The crowd at the HSBC Arena on Saturday night seemed rather quiet prior to the start of the NLL game between the Titans, now of Orlando, and the hometown Buffalo Bandits. Perhaps the crowd was still in shock from the Bandits loss a week earlier to the worst place team in the East division and was expecting another horrible showing from the orange and black against the division’s best and the player of the month for February in Orlando’s goaltender Matt Vinc. As if this feeling of impending doom was felt by the players, just over two minutes into the game John Tavares laid a heavy check on Greg Peyser who crumpled to the floor (and laid there in a lifeless lump only to get to his feet showing no ill effects once the trainer came onto the floor) causing a bit of a skirmish. It all ended with Tavares and Mark Steenhuis in the box and a Titans powerplay.
Despite being down a man, Banditland came alive during that heated exchange. The Bandits killed the penalty and finally scored on a powerplay of their own on a shot from Steenhuis. The first quarter ended with the Bandits up 4-0 and Mark Steenhuis getting a natural hat trick. The second quarter saw some fights that left two Bandit players injured and the teams defence short two men. The scoring was a bit back and forth but Buffalo increased their lead by 1 leading 8-3 at half.
Orlando came out gunning in the third quarter and scored the next three goals to close the gap to two. The crowd was quiet once again as nervous tension built up. Buffalo escaped the third with a three goal lead though as Steenhuis stopped Orlando’s scoring run by netting his sixth of the game. Heading into the fourth, Buffalo looked more like they were trying not to lose but another big hit from John Tavares (this time clean) got the crowd and the team right back into the game. A short time later JT scored on the powerplay to get back a three goal cushion and the crowd began to sense victory. With over two minutes to play Matt Vinc was pulled for an extra attacker but Orlando was only able to score one goal with the extra man and Buffalo held on for the 12-10 win.
The tone was set early in that game, not that there was a big surprise after the division final last year, and the action didn’t let up until the final whistle blew. The officiating left a lot to be desired and the Titans players found the new carpet a little too comfortable but overall, that was a great hard hitting, action packed game. The kind of game Buffalo excels at. That win also gave Darris Kilgour his record tying 93rd regular season win. The only other coach with that many wins is the late great Les Bartley.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Visiting fans
On a recent road trip to the Bunker, I was decked out in my barber pole jersey showing my allegiance to the visiting team from Ottawa when a lady stopped by to ask about an entrance. I guess she was meeting someone at the main entrance. Since I travel a fair bit to the Bunker I answered her question but she didn't seem to believe me. She continued asking similar questions throwing in street names that I had to think about for a bit. Thankfully someone, presumably from the area, interceded and saved me from the redundant questions. (By the look on his face after I think he was sorry he stepped in).
First off, if you are not going to believe someone when they answer you, don't waste your time asking that person your question. Second, if the person is wearing a visiting team jersey chances are they may not know the answer to any question regarding the building or area. Thirdly, if you are unsure of things before you leave the house, take some time and look up the building or area.
Perhaps she didn't realize I was cheering for the visiting team but given the fact that I was the only person around at the time wearing barber poles instead of white or puke green of the Battalion she should have figured it out. At least I got a bit of a chuckle out of the whole situation.
First off, if you are not going to believe someone when they answer you, don't waste your time asking that person your question. Second, if the person is wearing a visiting team jersey chances are they may not know the answer to any question regarding the building or area. Thirdly, if you are unsure of things before you leave the house, take some time and look up the building or area.
Perhaps she didn't realize I was cheering for the visiting team but given the fact that I was the only person around at the time wearing barber poles instead of white or puke green of the Battalion she should have figured it out. At least I got a bit of a chuckle out of the whole situation.
Coming clean
Another victim in baseball's steroid era came clean about his use of the illegal drug earlier this week. On Monday, Big Mac (Mark McGwire) confessed to using steroids throughout his baseball career including during the spectacular 1998 season when he out blasted Sammy Sosa and broke Roger Maris’ long standing single season home run record. What a season that was too. Hardly a whisper of steroid use was uttered by anyone while the pair of sluggers filled stadiums all across America rekindling interest in a sport that seriously needed a shot in the arm.
As the chase flared up, Bud Selig was puffing out his chest at the excitement his little sport was creating in the media from coast to coast and beyond. For years he turned a blind eye to the signs and suggestions that some of his players were using performance enhancing drugs. Why would he say anything when his sport was finally getting over the damage caused by the recent labour disruptions? Selig saw the excitement generated in Oakland with the Bash Brothers and knew he had something he could lure the fans back with, home runs. And who better to lead the charge than the 1987 rookie of the year that hit 49 long bombs in his first full season.
Finally all this caught up to Major League Baseball and Bud had to act. Unfortunately, he isn’t standing up saying he messed up by letting his players use any method possible to gain the power to hit more home runs but instead is letting his players, those that helped resuscitate MLB and create excitement for the league again, take the fall.
Back to McGwire: Now that he has confessed many seem to think he belongs enshrined in Cooperstown and the mighty Hall of Fame. I was a fan of his while he played and even when Oakland began their spiral to mediocrity or worse (i.e. after losing to Toronto in 92?), I still followed him (and back in the day before internet and dedicated sports channels, that was hard to do). In fact I can remember my high school football coach calling me McGwire during tryouts because I would be wearing my McGwire jersey shirt. Considering I lasted only 3 tryouts before an injury forced me to quit the team that is quite something. Anyhow, even though I almost idolized him I don’t now, nor ever did, believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Check his stats. Batting average of .263 with 1596 strikeouts are not career numbers that belong in the Hall of Fame. He had only three seasons where he hit over .300 and only one of those seasons he played in over half the games. One season, even though it was perhaps the most exciting in recent history, is not enough for a spot in the Hall.
Do I still think he was a good player? Definitely. Deserving of a spot beside baseball’s greatest, purest players (with a couple exceptions)? No, but because his stats don’t dictate he should. He just fell victim to the times in which he played. Perhaps now that he has cleared the air Mark can go about his coaching duties and find a way into the Hall via that route. The steroid era of baseball will forever be a black mark on the sport to those that lived through it but let’s hope we can get past it quickly so we can start hearing more positive stories about the game and it’s players. Perhaps outing Bud Selig would go a long way in the cleansing of baseball…
As the chase flared up, Bud Selig was puffing out his chest at the excitement his little sport was creating in the media from coast to coast and beyond. For years he turned a blind eye to the signs and suggestions that some of his players were using performance enhancing drugs. Why would he say anything when his sport was finally getting over the damage caused by the recent labour disruptions? Selig saw the excitement generated in Oakland with the Bash Brothers and knew he had something he could lure the fans back with, home runs. And who better to lead the charge than the 1987 rookie of the year that hit 49 long bombs in his first full season.
Finally all this caught up to Major League Baseball and Bud had to act. Unfortunately, he isn’t standing up saying he messed up by letting his players use any method possible to gain the power to hit more home runs but instead is letting his players, those that helped resuscitate MLB and create excitement for the league again, take the fall.
Back to McGwire: Now that he has confessed many seem to think he belongs enshrined in Cooperstown and the mighty Hall of Fame. I was a fan of his while he played and even when Oakland began their spiral to mediocrity or worse (i.e. after losing to Toronto in 92?), I still followed him (and back in the day before internet and dedicated sports channels, that was hard to do). In fact I can remember my high school football coach calling me McGwire during tryouts because I would be wearing my McGwire jersey shirt. Considering I lasted only 3 tryouts before an injury forced me to quit the team that is quite something. Anyhow, even though I almost idolized him I don’t now, nor ever did, believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Check his stats. Batting average of .263 with 1596 strikeouts are not career numbers that belong in the Hall of Fame. He had only three seasons where he hit over .300 and only one of those seasons he played in over half the games. One season, even though it was perhaps the most exciting in recent history, is not enough for a spot in the Hall.
Do I still think he was a good player? Definitely. Deserving of a spot beside baseball’s greatest, purest players (with a couple exceptions)? No, but because his stats don’t dictate he should. He just fell victim to the times in which he played. Perhaps now that he has cleared the air Mark can go about his coaching duties and find a way into the Hall via that route. The steroid era of baseball will forever be a black mark on the sport to those that lived through it but let’s hope we can get past it quickly so we can start hearing more positive stories about the game and it’s players. Perhaps outing Bud Selig would go a long way in the cleansing of baseball…
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
I'm ready for the NLL season
My season tickets for the 2010 NLL Champion Buffalo Bandits have been ordered; American money has been taken out of the bank; and my jerseys are in my dresser waiting patiently for the call. I even had a bit of practice cheering as I encountered some Sabres fans last night after work on the short walk to the train. They noticed my Bandits hat so I joined them in some Let's Go Buffalo! chants and such. Now I only have forty some extremely long days to get through before the season starts and I'm sitting in the comforts of HSBC arena munching on their nachos.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Narrow minds amuse me
I realized today how much I enjoy wearing junior teams jerseys to work, especially those that resemble NHL teams. For those unfamiliar with Toronto, most Torontonians only care about professional teams and sports and can only assocaite with professional sports teams even though some amateur sports are more entertaining (there are those who enjoy the semi-pro and even amateur sports but from my experience these people are in the vast minority in Toronto).
Today I am wearing a Kitchener Rangers jersey and since they are (or at least were) very closely linked to the NHL Rangers, their jerseys are almost a spliting image of each other with the exception of the word Kitchener instead of New York on the shoulder emblems. But, man, am I getting a lot of looks today.
I love these narrow minded people in Toronto.
Today I am wearing a Kitchener Rangers jersey and since they are (or at least were) very closely linked to the NHL Rangers, their jerseys are almost a spliting image of each other with the exception of the word Kitchener instead of New York on the shoulder emblems. But, man, am I getting a lot of looks today.
I love these narrow minded people in Toronto.
2010 NLL season
Well, we are just a couple months away from the start of the NLL season and a couple weeks away from the start of training camps. Who will be the most improved? Who will fall to the bottom of the league? The end to our wait is in sight.
What's up with the Generals?
Just when I think the Oshawa Generals have come together as a team and are playing to their potential, they go and lose three in a row. Not to very good teams either. Last Friday they lost 2-1 to the Guelph Storm before getting manhandled by the Sarnia Sting Sunday night (6-2 loss) and then last night they lost 6-4 in Peterborough.
It is looking like it will be a long roller coaster type season for the Gens unless they can find a way to play a full 60 minutes every game. They do have some talented kids on the team but perhaps they are too young to be much of a threat this year. I'm just hoping they continue to improve and the entertainment level also continues to increase.
It is looking like it will be a long roller coaster type season for the Gens unless they can find a way to play a full 60 minutes every game. They do have some talented kids on the team but perhaps they are too young to be much of a threat this year. I'm just hoping they continue to improve and the entertainment level also continues to increase.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Mann Cup 2009
The matchup for the 2009 Mann Cup has been set and it will be a rematch of the 2008 cup final, except this year it will be played on the west coast. Is the addition of Shawn Williams enough for the Brampton Excelsiors to defend their title or will the exceptional goaltending of Matt Roik and Tyler Richards of the New Westminster Salmonbellies exact some revenge from last year? I like Brampton's odds although I haven't seen the 'bellies play this year so my opinion is totally meaningless. All games will be available for viewing for $9.95 per game so head on over to the WLA website on September 4 for game 1.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Bad luck traveller
After an unwanted hiatus from the lacrosse arena's I was able to get to the Bunker in Brampton to see the MSL seim-final series game last night. Similar to the last visit to the Powerade Centre, I was rooting against the home team and for the second time in a row, the visiting team failed to show up (this time almost literally).
After a late arrival into Brampton, the St Regis Indians had less than fifteen minutes to warm up. A far cry from the usual double warmups they get. When the game began it was apparent the short warmup was not enough to shake out the bus legs. Thanks to some decent saves by the Indians netminder and some even better saves by the posts behind him, the game was kept close in the first period. In the second, the Excelsiors pounced and took an 8-2 lead into the second intermission. I had to leave before it was over since my son was rather tired (it was a couple hours past his bedtime) but it didn't get much better for the visitors. 13-3 was the final score.
The previous game I ended up at the Powerade Centre for, the Peterborough Lakers' offense failed to show up and dropped their second to last regular season game 7-6. I was hoping for a Peterborough win only because that would have put a St Regis / Brooklin first round matchup a little closer to happening. That would have meant I could have seen Tavares without the hour drive. The only other game I travelled for this year was the Green Gaels ugly 4-1 loss in Newmarket.
I am beginning to think that I bring bad luck to these teams. Good thing the season is almost over then. Maybe I should just start rooting for the Excelsiors when I go there...
After a late arrival into Brampton, the St Regis Indians had less than fifteen minutes to warm up. A far cry from the usual double warmups they get. When the game began it was apparent the short warmup was not enough to shake out the bus legs. Thanks to some decent saves by the Indians netminder and some even better saves by the posts behind him, the game was kept close in the first period. In the second, the Excelsiors pounced and took an 8-2 lead into the second intermission. I had to leave before it was over since my son was rather tired (it was a couple hours past his bedtime) but it didn't get much better for the visitors. 13-3 was the final score.
The previous game I ended up at the Powerade Centre for, the Peterborough Lakers' offense failed to show up and dropped their second to last regular season game 7-6. I was hoping for a Peterborough win only because that would have put a St Regis / Brooklin first round matchup a little closer to happening. That would have meant I could have seen Tavares without the hour drive. The only other game I travelled for this year was the Green Gaels ugly 4-1 loss in Newmarket.
I am beginning to think that I bring bad luck to these teams. Good thing the season is almost over then. Maybe I should just start rooting for the Excelsiors when I go there...
NLL needs change in philosophy
With the National Lacrosse League’s third attempt at the Big Apple ending in failure, it is time for the league to come to terms with their position in the world of sports, that being a minor sports league. For those not yet in the know, the NLL announced yesterday that the Titans franchise will move from New York to Orlando, Florida for the upcoming 2010 season. This is the third announcement involving NLL franchises this off season after the Portland Lumberjax announced they were ceasing operations and the San Jose Stealth announced their relocation to Everett, WA.
Until the NLL has some franchise stability, this league will never gain the long sought after major league status. Sure it is a professional league but it is constantly compared to the Arena Football League and that league recently announced it is suspending operations indefinitely. The time has come (if it hasn’t been here for a few years already) for the NLL to focus on solidifying the current franchises and showing the media and the public that the league is sustainable. Once that happens then maybe, just maybe, ESPN2 and TSN2 (or Sportsnet) will pick up some games again. After the league gets some solid nationwide exposure throughout Canada and the US, then, and only then, should the league consider expanding. The league is currently on the path to joining the AFL in the land of invalid sports leagues and lacrosse is too good for that.
Until the NLL has some franchise stability, this league will never gain the long sought after major league status. Sure it is a professional league but it is constantly compared to the Arena Football League and that league recently announced it is suspending operations indefinitely. The time has come (if it hasn’t been here for a few years already) for the NLL to focus on solidifying the current franchises and showing the media and the public that the league is sustainable. Once that happens then maybe, just maybe, ESPN2 and TSN2 (or Sportsnet) will pick up some games again. After the league gets some solid nationwide exposure throughout Canada and the US, then, and only then, should the league consider expanding. The league is currently on the path to joining the AFL in the land of invalid sports leagues and lacrosse is too good for that.
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