Grey Cup

THERE’S GUT WRENCHING…
AND THEN THERE’S “RIP YOUR HEART OUT…STICK IT IN A BLENDER…AND HIT “PUREE”…
THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY AT THE GREY CUP…TO BOTH THE SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS AND THEIR FANS…
THE ECHO OF…”TOO MANY MEN ON THE FIELD”…
WILL HAUNT “RIDER NATION” FOR THE REST OF THE CENTURY…
IN THE SAME WAY…THE SOUND OF…”TOO MANY MEN ON THE ICE”…
STILL HAUNTS DON CHERRY…
TO HIS CREDIT…CHERRY HAS ALWAYS SHOULDERED THE BLAME…
30 YEARS LATER AND HE STILL REFUSES TO IDENITFIED THE PLAYER THAT COST THE BOSTON BRUINS A SHOT AT WINNING THE STANLEY CUP…
IT WOULD APPEAR THAT IS THE SAME APPROACH THE RIDERS ARE TAKING…
ON WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FINAL PLAY OF THE GAME…THE MONTREAL ALOUETTES MISSED A 43 YARD FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT…
SASKATCHEWAN HAD PULLED OFF ONE THE BIGGEST UPSETS IN CFL HISTORY…
HOWEVER THE CELEBRATION DID NOT LAST LONG…
THE RIDERS WERE HIT WITH A 10 YARD PENALTY FOR “TOO MANY MEN ON THE FIELD”…
SECONDS LATER...DAMON DUVAL HIT FROM 33 YARDS…
MONREAL WINS 28-27…
HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW…
SPECIAL TEAMS COACH KAVIS REED SENT ONE PLAYER ONTO THE FIELD AND ANOTHER WAS SUPPOSED TO COME OFF…
CLEARLY THE MESSAGE DID NOT GET THROUGH…
AFTER THE GAME…HEAD COACH KEN MILLER REFUSED TO IDENTIFY THAT PLAYER…OR POINT A FINGER…
MILLER WOULD ONLY SAY…”WE DID NOT SEE IT”…”WE THOUGHT WE’D WON THE FOOTBALL GAME”…
AS A RULE…IT’S EASY TO SPOT “THE GOAT”…
IT’S SCOTT NORWOOD…”WIDE RIGHT”…IN SUPER BOWL 25…
IT’S JACKIE SMITH…DROPPING A SURE TOUCHDOWN PASS IN SUPER BOWL 13…
IT’S BILL BUCKNER…IN THE 1986 WORLD SERIES…
AND IT’S JEAN VAN VEDLE AT THE 1999 BRITSH OPEN…
THE TRUTH WE MAY ALL GO TO OUR GRAVES NEVER KNOWING THREE THINGS…
THE BRUIN WHO JUMPED ON THE ICE DURING THE 1979 NHL PLAYOFFS...
THE RIDER WHO FAILED TO COME OFF THE FIELD IN THE 97TH GREY CUP GAME…
AND THE MAN WHO WAS STANDING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL AT DEALEY PLAZA…
MAYBE IT’S BETTER THAT WAY…

Brendan Burke

SOMEBODY NOMINATE BRIAN BURKE FOR FATHER OF THE YEAR…
NO!!!
MAKE THAT FATHER OF THE DECADE…
TODAY ESPN BROKE THE NEWS THAT BURKE’S SON BRENDAN IS GAY…
IT WAS BRENDAN’S DECISION COME OUT…AND EVEN THOUGH BRIAN WAS NOT IN FAVOR OF HIS SON DISCUSSING THIS ISSUE IN PUBLIC BECAUSE OF HIS FEAR OF THE NEGATIVE REACTION…
BURKE CONTINUES TO SUPPORT HIS SON…
IN THE WORDS OF BRIAN BURKE…“I STAND BESIDE HIM WITH AN AXE”…
THE MORE YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS STORY…THE MORE YOU HAVE TO BE IMPRESSED WITH THE COURAGE OF BRENDAN BURKE AND THE SUPPORT HE HAS RECEIVED BY HIS ENTIRE FAMILY…ESPECIALLY FROM HIS FATHER…
SO MUCH SO…THAT LAST SUMMER…
BRIAN AND BRENDAN ATTENDED “THE PRIDE PARADE” IN TORONTO…
BUT DO NOT KID YOURSELF…
THE CULTURE OF HOCKEY AND SPORTS IN GENERAL IS…HOMOPHOBIC…
JOKES AND SLURS ARE STANDARD IN EVERY DRESSING ROOM…
AND BRENDAN IS CURRENTLY THE STUDENT MANAGER OF THE HOCKEY TEAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI AT OHIO...
UNLIKE ADAM LAMBERT PERFORMING AT THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS ON SUNDAY NIGHT…OR BRITNEY SPEARS AND MADONNA KISSING AT THE MTV AWARDS IN 2003…
THERE IS A DIFFERENT STANDARD OF TOLERANCE IN SPORTS…
WHICH MAKES THE DECISION BY BRENDAN BURKE TO “COME OUT” EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE…
HE PLANS TO GET HIS LAW DEGREE…AND ODDS ARE GOOD…HE PLANS TO BECOME A PLAYER AGENT…
OR WORK IN THE FRONT OFFICE OF AN NHL TEAM…
WHO KNOWS…PERHAPS ONE DAY HE BECOMES AN NHL GENERAL MANAGER…
WHATEVER HE DOES…IT WILL NOT COME EASILY…
THE FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS NEVER IS…
BUT IF THERE WAS NO JACKIE ROBINSON…THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO REGGIE JACKSON…AND NO DEREK JETER…
PERHAPS HIS FATHER PUT IT BEST…
“I HOPE THE DAY COMES…AND SOON…WHEN THIS IS NOT A STORY”…
AMEN!!!

Roberto Luongo

THERE’S A REASON ROBERTO LUONGO IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS…
GREAT LEADERS ALL SHARE ONE THING IN COMMON…
THEY DO NOT LOOK FOR EXCUSES…
AFTER 21 GAMES THE CANUCKS FIND THEMSELVES WITH A RECORD OF 11 AND 10…
GOOD ENOUGH FOR 11TH PLACE IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE…
FANS AND THE MEDIA ARE QUICK TO POINT OUT…THE CANUCKS HAVE BEEN CRIPPLED WITH INJURIES…
AND THE NUMBERS BACK THAT UP…
VANCOUVER HAS ALREADY LOST 109 MAN GAMES DUE TO INJURY…
THE MOST OF ANY TEAM IN THE NHL…
WHEN THAT FACT WAS POINTED OUT TO LUONGO YESTERDAY…
HE SNAPPED BACK WITH THIS RESPONSE…
“WHETHER WE’VE HAD INJURIES OR NOT…I DON’T THINK ANYONE ON THE TEAM SHOULD BE SATISFIED WITH OUR RECORD…I’M NOT”…
THOSE COMMENTS WERE BACKED UP BY HEAD COACH ALAIN VIGNEAULT…WHO STATED…QUOTE…
“WE HAVE A LOT OF OUR GUYS WHO CAN PLAY BETTER THAN THEY’VE SHOWN SO FAR”…
YOU DO NOT NEED A G.P.S. TO KNOW WHERE VIGNEAULT WAS HEADED…
KYLE WELLWOOD HAS YET TO SCORE A GOAL THIS SEASON…
IN FACT AFTER 21 GAMES…WELLWOOD HAS JUST ONE ASSIST TO SHOW FOR HIMSELF…
ALEX EDLER IS A MINUS 5…THAT’S WORST “PLUS-MINUS” ON THE ENTIRE TEAM…
UNACCEPTABLE FOR A DEFENCEMAN MAKING OVER $3 MILLION DOLLARS A SEASON…
ALEX BURROWS HAS A MERE 4 GOALS…BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY…BURROWS HAS BECOME THE INVISIBLE MAN…
AND FINALLY…STEVE BERNIER…
DO NOT LET THE 2 GOALS IN COLORADO ON SATURDAY FOOL YOU…
MUCH MORE WAS…AND STILL IS…EXPECTED OF BERNIER THIS SEASON…
CERTAINLY GETTING DANIEL SEDIN BACK ON SUNDAY WILL BE A BIG HELP…
AND THE FACT THAT PAVOL DEMITRA IS BACK SKATING HAS TO BE EMBRACED AS GOOD NEWS…
BUT LIKE IT OR NOT…INJURIES ARE NOW A BIG PART OF THE GAME…
AND SUCCESS IN THE NHL NOW DEPENDS GREATLY ON HOW TEAMS DEAL WITH THAT ADVERSITY…
THE CANUCKS HAVE ENJOYED A 5 DAY BREAK…AND TONIGHT THEY PLAY A COLORADO TEAM PLAYING ITS 3RD GAME IN 4 NIGHTS…
ADD IT ALL UP AND IT MEANS ONE THING…
”NO EXCUSES”…