BC Lions

ONE AND SIX…
NO MATTER HOW YOU DRESS IT UP…
NO MATTER HOW MUCH SUGAR YOU POUR ON IT…
THE B.C. LIONS ARE ONE AND SIX…
AND WHAT HURTS THE MOST…IS THE FACT THEY STILL HAVE NOT WON A SINGLE GAME AT EMPIRE FIELD…
IT’S NO SECRET THE BIGGEST PROBLEM HAS BEEN A LACK OF PRODUCTION AT THE QUARTERBACK POSITION…
THE TRIO OF CASEY PRINTERS…TRAVIS LULAY AND JARIUS JACKSON HAVE THROWN A GRAND TOTAL OF JUST 3 TOUCHDOWN PASSES…
COMPARE THAT TO ANTHONY CALVILLO OF THE AL’S…WHO HAS THROWN 17…OR HENRY BURRIS OF THE STAMPS WHO…HAS THROWN 16…
PRINTERS WILL GET THE START TONIGHT…HIS FIRST IN OVER A MONTH…
IN HIS FIRST 3 GAMES…PRINTERS HAS COMPLETED JUST 50 OF 88 PASSES…
THAT’S LESS THAN 57 PERCENT…THE LOWEST OF ANY STARTING QUARTERBACK IN THE CFL…
ADD IT UP…AND THE LIONS OFFENCE HAS PRODUCED A MERE 135 POINTS…
THE LOWEST TOTAL IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE…
IN FAIRNESS…THE BLAME DOES NOT BELONG ENTIRELY ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE QUARTERBACKS…
THE OFFENSIVE LINE HAS BEEN JUST THAT…OFFENSIVE…
AND THERE HAS BEEN AN ENDLESS STRING OF DROPPED PASSES…FUMBLES…AND NEEDLESS PENALITIES…
IT DOES NOT HELP THAT TONIGHT THE LIONS ARE PLAYING THE CALGARY STAMPEDERS…
THE TEAM WITH THE NUMBER ONE RANKED DEFENCE IN THE CFL…
YET…THERE “IS” STILL REASON TO BELIEVE…
3 WEEKS AGO…THE LIONS WERE IN POSITION TO BEAT THESE SAME STAMPEDERS…
THAT WAS UNTIL LATE IN THE THIRD QUARTER…WHEN LULAY THREW HIS 5TH INTERCEPTION IN 3 GAMES…
TURN OUT THE LIGHTS…27-22…THE FINAL…
NEVERTHELESS…OUTSIDE OF THE 2 BLOW OUTS BY SASKATCHEWAN…THE LIONS 4 OTHER LOSES HAVE BEEN BY A TOTAL OF JUST 16 POINTS…
IN OTHER WORDS…4 PLAYS…4 MISTAKES…4 LOSSES…
ELIMINATE THOSE 4 PLAYS…AND THE LIONS COULD VERY WELL BE 5-2…
WHICH MEANS…IT WOULD BE A MISTAKE TO WRITE OFF THIS TEAM…AT LEAST NOT YET…
BUT STARTING TONIGHT…IT’S TIME FOR THESE PLAYERS TO “PROVE” THEY BELONG ON THIS LEAGUE…
AND UNTIL THAT HAPPENS…THE B.C. LIONS ARE STILL…
ONE AND SIX

Joey Votto

JOEY VOTTO…OF THE CINCINNATI REDS…
THE BEST CANADAIN ATHLETE…MOST CANADIANS HAVE NEVER HEARD OF…
LASTNIGHT VOTTO COLLECTED 4 HITS…INCLUDING 2 HOME RUNS AND 4 RBI’S…AS THE REDS BEAT SAN FRANSICO 12-11…
HE NOW LEADS THE NATIONAL LEAGUE WITH A .326 AVERAGE…
HIS 31 HOME RUNS ARE 2 BACK OF ALBERT PUJOLS OF THE CARDINALS…
AND HIS 90 RIB’S ARE ALSO…2 BACK OF PUJOLS…
BOTH PLAYERS ARE NOW TRYING TO BECOME THE FIRST PLAYER TO WIN THE TRIPLE CROWN…SINCE CARL YASTRZEMSKI DID IT FOR BOSTON…BACK IN 1967…
THEY ARE ALSO TRYING TO BECOME THE FIRST “NATIONAL LEAGUE” PLAYER TO WIN THE TRIPLE CROWN…
SINCE JOE “DUCKY” MEDWICK DID IT FOR ST. LOUIS…BACK IN 1937…
THAT’S 73 YEARS AGO…
ADD TO ALL THAT…
THE REDS NOW LEAD THE CARDS BY 3 AND HALF GAMES…IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE “CENTRAL”…
WHICH MEANS…IN THE NEXT MONTH JOEY VOTTO HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO:
WIN THE TRIPLE CROWN…
A DIVISION TITLE…AND BE NAMED THE MVP IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE…
THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF CANADIAN PLAYERS WIN AWARDS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL…
THE LIST INCLUDES…JUSTIN MORNEAU…LARRY WALKER…ERIC GAGNE AND FERGUSON JEKNKINS…
BUT WHAT VOTTO IS ATTEMPTING TO DO IS…”UNTHINKABLE”…
SO THE QUESTION STANDS…
WHY DOES HE REMAIN THE ANSWER TO A TRIVIA QUESTION…IN HIS OWN COUNTRY???
TWO REASONS…
THE FIRST IS…THE RELIGION IN CANADA IS HOCKEY…
AND SECONDLY…VOTTO PLAYS IN CINCINNATI…
IF HE PLAYED IN TORONTO…VOTTO WOULD ALREADY HAVE HIGH SCHOOLS NAMED AFTER HIM…
LET’S SAY…FOR ARGUMENT SAKE…JOEY VOTTO WINS THE TRIPLE CROWN…
DOES HE ALSO WIN THE LOU MARSH???…AS “CANADIAN ATHLETE OF THE YEAR”…
DON’T COUNT ON IT….THIS IS AN OLYMPIC YEAR…
STEVE NASH…LARRY WALKER…JUSTIN MORNEAU…JOE SAKIC…MARIO LEMIEUX AND WAYNE GRETZKY…ARE JUST SOME OF THE PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES THAT HAVE BEEN SNUBBED…BY THE CLOWNS IN TORONTO WHO VOTE ON THE LOU MARSH…
IN THE MEANTIME JOEY VOTTO CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST STARS IN ALL OF SPORTS…
EVERY WHERE…EXCEPT…HIS HOME TOWN…

Vancouver Canucks

DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THAT BRIGHT SHINY OBJECT IN THE SKY…
SUMMER IS ALMOST OVER…
ALL THE SIGNS ARE THERE…
THE BLUE JAYS ARE OUT OF THE PENANT RACE…
AND NHL PLAYERS HAVE MIGRATED BACK TO VANCOUVER AND ARE NOW SKATING AT UBC…
AS DIFFICULT AS THIS IS TO BELIEVE:
THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS WILL PLAY THEIR FIRST EXIBITION GAME IN LESS THAN A MONTH…
AND LAUNCH THEIR REGULAR SEASON JUST 18 DAYS AFTER THAT…
A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE THE CANUCKS WERE BOUNCED OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS BY CHICAGO ON MAY 11TH…
TO START WITH…GM PLACE IS NOW…ROGERS ARENA…
TOM LARSCHIED ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT…HIS LAST GAME WILL BE THE OPENER ON OCTOBER THE 9TH…
LARSCHIED WILL NOT BE THE ONLY FAMILIAR FACE MISSING…
TODAY WILLIE MITCHELL SIGNED A 2 YEAR CONTRACT WITH L.A.…
THE RECENTLY DEPARTED ALSO INCLUDE…PAVOL DEMITRA…KYLE WELLWOOD…MICHEAL GRABNER AND ASSISTANT COACH RYAN WALTER…
THE NEW FACES INCLUDE…DAN HAMHUIS…KEITH BALLARD…MANNY MOLHOLTRA…AND RAFFI TORRES…WHO JUST AGREED TO A 1 YEAR DEAL…
BUT THE STARTING LINE ON OPENING NIGHT COULD ALSO INCLUDE…
CODY HODGSON…JORDAN SCHROEDER AND JEFF TAMBELLINI…
THIS SEASON THE CANUCKS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE A NEW CAPTAIN…
GENERAL MANAGER MIKE GILLIS PLANS TO SIT DOWN WITH ROBERTO LUONGO NEXT MONTH…
THE SMART MONEY IS ON “HENRIK SEDIN” TO GET THE JOB…
HENRIK WILL BECOME THE TEAMS’ THIRD CAPTAIN…IN 4 YEARS…
ALL THIS SHOULD NOT SURPRISE HOCKEY FANS IN THIS CITY…
WHEN GILLIS TOOK OVER 2 YEARS AGO HE PROMISED CHANGE…AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HE HAS DELIVERED…
FROM THE ROSTER GILLIS INHERITED IN THE SUMMER OF 2008…THERE ARE NOW JUST 9 PLAYERS LEFT…
SO AS WE PREPARE TO SAY GOODBYE TO OUR “FLIP FLOPS” FOR ANOTHER YEAR…
THE ONLY QUESTION THAT REALLY MATTERS IS THIS…
ARE THE CANUCKS FINALLY READY TO COMPETE FOR A STANLEY CUP???
WE ARE ABOUT TO FIND OUT…