays in fact come out on top by acquiring their highly covetted, projected super star for a dime a dozen Major League ready power hitter who never really fit into the Jays long term plans to begin with.

At least that's what I'm telling myself. The playlist has just officially gone back to Sparkmarker and Quicksand.

The Maniwaki Curse Continues...

Five years ago (has it been that long already?), on Opening Day, I placed a curse so foul and venomous on the then soon to become official, Washington Nationals that I even had to pause at its potency, duration and utter cruelty. A pause which lasted approximately .23 seconds.

The Nats curse was unfurled and uttered on the team message board, under a different moniker, to which the powers of MLB moderation had it promptly removed. Therefore, you will not find any evidence of it anywhere. You will not find it's wording. You will never know it's specifics. Which of course, is the mark of any good hex.

But I know it's there.

Hovering of Nationals Park like an alien mother ship from some neo sci-fi B-movie. Routinely, meticulously, and insidiously showering down invisible, yet very real jinx beams on front office, players and fans alike. The curse has been working like clockwork for five seasons, and still grows stronger.

Today? The double whammy. Triple if you count the initial Batista signing. Is young Strasburg's soreness something to worry about? If I were wearing one of those "W" caps I'd be packing up and jumping on the beltway out of town. As the curse has taken on it's own awareness.

And it's learning. Becoming even more clever in its torments. Hell, even on my best day I couldn't come up with the truly creative compound complication it unleashed last eve.

So citizens, players and front office of DC. Is hope for a future lost? In fact it isn't. There is a way to lift the Maniwaki Curse. Maybe one day, I'll reveal it.

Maybe...

The Cuban Assassin

Again with the Cuban... Holy smokes what next? If you haven't seen the highlights from yesterday, just take a gander at this. Then again if the vid doesn't load or you can't watch it, don't worry, you'll be seeing it a ton on the Sportsnet over the next few months. And he was "too flashy" for Atlanta? Who cares, he can throw a few in the dirt if we keep getting fielding lunacy like this. Viva La Flash!!!

The Hawk Soars Into The Hall

How happy am I that Andre Dawson entered the Hall Of Fame yesterday? If you read these e-pages even semi-routinely I'm sure you'll figure out my attitude towards another Expo getting the nod.

I know there's been much debate as to if the Hawk should have made it, but what seals is for me is that aside from the obvious (being part of the rock star early '80's Expos) this TSN piece says he's one of three players to hit over 400 jacks and swipe over 300 bags career.

Oh yeah, while battling through 12 knee surgeries to boot, resulting from running for years on the punishing Le Stade Olympique astro turf.

So who were the other two in the 400-300? Willie Mays and that questionable steroid guy, so really it's just two guys that've accomplished that. Put it like this. If only you and Willie Mays are the only guys who share a legitimate career stat, then I guess you should be in The Hall.

Way to go Hawk. Way to do Les Boys proud. Gracious speech as well. Bon for baseball.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Jays/Tigers double header today. Caught game 1 from HQ. Bits of game 2 from the shack.

AM. Who would think the ninth inning hero would be Lyle Overbay with the two out game winning jack? Went very well with my coffee, and stack o'blueberry pancakes. I just love Sunday mornings.

PM. After such a feel good, family friendly Sunday morn, who would've thought that once the clock struck 3 and the second game started, everything would go straight to shit? Despite another solid outing from Cecil and a Vernon Wells bomb, the Jays manage to SYMC (shit your Motor City) and cough up a 4-0 lead resulting in bile soaked 6-5 final. Puke. Meanwhile Brother Carn and I, unable to escape the bad ju-ju, get absolutely crushed by wave after punishing wave of insanity at the shack. We barely escaped with our hides. Seriously. Sunday nights? Nope.

And why does HQ suddenly stink like fucking garbage!!!!????? Remnant odours following us? Who knows...

Man-iwaki VS Beast

Ok we win one in Detroit. Awesome. But let's get to the real story of the night. A non sporting tale which I must regale.

So it's the first Saturday fireworks night of 2010. The annual, so-called family friendlyCelebration Of Light, inevitably, every year, devolves in the The Drunken Celebration Of Fights as literally hundreds of thousands of people invade the west end from every nook and cranny of the lower mainland. Some of said nooks and crannies don't really fall under the "Beautiful British Columbia" provincial logo on the license plate. Nor do the residents of some of these locales act beautifully.

So my compadre, Matt and I were finished an uneventful one at the shack. The shack is in Stanley Park, literally steps away from the big light show. In the past, I've watched from the roof. But not tonight. It was time to get out and head back to HQ.

Due to the intense and extremely clogged parking sitch, Matt informed me we'd have to walk out of the park to get to his wheels. As we approached the entrance of the darkened corridor which we would have to run the gauntlet to get to the car, we noticed a noticeably irate fellow clad in muscle shirt barking on his cell phone.

"Yeah they fucking towed the car. There was a handicapped sign that popped out of nowhere. Fuck!!!"

Typical. Not a beautiful British Columbian.

A few feet away stood two raccoons. Not a big deal as these nocturnal bandits reside all over Stanley Park. They routinely invade the shack's garbage receptacle, usually slinking off when startled.

A few cars seemed to be backed up along the road where muscle shirt was talking.

We crossed the street in front of the waiting vehicles, passed the pissed off guy, and entered the dark woods which in a few steps would lead us back into the residential glow of the well lit West End. We were about half way, when we heard this ghastly shrieking and hissing.

A silhouette of muscle shirt guy came flying through the darkened park. It was like something out of Sleepy Hollow.
His girlfriend was frantic yelling, "Mike!! Mike!!!" and my first thought was, "Of course. A pissed off skid tilting another skid. On fireworks night. Swell." It was a full moon after all.

But there seemed to be only one silhouette and the screaming definitely wasn't human. Was this guy actually fighting the raccoon?

Of course he was.

And he kicked and thrashed at this thing like it was the rabbit from Monty Python's Holy Grail, as his girlfriend kept yelling in that certain hysterical pitch when gals do when they witness their boyfriends get in scraps outside lame dance clubs.

After a few seconds of this banshee like clawing and caterwauling, the dude lifted up what seemed to be a furry sack of potatoes. Which quickly became two. As the raccoon ran off and the arms of the mighty muscle shirt hoisted a dog from the melee.

What was this? A puppy? In the fray? Holy smokes!!!! We approached the scene. Mike... the dog seemed to be ok, although he did have a few scrapes. The girlfriend picked him up by the scruff, scolded the pooch a bit for picking a fight with the raccoons and put him in the car.

Muscle shirt guy wasn't too much better. He had been cut up as well, but told us he "kicked that fucking raccoon real good."

I wondered if we weren't actually in a Blair Witch sequel.

Matt suggested to muscle shirt guy that he and the dog both get rabies shots. However, he told us that he'd had his already. Really? Who gets rabies shots? I haven't had rabies shots. I don't think I know anyone that's had rabies shots. But who knows? Maybe this wasn't the first scrum that this Steve Irwin from Surrey had been in. Maybe one day we'll see some DVD box set of his bouts for sale on late night television.

My compadre and I were stunned. Yet happy to see that everyone walked away from the brawl not too banged up. We wished the muscle shirt guy and his girl well (keeping our distance from these rabies carrying suburban barbarians the whole fucking time), turned and continued down our very short, but very dark and insane path.

We continued to the car and tried to make sense of the entire feral confrontation/situation.

To witness a full on brawl during the fireworks is something to be expected. But to see the violent shapes of two creatures viciously wrestling each other in a dark barren lot, under neath a full moon....one a man, the other a raccoon, is utterly and positively something that I would never fathom or consider stumbling upon.

Only in Maniwaki Country...

911 Not A Joke In Your Town

Talk about committed. Or maybe he should be. Can't say I blame the guy though. Like I haven't thought about reporting Selig for years.

Maniwaki Summer Diary - The Dog Days Of Surfing

Day off. Woke up. Dice on the horn. Secured tickets to the Suns/Raptors preseason game in October. Very good for baseball.
What wasn't. The last few innings of this stinker that I caught on the Sportsnet.

Dog got antsy. Headed down to English Bay. And were both greeted with one of the best breaks I've ever seen at our favourite city skim spot, a few feet from the Inukshuk.

Cursed bad back for not healing fast enough and thus not bringing board. The height of the tide on the beach was mixed with the perfect amount of wind, layed out one of the most glorious run ups and small shore breaks that you'll ever ride around here. Not surfing by any means. But as close as your going to get in the city. Stood and took in the perfect mini storm, sizing up imaginary lines and carves.

Threw the ball for the dog and vowed a Great Maniwaki Surf Adventure in the future.

Jays Drop Series. Consider Selling The Farm.

Ok this is the kind of shit I'm talking about that we don't need. A series loss to the lowly Royals. Gregg's SYM (shit your Missouri) the other night ushered in the the inevitable, maddening mid summer .500 hover. Why do I and so many other Jays fans perform this self flagellation every season? I don't know. But I know I'll tune in tomorrow for more lashes.

Also, this Bautista business is unsettling. The front office has said that while they want to bolster the system with young talent, they don't want to create a culture of losing which will hinder said young guns' development. (see Pittsburgh Pirates) This is where a guy like Bautista, cracking his bombs, and single handedly winning games comes into play. I see this guy as part of the future. If he resigns this year, he's projected to nab around 6 mill a year from arbitration. An absolute steal for well...only the guy who's cracked the most home runs in the entire Bigs.

The market's hot for Downs and even Gregg? Great, I'm sure AA has got another fleecing in the works. Fire away. But don't barter Bautista.

Quick Tick...

...Kovalchuck signs with Devils for the rest of his natural life. League says, "Hold on a second." HQ implodes after actually siding with the Commish...

...Bautista hits yet another. Debate rages as to keep him or trade him to bolster the system even further. Maniwaki votes to hang on to him. The guy's hit his stride in the Dome. No need deal him for intangibles...

...How can you not want the Cubs to win The Whole Thing after Lou announces his imminent retirement...

Blue Jays, OK

Look, I know I get a tad pessimistic around here, as usually there's a plethora of stuff to gripe about. However, after coming off the recent sweep of the O's and looking at this 2010 Jays roster, I must remind myself that practically everyone in the pre-season (myself included) predicted the two squads two be sitting in opposite spots in the standings.

With some very creative maneuvering in the front office, I once again have to hand it to AA The GM in seemingly getting this squad back on track sooner than later. I mean if you would've told me that in mid July the Jays would be two games over .500, eight and a half games out of the WC, and not sitting in dead last in the East or entire AL for that matter, I would've thought you'd have put heroin on my Chipwich.

But while it's not something to be blowing the Skydome roof off, it is a hell of a lot better than we all predicted. So I figure I should rattle off some good news, and put up a random list of ten things that should make you want to watch the Jays.

1. JP is long gone. And replaced by a guy who seems to know what he's doing.

2. The commitment to scouting. AA bolstered the number of scouts this year, as the Jays have to follow the Rays model by drafting well to compete in the Gordon Gecko AL East.

3. We had three all stars this year. Not just a token Doc. Huh? How many times would've you put your head through the wall laughing maniacally, if last year you heard that the 2010 Jays reps would've been Vernon Wells, Jose Bautista and John Buck? Wells is playing up to snuff, with n'ary an ill word about his contract. Bautista is leading the league in bombs. And Buck? What the fuck? Finally, a catcher who can gun guys down.

4. Speaking of Doc. How about those kids we got in return? Drabek's already pitched a no no in Double A, and Wallace on pace to have a career year for Las Vegas. Meanwhile the Phills sit in third in the NL East and Doc got positively rocked last night.

5. I know I've been saying it a lot over the last few days, and I know its early. But the Cuban.

6. As well as this other Cuban who's simmering in the system.

7. The Brandon Morrow experiment seems to be working.

8. The trade that brought him to the Dome makes Seattle look positively asleep at the captain's wheel.

9. First in jacks in the entire Bigs.

10. As mentioned before, the remaining July sched.

...And A Grand Slam To Boot?

Ok, this is getting pretty ridiculous already. What happens tomorrow? He hits for the cycle?

Quashing The Embargo

Early I know, but how about that new Cuban hitting a clutch leadoff single in the eighth, only to have Jose Bautista do what he does best and blast one next? And all to put the Jays up 3-2 in their come from behind win? I watched from the Shack, and must say felt pretty damn good about AA's abilities thus far. Not even a year in and he's already made some absolute stunner deals.

Next he'll most likely ship off surly Kevin Gregg for some future Cy Young starter.

The NBA. Where Mad Max Happens...

I just love when this blog writes itself. Flipping through The Province this morning over breaky, I happened across this li'l snippet re:Maniwaki favourite thug baller, Delonte West. Please pay extra attention to the last line of the piece as it really just nails it better than any ridiculous analysis I can muster.

God, I hope the bike was Bombardier so they can get West to do their next commercial. As he's getting cuffed and hauled off the clink, he'll turn to horrified onlookers and proudly announce, "It's a Bombardier!!!!" And they'll all applaud.

The Reason Why You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

BLAHIFUCKINGHATEGETTINGOLDERANDHAVINGTHESTUPIDESTLITTLETHINGPUTMEONTHEFUCKINGDL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...

Look. This aging thing isn't working for me. Really. I've had it. I want a newer, cloned body. I want to be able to skateboard all day and live off buck a slice pizza and terrible draft beer. Wake up mildly hung over and then do it all over again. Maybe throw in some body surfing on a raging mosh pit at some ruckus punk rock show. Can someone get this stem cell thing up and

All I did was lightly hit the bag for a few minutes and then go skimboarding at the beach with the dog. I didn't crash into anything. I didn't slam. Hell, I didn't even wind up and go full tilt into English Bay. I purposely took it easy.

And where am I today? Layed out in the HQ infirmary, ruing. All I did was just jump the wrong way on the board, trying to keep afloat instead of hitting the drink. And this extraordinary piece of X-Games maneuvering trying to keep my balance at about...oh....0.005km/hour managed to throw my ever ailing frame out of wack. Bah.

So with deterioration of skill and durability in mind, I can see why Alex Anthopoulos chose to deal the 33 year old red hot Alex Gonzalez, and roll the dice on the 27 year old formerly red hot , Yunel Escobar. Sure it was a river boat gamble of a trade, as Escobar's .234 average and 0 jacks got him kicked out of Turner-land.

But I'll give AA the benefit of the doubt seeing as how he absolutely shortsed Seattle on the League for Morrow trade. So far, he seems to have a pretty good grasp on the intricacies and inner workings on the SS SkyDome.

Maniwaki Masochism

Why do I do this every year? Every year after the inevitable Jays hot start, followed by inter-league thrashing, followed by predictable plateau, followed by the All Star break, when the birds hover around .500, why do I look ahead at the sked and fantasize about magical winning streaks that last into September? Which would result in an unlikely AL East Banner or a Wild Card spot?

The A's can seem to pull it off, the Rockies have made a couple of cases. And the Twins? Hell they don't even wake up until the end of July? So is it so wrong to look at the next few weeks and pine away for a mythical run spring boarding a trip to the post season?

I know I'm delusional. I know in a month, I'll be bemoaning another .500 campaign whilst the pinstripes sit perched atop the East again. But for now I just can't help but look at the rest of July slate and think, "Hey? Why the fuck not?"

So Long To The Boss...

So the Boss has stamped his final paper. And only fitting that the larger than life owner went out on the day of the All Star Game. The sporting spectacle is made that much more compelling by strong personalities. It's part of the reason we follow so intently.

Steinbrenner was textbook tumultuous, the archetype of the furious, meddling owner, and I think to myself, "Had he not purchased the pinstripes, would I have enjoyed watching baseball as much?" And the answer, in contrast to his TV Network, of course is a resounding "No."

Whether you root for the Yankees or against them, whether you agreed with his decisions or not (and of course many of us did not), Steinbrenner rebuilt an organization that you had to pay attention to. A friend of mine from the shack, just went to Seattle on the weekend to go watch the Yanks. (She's 20 years old, from Australia been in Canada for a year, and has been a huge Yanks fan for life.)

So the Boss I say rest in peace, and thanks for rebuilding the Empire that so many love and love to hate so much.

Papi Owns The Plate. Oh Wells...

Well it's about time Papi won the dinger contest. Which is fine and all for baseball, but where was MLB home run leader, Jose Bautista?

Can this season get any more predictably blah for the Blah Jays? I mean I'll take anything at this point. A Bautista plate appearance at the derby could've provided at least a bit distraction and relief from yet another maddening .500 season. Even Vernon couldn't come through, knocking out a mere two jacks and not making it out of the first round.

But at he came really close on a few. Like to the warning track. So that's pretty good at least right?

Blah...

Back Again

Sorry to make you slog through the ads. But the majors. What else can you expect?

Oh Yeah...

....the reason I fired up the feeds to begin with. And yet another shocker! I thought that nobody could stop Germany.

Incoming Maniwaki Messages

Ok so been out adventuring in the Great Woods Of The Dominion for the last two days. Back in town, but hopefully only for a few hours and then back again to the land of no reception, and endless Canadians and Clam.

When I last fired up these e-pages, whilst packing my smores and swim trunks, Spain was getting fired up to play Germany and LeBron was still fielding offers. I just fired up the ESPN feed to see who'll be playing in the final on Sunday only to ....HOLY FUCK!!!!!!!!!!

MIAMI!!!!!!???????? HE CHOSE MIAMI!!!!!??????? Holy smokes. Let's settle down for a second here. I've emerged from the bush for a few hours only to walk into news of one of the biggest deals ever to go down in the sporting spectacle. Let's see what's what.

Ok....

O-k-WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!! BOSH AS WELL!!!!!!!!??????????

AND WADE'S STAYING AS WELL??????

The Heat actually won the free agency Triple Crown? Unbelievable. Just unbelievable. Much more on this later, after I hook up a syringe to a usb cord, plug it into my computer and receive a concentrated and direct burst of as much sporting feed as my system can handle. The to go back into the bush to reflect on all this madness.

Wow. Just Le -Bonko.

The Great Canadian Adventure

Ok, gone campin' for a few days, so no posting. Besides, it's a damn hot summer out there, you don't need to be reading this blog. Go find some remote Great Canadian corner and go for a soak, drink some beers , or smack some golf balls or all of the above.

And listen to some of this Dallas Green guy. He's got some pretty ok stuff.

Maniwaki Free Agency Analysis - Le Don James

I don't know why I love this stuff, but I do. I must admit, while I have more than a few problems with the NBA, I am absolutely enthralled with the Lebron Saga. I just can't turn away.

It's better than the regular season. It's better than watching the Raptors collapse in the final month. It's better than watching the Suns fizzle in the playoff. And it's far better than watching Kobe and KG square off in the finals for what seems like the four thousandth time.

Sorry Jack, it's even better than you too.

As it stands right now we have organizations scrambling and putting packages together to Lebron like its Jerry Maguire Pt II. We have one top free agent doing his best JP Ricciardi impersonation. (And out of Toronto? Surprise, surprise...) We have another doing his best Fab Four impersonation. And the man at the centre of it all has remained relatively quiet and calculating, making teams come to him, thus making his current home the centre of the Hoops universe.

So with plenty of feeds on the table, lets take out the Maniwaki e-fork and knife and chow down on all of this speculative deliciousness.

1. Amare Now A Knick. Really. So apparently this puts the kibosh on Bosh. I'm also wagering that it signals to New York fans to best start gearing up for life without the King, no matter how the organization tries to spin it. He ain't interested.

2. So True, Sir Charles. I think it was this snippet that I heard last week that really made the most sense. It was something to the effect that we're only giving Kobe his due as a leader now, after not winning with Shaq for the second time. Does Lebron really want to join Wade's team in Miami? Barkley went on to say the King's got to be the undisputed leader wherever he goes. And who am I to argue with Sir Charles?

3. So Forget About The Dream 3. Look, it's only going to happen in the Olympics. There are too many forces pulling against a Lebron, Wade, Bosh squad so just let it go. What's starting to look more and more likely is this;

4. King Of The Home Court. It's very telling how two of the big three are handling this. Bosh, who can't wait to get out of town, is making a huge spectacle hopping from town to town, listening to pitch after pitch, and then tweeting it out to keep inflating the free agency circus tent.

King James, has been acting more like The Don. Literally holding court in Ohio whilst the various other families come to him to make their various pitches. Hey, if he's going to leave his home and move his global operation's HQ, it's going to take a magnificently, stupendously, ridiculous offer. As it stands right now, I think this points in only one direction. And in sharp contrast to what I previously pontificated:

5. The Home Court Advantage. Lebron will stay in Cleveland, convince Bosh to join him and the two will go off and finally win those elusive championships. Colangelo is down with it. Lebron's requirements are met. The only thing standing in the way is Chris Bosh, still trying to act like a rockstar, entouraging around like Cleveland's beneath him. After he puts down his Blackberry, thinks for a moment and realizes that this is the only way this plays out for everyone, he'll be picking that text device back up and tweeting, "Cleveland Rocks!!"

And what's that? The Raps get Maniwaki's favourite thug baller, Delonte West as well? Not and ideal deal, but it helps take a bit of the sting out.

Can We Just Tone It Down A Bit?

I mean really. Shut up and pick a team already. Or do you want to become the next Vince Carter?

Ok maybe that's a bit harsh. But really. At least Halladay kept it low key during his much hyped departure. And did the right thing taking out the full page thank you ad in the paper.

I'm starting to get the feeling Bosh will roll out of the Dot in an Escalade whilst throwing his money around inside like Scrooge McDuck.

Ok, maybe that's a bit harsh. But really. Just tone it down a notch.

Jays News

Encouraging.

An Addition To The Roster

You know what's good for baseball?

Sitting on the upper deck after pulling back to back double shifts and smoking a cigar with your buddy to celebrate his entry into the world of fatherhood.

Congratulations Mr. Clark on the newest member of your squad.

Maniwaki Match Notes - Mel Down?

What? Just woke up, punched up the facebook and found a few profiles had been updated with very pro Dutch sentiments. Could it be? An upset?

Holy smokes, a few days without World Cup action and you forget it's even on. Looks like Brazil did as well with this very uncharacteristic implosion. I wonder if Felipe Melo (who notched an own goal and a red card) wasn't really born in Curaçao and had successfully infiltrated the Brazilian squad for the sole purpose of sinking them in the knock out stage. Definitely NOT the Man Of The Match.

Wow. Big, bad Brazil been knocked off. Now with the WC back on the Maniwaki Radar, will have to tune in to this afternoon's match. Go Ghana go.

The Makings Of A .500 Team

Wow. The Blue Jays perennial under achievements finally revealed.

"The Five Year Plan, Which Turned Into The Seven Year Plan, Which Turned Into The No Year Plan, Which Is Ultimately Now Another Five Year Plan."

By former Jays General Manager and now ESPN hack JP Ricciardi.

Happy Free Agency Day!!!

And what will you be up to? Perhaps sitting on Parlaiment Hill listening to the Hip whilst checking your mobile device to see if Lebron is writing rhymes with Jay Z or if Bosh has tweeted his departure from the ACC?

Or will you be chilling in a canoe at Lake Scugog armed with a fishing pole, a case of Canadian, and a radio? Listening amidst the calls of the red-throated loon, for news on the Hinterland Who's Who of UFA's like Stephane Yelle and Alexandre Giroux?

Truth be told, I've just done Canada Day seawall patrol with the fam and am now kicking it at HQ before embarking on a truly epic marathon at the shack. More on this later.

Right now I'm intently following the Lebron/Bosh saga feed by feed, tweet by tweet. And if I had to put money on how this sitch shakes down I'd have to say that the winners of the Lebron sweepstakes will be:

The Brooklyn Ballers. A Russian billionaire with a questionable past, coupled with the King Of New York, selling a new stadium in an old borough, with a global marketing plan that will conquer the planet? Please. How does this shake down any other way?

And Bosh?

Donning David Caruso Shades And Making Bad Quips With Dwyane Wade
Look we all know Bosh is going to bolt, no matter how many tweets he puts up. But the only place he's making maximum dollar is if he re-signs with the Raptors. And the only way he does that is if he gets assurances he'll be traded, so the ball's in Colangelo's court as much as it is Bosh's.

And what can Colangelo possibly get in return for Bosh from either the Knicks or Nets? A signed copy of the Black Album? Some unused Vince Carter sneakers? Already have enough of those. Nope, the only team that really has anything for both Bosh and BC is Miami. No matter how bad of a defender Beasley is.

So....[puts on Ray Bans]... the heat is on.