President's Cup Update

Unfortunately, I am not attending this tournament but there is still hope I can make it to the semi finals and finals. Until then I will rely on the website for my information. By the way, there is a live webcast link on the website as well for all who are interested.

During the first day of competition, both Ontario teams failed to win their games. The Ajax-Pickering Rock, the Ontario finalists, lost 9-8 to the Sherwood Park Outlaws from Alberta while the host team and Ontario champion Owen Sound Woodsmen were defeated 11-9 by the team from British Columbia, Ladner Pioneers. In the third game yesterday, the team from Quebec, LaSalle Brasseurs, beat up on the Six Nations Sting, the champions of the Can-Am league.

This tournament is setting up to be a good one and I really hope I can make it to the finals but we shall see what happens. I will try to update every day on the scores as well and if I make it to the finals I will post when I return from Owen Sound.

A Sigh of Relief

Prior to the SF/SD baseball game this evening, the camera inevitably stopped on Barry Bonds while the announcers were setting up the game. And man, did Bonds look tired and very tense. This evening Bonds was hitting fourth in the line-up and after the Giants went one, two and three in the top of the first, I had made the decision to stay up and watch the entire game (being in the Eastern Standard Time zone, the game would not end until after the day ended).

Lucky for me, Bonds lead off the top of the second inning with a monster shot the opposite way to tie Henry “Hank” Aaron for Major League Baseball’s all-time lead in home runs. After the ball finally landed and the cameras returned their focus to Bonds, there was nothing but relief on Bonds face. Okay, there might have been a smile too but his relief took centre stage.
Congratulations Barry! I look forward to seeing number 756 (hopefully tonight). On the down side, once Barry does reach the magic number, the extra baseball games Rogers Sportsnet is showing will cease. Nothing can be perfect I guess.

What a Let Down

Last night I was busy with setting up my wife's new phone and adding phone numbers to my own but I had the Blue Jays vs Yankees game on in the background. I was aware that the game was close; however, I did not pay attention to the innings as they went by. I finally finished with the phones and turned my full attention to the ball game at just the right time.

The Jays were on top 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning but the Yankees were threatening. With one out, runners on the corners and Mr Yankee (Derek Jeter) at the plate, I was in for a great finish. Instead of throwing strikes and making the Yankees batters hit the ball, Jeremy Accardo proceeded to throw a first pitch ball to Jeter. With the pressure mounting and the fans energized in anticipation of an explosive finish, Accardo commits an inexcusable mental error. He committed a balk that allowed the tying run to cross the plate. With that disgraceful act, I turned the tv off and went to bed. The Jays ended up surrendering the winning run to the Yankees in the tenth inning.

2007 President's Cup

As the OLA Senior B division begins playoffs this weekend, the 2007 President's Cup schedule has been released. This year the week long event will be held in Owen Sound, Ontario home of the Woodsmen. It should be a fun filled week where one will be able to call the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre home.

What a Surprise

The Score network broadcast some action from the NCAA Division 1 Men's Lacrosse Championship. While searching for something to watch Friday, I saw lacrosse as an option and immediately flipped to it. To my dismay there was no game on at the time specified but I persevered and found the two semi-final games were going to be aired the following day. Upon further review, I found that the championship game was going to be broadcast also.

After having their season cancelled last year due to criminal investigations involving team member's, Duke scored with only three seconds remaining in their semi-final game against Cornell on Saturday to earn the victory 12-11. That game-winning goal came just fourteen seconds after Cornell tied the game. In the other semi-final game, John Hopkins University defeated Delaware 8-3. Duke was unable to complete their cinderella season and lost 12-11 in the championship final.

Cudos for The Score for showing the games and congratulations to John Hopkins for their victory.

Host Team Wins the Cup

Yesterday, in a battle of the Western Hockey League final, the host Vancouver Giants defeated the Tigers from Medicine Hat 3-1 to earn the right to drink from the Memorial Cup. Earlier in the tournament Medicine Hat pulled out a 1-0 victory but lifted by the home fans, Vancouver won when it counted. Unfortunately, I did not see much of the game as I was entertaining my father and was cooking dinner while the game was on (ham with a sweet pineapple sauce and scallop potatoes, for those curious).

The first two periods were close as they ended the first frame knotted at zero and each team scored a goal apiece in the second period. It was not until there was less than five minutes to go in the third when Vancouver took the lead 2-1. They then scored an empty net goal in the last minute to put the game away.

For the other two teams involved: Plymouth Whalers fought hard to get to the semi-final game by beating the Lewiston MAINEiacs 2-1 in overtime in their last round robin game to force a tie breaker game. They then went on to beat the same team in the tie breaker game before losing badly to the eventual cup winners 8-1 in the semi-final contest. Next years tournament will be held in the Ontario Hockey League city of Kitchener, where the host Rangers lie in wait.

Congratulations to the Vancouver Giants!

For more in depth information visit the MasterCard Memorial Cup website.

Canada Retains Title

The 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship ended with the same result as the inaugural event in 2003, at least in the top three spots. Team Canada won an exciting overtime contest against the Iroquois Nationals 15-14 to retain the title of world champions while the team from the United States beat up on an injury laden team from England winning 17-10 for the bronze medal. With this tournament win, Canada became the first nation to hold both the indoor lacrosse title and the field lacrosse title at the same time (Canada won the 2006 field lacrosse tournament in London, ON last summer). Canada will go for the world lacrosse triple crown in 2008 when the world once again comes to Canada for the under 19 World Lacrosse Championship.

The final standings for the 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship are as follows:

1. Canada
2. Iroquois Nationals
3. United States
4. England
5. Scotland
6. Australia
7. Czech Republic
8. Ireland

Five areas are interested in hosting the 2011 tournament including Ottawa, ON, the Czech Republic, Australia, Iroquois Nationals, and one other country (possibly England).

Streak Ends at Four

After going 0-4-0 to start the season and being held scoreless in all four contests, Toronto FC finally earned their first win, stopping their losing streak at four. Being outscored 10-0 in their first four games, Toronto FC was in desperate need of a goal and Danny Dichio fulfilled that need in the 24th minute of their fifth game last Saturday afternoon. Toronto FC went on to score two more goals in that contest en route to a 3-1 victory. That win stopped the longest losing streak in Toronto FC history at four and became the first win in their current two-game winning streak, also the longest in club history (don’t worry fans, the team is new so there will be streaks lasting longer…on both ends).

Toronto FC earned their second straight win Wednesday night, again in front of their home crowd, by shutting out the Houston Dynamo 1-0. The two wins have propelled the team out of the league basement and has, more importantly, given the team and their fans hope.

2007 MasterCard Memorial Cup

Tomorrow, May 18, is the start of the 2007 Memorial Cup to decide the National champion of the Canadian Hockey League. The four teams competing in the ten day tournament are the host Vancouver Giants, the Western Hockey League champion Medicine Hat Tigers, the Ontario Hockey League champion Plymouth Whalers and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Lewiston MAINEiacs. The tournament opens Friday at 9:00 PM Eastern with the Vancouver Giants facing the Plymouth Whalers and will end next Sunday at 1:00 PM Pacific with the championship game.

All games are being broadcast on the Rogers Sportsnet stations. Here is the schedule:

• Friday May 18 9:00 PM ET - Plymouth vs Vancouver
• Saturday May 19 4:00 PM ET - Lewiston vs Medicine Hat
• Sunday May 20 4:30 PM ET - Lewiston vs Vancouver
• Monday May 21 8:00 PM ET - Medicine Hat vs Plymouth
• Tuesday May 22 8:00 PM ET - Lewiston vs Plymouth
• Wednesday May 23 10:30 PM ET - Medicine Hat vs Vancouver
• Friday May 25 8:00 PM ET - 3rd Place vs 2nd Place (Semi-final)
• Sunday May 27 4:00 PM ET - Championship Game

World Indoor Lacrosse Update

Today is an off day for the participants of the 2007 ILF World Indoor Lacrosse Championship, leaving them time to prepare for the quarter final round and wander the streets of Halifax. I figured this would be a perfect time to provide an update of this event.

At the end of round robin play, Canada and Iroquois finished first in their respective groups, winning all three games, and earned a spot in the semi-finals. Behind Canada in Group A is USA at 2-1 followed by Australia at 1-2 and Ireland at 0-3 completes the group. In Group B, England at 2-1 occupies the 2nd spot followed by Scotland at 1-2 and the Czech Republic at 0-3 sits in last place.

Play resumes tomorrow with the two last place teams battling it out for some respect along with the two quarterfinal games. In the first of the quarterfinal matchups, USA plays Scotland while in the second quarterfinal game, England will play Australia. The winner of these two games will go on to the semi-finals to face either Canada or Iroquois while the losers will play each other to decide fifth and sixth place. The winners of the semi-finals will play for gold on Sunday while the losers will compete for the bronze medal. Both medal games will be televised on Sunday on APTN and Iroquois' semifinal game on Saturday will also be televised.