The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

I've told anyone that's asked that I'll be picking up one of those new Sens jersey. I have an old black and red one, so it'd make sense to get the new white Reebok Edge design to complete the tri-fecta of colours available. So the next question: What player to put on the back of it?

Aside from picking players you're not 100% sure will still be on the team (see yesterday's post), is it weird for a 30 something guy to have a player that's 23 years old on his jersey?

I mean, I like Jason Spezza for example, and he might be considered a good choice. But geez, he's almost a decade younger than me.

Mike Fisher just signed a five-year extension so it looks like he'll be sticking around Ottawa for a little while. Now he's not so bad age wise, in that he's about 5 years younger than me. But still...

So I'm thinking Daniel Alfredsson might be the answer. He's older than me by a whopping 2 years, he's also the team captain so you get a nice "C" on the front of your jersey. But I already have his name on my red sweater, so do I want the same player again?

This may seem trivial, but serious fans have to sort through these types of decisions all the time.

After Sydney Crosby, who is the best player in the NHL?

A case could be made for Dany Heatley.

And Senators fans will have to think about the possibility that this may be the last season we'll see Heatley in an Ottawa Senators uniform.

After the end of the 2007-08 season, Heatley will become an unrestricted free agent. And as we all saw this past summer, teams with cap space and a sense of desperation are willing to throw big dollars at players to lure them to their franchise. Heatley and his agent knows this. And so does Senators management. Not wanting contract talks to become a distraction, Heatley has told the team he'll stop negotiations until the summer if a deal isn't done by October 3. Sens owner Eugene Melnyk joined in the talks to pitch to Heatley a long-term deal...at a reduced price. Melnyk wants a winner, and he'll keep pressing for Ottawa to win a Stanley Cup. But, the reality is you can't have too much money tied up with one player. You need to have a good supporting cast and Melnyk will try hard to appeal to Heatley's competitiveness in hopes he'll take a shade less so Ottawa can keep their core players. Ottawa re-signed Mike Fisher long-term just recently, and Ray Emery got his new contract in the summer. Long-term deals for Chris Philips and Anton Volchenkov were signed at the start of the playoffs last season. Captain Daniel Alfredsson has a team option to play until 2011-12 and it's all but certain it will be exercised. These contracts should prove to Heatley Ottawa is serious about having a winner.

But, this is all a moot point if it's just money Heatley wants. I am betting Melnyk even demonstrated how earning less than market value will help Ottawa keep his good friend Jason Spezza on the squad as he'll also need a new contract at the end of the year.

I'm not sure what Heatley's state of mind is. He can earn top dollar on the open market if he wants and he might decide that's the course to take. I'd like to think Heatley enjoys playing for a Canadian market that embraces ice hockey and appreciates what he's done. But is that enough to convince him to move from his reported $8.5 million asking price each year to something closer to $7 million? To me, I'm not sure how much your life style can change if you earn $45 million over the course of a contract instead $50 million. I hope he realizes this, because as a fan, it would be a sad day to see him go.

There are some things that just make sense, and one of them is opening Albion Road.

In Ottawa, drivers travelling north-bound from the Manotick region have to detour around Albion using either the Airport Parkway or Bank Street. The reason for it is that the residents of this neighborhood don't like traffic...and...cars.

Well of course, with traffic comes noise and some carbon monoxide pollution as well, but the bottom line is that Albion residents feel they are somehow more special than the rest of the city who live near busy streets. They think that, because they're rich and better off? that they don't have to deal with these inconveniences.

They are close to the airport, and they're also close to one of the most commercial streets in the city, Bank St. And more importantly, there are people in the neighborhood who live around Albion that could use it to get to their home quickly. Guess what? Some people might like to use your road to get to these places! Some friends of mind who live off Albion did their own stats and calculated the extra amount of pollution their cars creates because of their detouring. 6,000 signatures have been obtained from local residents wanting the road reopened after being closed for about four years now.

There have been some meetings between neighbors with shouting matches and the police being asked to watch over the exchanges. Hard to say if it'll be re-opened, but further meetings are planned to discuss the issue further to find a solution.

Screw Visa. Have you seen that ad where all these sheep are lining up to pay at the cash register, and the credit card is getting swiped while everyone is smiling & happy...then one person pulls out his wallet to pay cash and everyone looks at him like, "What the hell are you doing?"

Is it any wonder so many people are drowning in debt? I'm no angel...I just put my TV on the credit card. But to actually depict a situation where everyone thinks you're nuts when you pay off your debt IMMEDIATELY..is ridiculous. Up yours VISA. I actually lost my VISA while in Vegas and reported it missing; they were supposed to send me a replacement and I still haven't received it yet. I'm not going to bother to call to remind them.

Visa Ad

The talk of the office was, without surprise, the brutal hit on Dean McAmmond by rookie Steve Downie of the Philadelphia Flyers. Downie was clearly out for revenge after receiving two (legal) body checks by two different Senators players during his shift. He saw his prey, and the unlucky player was McAmmond. Downie skated full stride (although did let up at the end), left his feet, used his elbow and connected straight on with McAmmond’s head. I also thought it was a somewhat of a late hit, but that might be debatable. In any case, McAmmond was bloodied and unconscious but managed to regain his senses before being carted off on a stretcher.

Now make yourself comfortable because this is going to be a long post.

There are no shades of gray with this “bodycheck”. This was a brutal, deliberate intent-to-injure hit that re-establishes the notion there is little respect amongst the players. Some may say Downie was just trying to make an impression and show his edge as he attempts to make the Philadelphia Flyers team. But Downie already has a reputation of being a player who runs around with a short fuse. This isn’t the first time for Downie, and it won’t be the last.

Now the Downie defenders will say McAmmond had his head down and should have been more careful. There is a small grain of truth to it. But the main problem is every player in the NHL has the right to not expect a player to come charging in from the other end of the ice while they circle their own net to make a simple passing play. Much like he had the right not to expect Chris Pronger elbow him in the head in last season’s final. His head was up for that, but it didn’t matter. The damage was done, and he didn’t return for the rest of the Stanley Cup finals.

Some hockey commentators brought out the instigator rule contributed to the culture in ice hockey where we should expect more hits like Downie’s to take place. Because a two minute penalty is assessed to someone who starts a fight to avenge a player running around, there is the thought a player has this in the back of their mind while he attempts to injure opposing players: He doesn’t have to fear repercussions from the opposing team’s tough guy because they’ll be penalized. Let me tell you something: Brian McGrattan was on the ice for last night’s hit and that two minute penalty was the last thing on his mind. He went after Downie, only to be stopped by another Flyers player and ended up fighting him instead. Before the instigator rule, stick work and fights broke out with regularity. Just look at the style of hockey in the 1970s, where the Broadstreet Bullies in Philadelphia ruled the NHL. I watched “The Rocket” and saw the complete disrespect Maurice Richard had to endure in his career, including two handed tomahawk chops with hockey sticks to the head. I firmly believe the instigator rule, with or without it, would make absolutely no difference on the number of these cheap hits we see in hockey.

The NHL will have to decide on what sort of suspension Downie will get, but remember he's a rookie and may not even make the team. On the other hand, perhaps this will help his case to make the Philadelphia Flyers as many will look at this as playing with "edge" each team needs, a sorry statement on the league today. If the league decides to lay the hammer down on Downie, perhaps it can send a message to the rest of the NHL to clean up their act. But likely, the suspension won't justify the act.

You can play with grit, passion and heart and not have a reputation you're a dirty player. Just ask Steve Yzerman. Would there be any problems in the league with respect for other players if everyone had the mentality of an Yzerman or a Joe Sakic? Absolutely not. But how can we have the players think this way? How can we make the players play hard without thoughts of trying to kill their opposition?

I wish I knew the answer, because it looks like there's a good chance Dean McAmmond's career is over, and more careers will be finished until these cheap hits are done with. If you don't think this is a serious issue, put it in this light...what if it was Sydney Crosby that was stretchered out last night?

Downie Hit on McAmmond

If there's anything that never gets boring for me, is seeing Ottawa skate circles around Leafs. Here, it's Spezza's turn. Yeah sure, it's only pre-season, but get used to it. Speaking of pre-season, I'm going to tonight's Sens-Flyers game w/Erin. Only eight days away till the season opener, can't wait!

Spezza OT winner

I was watching Fox news on Sunday (I never watch it, only tuned in because it was in high definition) where Hilary Clinton was getting interviewed by someone whose name escapes me (Brit Hume perhaps?). The topic was health care, and one of Clinton's agenda items when she runs for President next year is having universal health care for every US citizen.

Because Fox is owned by Conrad Black, we can't possibly have a program endorsed by a news station that helps the less fortunate. But since you can't say with a straight face that a 5 year-old shouldn't have the right to be seen by a doctor only because they don't have insurance, the host attacked Clinton by suggesting having a government-run program is doomed to fail.

Hilary went on to say that every person would have a choice of insurance carrier and would not be insured by the government per se. For example, they could go with Blue Cross if they prefer. She was trying to downplay that the government would actually run the day-to-day administration, and it would simply mandate how each person would become insured.

My point is: So what if the government is the sole insurance carrier?

I mean, why is automatically the government seen as bad? Why do Americans perceive the government at being inept in running such a social program?

Privatization is all around them, and it has resulted in unnecessary deaths and 47 million uninsured. Why do they think privatization is still the way things should be run?

I don't see the government as evil, or incompetent. It should work for the people, and when I see the many social programs offered in Canada to aid the less fortunate, I see how it can work.

Americans seem to have little interest in having not-for-profit agencies work for them. I just don't get it.

A few of you asked me to post a picture, so here it is. Good times! It probably looks bigger in person:

I've been very critical of WWE's refusal to acknowledge the lifestyle of their performers has led to too many deaths, but apparently owner Vince McMahon has tried to reach out to offer to pay for rehab services. He doesn't admit any fault, and doesn't address steroid use, but at least it's a step in the right direction:

"Over the last ten years, an inordinate number of wrestlers have passed away. Some of those deaths may in part have been caused by drugs and alcohol.

In an effort to prevent such tragedies in the future, the WWE is willing to pay for drug and/or alcohol rehabilitation at a certified treatment chosen by WWE for any performer with a prior WWE booking contract who may need this service. The WWE will pay for this service in full.

There is no cost to you or your family. Help will be provided regardless of the circumstances of your departure from the or the amount of time you performed for the WWE..."


Sincerely,

Vincent K. McMahon
Chairman, World Wrestling Entertainment

Ever since Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event Championship, the poker world hasn't had a "story" that can compare to his accomplishment. Along comes the inaugural WSOP European Main Event Championship, and that has all changed.

The very first WSOP Europe champion is only 18 years old, ineligible to play in any tournament in the USA, and female. Annette Obrestad is the newest poker sensation to arrive on the poker scene, and with her 1,000,000 pound payday this past Sunday, we'll be seeing a lot of her.

If you include her online cashes, she already is the top female poker pro earner ever, and interestingly enough, knocked out the person who use to have claim to that title, Annie Duke, in 21st place.

No doubt Annette's victory will inspire many young poker players to emulate her victory. And perhaps even encourage more players of the fairer sex to give poker a try. If an 18 year-old unknown can best the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, Phil Ivey and Doyle Brunson, it proves not only is age irrelevant, but so too, is gender.

No blog entry last night: I was busy "working", awaiting the arrival of my big 56" TV, then headed to Sears to pick up the stand and spent about an hour with John assembling it. It's a good thing I have a roommate, because I'd probably try to put it together myself and not do it properly. In any case, I got a huge scare just moments after the TV arrived...I attempted to move my old TV and wall unit into my bedroom (it has castors) but after a few pulls, the wall unit leaned over sideways and the old TV slid right out. It just GRAZED the front screen of the new TV. It actually had this plastic "film" on the front of it that looked like dust, but luckily a wiping from a soft cloth cleared it off. "Ben, you are f*cking lucky!" were John's exact words. Indeed I was.

My Godson Darren. He's growing up so fast, horns are starting to shoot out of his head.

Some unexpected news to surface during Senators training camp, but good news nonetheless.

One of the core players of the NHL franchise, Ottawa signed Mike Fisher to a five-year extension today for a sum totalling $21 million. An enormous amount of money for a slightly better than 1/2 point-a-game player, perhaps, but the intangibles he brings are the reasons he gets the paycheque he does. He plays hard, gets his nose dirty, has enormous heart and many say is the future captain of the Senators. He is a fan favourite and it was nice to hear him say he couldn't imagine playing for another team.

GM Bryan Murray still has his work cut out for him. He has to consider what he has to do with unrestricted free agents Dany Heatley, Chris Kelly and Wade Redden (re-sign? trade?) and has a few restricted agents that need new contracts by the end of the season: Jason Spezza, Antoine Vermette, Patrick Eaves, Brian McGrattan and Andrej Meszaros. But he's taken the first step, and kept a player that many Sens fans can't picture without.

I'm glad Mike Fisher is remaining an Ottawa Senator.

Congrats to Marc & Tracy for raising $5,000 in their "Hike for the Cure" fundraiser! They trekked the 100kms this past weekend.

A big shakeup in our job model at work. This will likely lead me to switch jobs in the next year.

Stuff that doesn't make sense: A banner ad for Classmates on Facebook (How does Classmates continue to exist with Facebook around anyway?)

A big TV is on its way: Best Buy took $700 the TV I've been looking at. If everything goes smoothly, I should have it by Wednesday.

With the New England Patriots being caught for illegally filming oppositions' signals and plays, it makes me wonder how many other teams are doing it, and if there's a sport out there where the participants try to win with honour instead of trying to figure out how they can cheat.

Royce Gracie, Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall-of-Famer, was busted for steroids this past summer after a fight, but decided to just pay the fine and serve the suspension because fighting it would be too expensive. That and he's guilty.

I'll be attending the following Sens games: Oct 18 game against the Canadiens, Nov 24 against the Flyers, Jan 19 against the Lightning and Apr 4 against the Bruins (which is the season closer). I'm sitting first row in the 300 level, and if you want to go to any of those games with SBP, send me an email with $60 everything included and you're in! (Roughly $30 off regular price!).

For our "treat days" at my work, when it's my turn I usually cop out and head to Tim Horton's for doughnuts. But this time...I made something. Porcupine Balls! Delicious! And very easy to make. They are very very sweet so you should have only one or two at the most. The balls were a smash hit so here's the recipe if you wish to make a sweet snack without needing an oven.

You need:

- Two semi-sweet chocolate squares
- one can condensed milk (220ml)
- 32 graham crackers
- small dish with shredded coconut

Take the graham crackers and break them into small, fine pieces into a large bowl. Add the condensed milk and then melt the chocolate in the microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the chocolate over the mixture and stir with spatula. When all ingredients are well-combined, tear pieces away from the batter and use the palms of your hand to roll into balls. (If you have problems keeping the mixture intact, add more crackers and continue stirring). As you roll each piece into a ball, place it on the dish with coconut and roll until covered.

You may serve immediately or place in fridge for later consumption. Mmmmmmm....fattening!

The NHL's decision to slap Mark Bell with a 15 game suspension as a "follow-up" to the 6 month jail sentence for Bell's DUI conviction is an example of how professional sports' desire to protect their image can go too far.

This isn't to say I don't think Bell shouldn't go to jail, or that his crime isn't serious and he shouldn't have to face the consequences of his actions. But at the same time, Mark Bell has said he has been completed sober for over a year. Not one drop of booze. And there is no reason or evidence to think he's lying. So he's starting to turn his life around, for the better, and the reward is a suspension with no pay.

Bell has a jail sentence waiting for him once the season is over. I don't think jail is fun for one day, much less the 180 days he has to look forward to. If the NHL didn't want to look weak by pretending his incident didn't happen, the could have alternatively announced they have been pleased with his progress in battling his alcoholism, and to reward his progress no suspension is forthcoming. They could also plug how the NHL's substance abuse program is working.

I don't think a suspension here serves any purpose.

I guess in the end, it doesn't matter what it's called, I just hope we get a good movie.

Mom called me today to say one of our Australian friends, Keith Phipps, passed away on Monday. He had a tumor in his brain, one of those things that just turned up unexpectedly.

The last time I saw Keith was in 1999 during my visit to Australia. He and his wife Narelle took really good care of me when I stayed in Sydney, along me to stay in their guest "basement" which they were nice enough to do up for me. I always enjoyed Keith's sense of humour, and we shared a liking for WWE. I remember after working at the movie theatre, sometimes I'd pick up a few videos to rent and we'd enjoy some pro rasslin' and beer for a few hours. It was nice to find a fellow fan thousands of miles away from home.

Cancer is a weird thing. He didn't smoke. He didn't overeat. He wasn't a heavy drinker nor did he work in particularly dangerous environments. It just came up. And just like that, he's gone.

I wish I had a picture of him to post. Here's hoping you're in a better place, Keith.

I was watching Aliens the other day, and I was thinking how many great flicks Michael Biehn has been in.

"Great" might be taking it a bit far, but a lot of cool fan-boy movies with guns & explosions action fans love.

Biehn isn't a superstar, and most people wouldn't know his name if they ran into him on the streets, although they'd definitely have the, "Haven't I've seen you in some movies...?" thought running through their heads.

Not too many actors can say they got paid to kill Terminators or hunt Aliens, but that's exactly what Michael Biehn has gotten to do. He's also got to perform in other testosterone-filled flicks such as The Rock and Navy SEALS (well, we'll try to forget Navy SEALS).

His latest role was in the Tarantino/Rodriguez film Grindhouse, and although I haven't seen it yet, I'm sure he'll deliver the goods once more.

Some character actors are made for art-house and Oscar-type flicks, but there are some of the action film genre. Biehn has definitely established himself amongst the comic-book nerd crowd as a fan favourite. I hope he gets to somehow play a role in the set-in-the-future new Terminator trilogy set to be made for 2009 or 2010.

I wouldn't think there was an automobile out there that could possible offend, but here it is: The Stretch Hummer. A Hummer in itself is horrible enough, made to give the driver a "King of the Road' feeling while driving past a Yaris or Mini. Compensating for other things? Perhaps. And maybe I wouldn't have such a problem with an individual driving one around if it just wasn't so horrible on fuel consumption, despite the cheesiness of the car itself. It's like the driver is giving the environment a "F*ck you!" while it heads down the highway.

In Ottawa, I had never seen a stretch Hummer in person. While in Las Vegas for six days, I saw no less than four. And every time I saw one, I was personally offended. How could someone not be embarrassed being seen in that vehicle, especially with the growing concerns of global warming?

Like many other things in life, I just don't get it.

I was slightly amused at the road-rage incident involving a 65 year old man named Jean Therien and Ottawa Senators goaltender Ray Emery. But upon further reflection, Emery's act is getting less & less cute and he's going to have stop acting like a $3.2 million a year child.

The NHL is a league that needs more characters, and Emery is certainly an exception to the rather bland typical NHL player we see. He once ate a cockroach after being offered $500 from Daniel Alfredsson if he'd do it. He came to practice with his hair dyed blonde, only to have it shaved off after a lecture from management. These incidents didn't really make me think he was a bad person or anything. I actually dug the suits he'd wear to games and practices. Very flamboyant, and not something I'd ever wear, but it showed he had some individuality and character.

He got into more trouble when his goalie mask, his previous editions having drawings of famous pro boxers, had a likeness of rapist Mike Tyson on it. He upset police when he presented Snoop Dogg an Ottawa Senators jersey with the number 187 on the back (187 the code in the California Penal System for murder). He showed up late for his charter flight during the playoffs because of an accident involving his Hummer.

And now he's accused of threatening the life of a senior citizen after being cut off in traffic. He followed the man in his Hummer and allegedly referred to him as a "f*cking old bag of bones" amongst other things. Yesterday afternoon, police said no charges will be laid, however Therien said he will probably sue him in civil court.

Does Ray ever stop and think before he acts? My question for Ray now is, "When are you going to grow up?"

Pro athletes are in the limelight, like it or not. They represent the community and the team wherever they go. I think Emery is starting to be more and more selfish and not taking the time to stop and think about his actions. He was all smiles and giggles while being interviewed about this road rage incident. But it's not funny anymore. His reputation is starting to slide.

I like Ray Emery. He's only 24 years old and I think he's only going to get better. But if these outside shenanigans continue, he's value will be diminished, and the scrutiny and pressure from the public & media on his conduct may start to affect his performance on the ice. At that point, even his biggest fans will turn their back on him.

Time to grow up, while he's still young.

Last week, the sh*t really hit the fan when Sports Illustrated and the Associated Press uncovered a list of wrestlers who were buying steroids from an online pharmaceutical company called Signature Pharmacy, based out of Orlando. This included the bigger stars of WWE: Randy Orton, Edge, Umaga, Ken Kennedy and Batista amongst others.

When you think of the lengths people will go to make a buck, I came across what perhaps is the most disgusting “product” you can purchase online, and it makes me wonder how low the human race is sinking.

“Celebrity Skins and Bodily Fluid”, a company based out of California, is now selling vials of Mike Tyson’s crap for $31 each. Yup, you heard me right. It even comes complete with certificate of authenticity. Some of you make fun of me for my lightsabers; I can guarantee you, however, that I will not be purchasing Yoda’s urine.

A questions that comes to mind is how exactly are these "samples" obtained and can be verified as authentic? The website states: We obtain the vast majority of our specimens from an extensive network of trustworthy suppliers...on occasion we purchase quality specimens from private sellers (this tells me the celebrities may not know about it). All our specimens are tested by experienced body-fluid identification technicians at the Allamas Biological Research Facility in Greeley Colorado and cross-referenced hospital birth records and blood analysis from the Red Cross. As a last resort, we will attempt to verify our specimens by comparing our test results to various body-fluid tests conducted during periods of the individual’s incarceration, if available. Each specimen comes with a certificate of authenticity. We ensure our customers will receive a quality product.

You can also buy skin cells and bacteria of certain celebrities. Some names you may be familiar with include Robin Williams, Tom Green (whose fecal matter is reported to be "out of stock"), Jack Black and Sarah Jessica Parker. If you’re a star and really want to know if you made it in this world, any idiot that will pay for your sh*t must mean you’ve done something right, or at least your name was splashed all over the media enough for the public to know who you are.

I am all but certain I’ll be the one having to pay someone to take home my feces.

(You might notice no photo was included in this blog entry. That was for your benefit).

I tried to tune into the Canada-Russia “Super Series” yesterday, but found myself indifferent and uninterested and ended up changing the channel about 5 minutes later.

The tournament was created to commemorate the 35 years that have passed since Canada beat the Russians in an emotional 1972 series during a time when no Europeans would play in the NHL. The Cold War was building up, with an “us versus them” mentality. The Russians were faceless, cold-hearted enemies that attempted to demonstrate they were stronger, faster and better skilled at what Canada calls its own: hockey. Sacrilege! A victory by Canada on the ice rink would almost be equivalent to one on the battlefield. And when Canada did win, well, apparently words can’t describe the party that followed (As a side note, no one talks about this but only two years after the ’72 Summit Series a rematch between the two countries was made, with the Russians coming out on top with a record of 4 wins, 1 loss and three ties against Canada. Bet you didn’t know that!).

Since professional ice hockey players are overpaid and don’t want to risk injury to play in such a competition while the Russians have come in droves to play in the NHL, the mystique quality is completely burnt out. There is no real rivalry between the countries anymore. The only people who really care about this tournament are the players themselves and the coaching staff (although it has been reported even some of the players could care less, such as Russian star Alexei Cherepanov). And in my opinion, they only care because they know scouts are watching each game to evaluate their talent.

With Canada spanking Russia 8-1 last night and taking a 5-0 series lead (and victory) in the process, we’re faced with the reality the Russians are just clearly inferior to their Canadian opponents. To have a great series, you need to have two great teams. That simply isn’t the case here. I almost hate to say it, but seeing Canada dominate like this is kind of boring.

I guess it was well-intentioned, but this series has been a big disappointment. I doubt will ever see another Summit Series in our lifetime.

7,468 people showed up yesterday to say farewell to the Ottawa Lynx after spending 15 years in a sleepy government town. I saw things I haven’t seen in ages at a Lynx game, like a line-up for tickets and cars jammed bumper to bumper trying to get a parking space. It hasn’t been officially announced, but it’s all but certain the Lynx, the last Canadian Triple-A ball club, will move to Allentown, PA and they will be renamed the Ironpigs. I don’t know what an Ironpig is, except it’s a pretty horrible name for a team.

As a non-baseball fan, I went on average to 2-3 games a season. It was mostly for the atmosphere and the company more than the game itself, as baseball is just too slow for my tastes. Are there any die-hard baseball fans in Ottawa? If I liked baseball, much like I do hockey, I would have definitely made a trip to the ballpark more often. But I have friends who are baseball fans that don’t bother. What are the reasons?

No one really knows why. Having some conversations with others about the team, some say the baseball strike back when the Montreal Expos were the clear favourites to win the World Series in 1994 put a sour taste in the fans' mouths that has not been forgiven. Some say the way management tried to nickel & dime fans got to be too much: for example, there was a player named Henry Rodriguez who was on the roster for the Expos, and like the tradition in Montreal, the fans in Ottawa would throw Oh Henry chocolate bars onto the field whenever he hit a home run when he was sent down to the Lynx. Well...Lynx management didn’t like that, not because of the litter on the field, but because the fans didn’t buy the chocolate bars from the team and were losing the concession. Thing is, fans would still buy things to eat at Lynx stadium because they didn’t throw empty wrappers on the field, they threw the whole frickin’ bar. In a city like Ottawa, when some spontaneous enthusiasm like that would occur, you should embrace it. This city rarely shows any sign of life for an average sporting event as it is. If you’re going to charge $4.25 for a chocolate bar a fan isn’t going to eat, they’ll bring a bar from elsewhere. Let the fans have their fun.

Some say after the Lynx won the league championship in 1995 (and for reasons still unknown to me, the section of the outfield wall that proclaimed them champions in 1995 was removed) the fans thought, well, we’ve won, there’s nothing else to watch here. The 1996 season was the year attendance started to noticeably go down in Ottawa.

Ticket prices were cheap: $7 to $11. Parking a mere $3; just compare that to a Sens game and it’s a huge bargain.

Now the talk of the town is what will happen to Lynx stadium, a place that can seat 10,000 people and is completely paid for. The Can-Am baseball league, which is said to be the equivalent of Double-A baseball, is willing to take the keys from the Lynx using the current lease agreement with no cost to the taxpayer starting next year. They don’t start their season until late May after the cold, wet weather has passed (which is often cited as the reason for low attendance during April and early May) and also have a theory that since the league has teams in places like Montreal and Quebec City, maybe some rivalries between these cities will develop that might generate fan interest. These factors seem to make too much sense, so of course we’re hearing the city isn’t event talking to the league commissioner about the possibility of bringing a team to Ottawa and is instead considering turning the stadium into a soccer field by building a dome at the cost of $40 million to taxpayers. Unless a private interest is footing the bill, this is a complete waste of money, especially when indoor soccer can be played at Frank Clair stadium where a seasonal dome is already being used for events like Ultimate. If Frank Clair is good enough for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, it's good enough for anything else. I guess we’ll find out what happens in the next few months on the fate of Lynx stadium.


After the game, where the Lynx dropped an 8-5 decision to the Syracuse Chiefs, the players went straight to the dressing room and didn't so much as offer a wave goodbye to the fans. However, Lynx manager John Russell let his three year-old son round the bases and jumped on home base to the appreciation and cheers of the crowd. At least someone wised up to the fact Triple-A is leaving town.

In the end, I didn’t have an emotional attachment to the Ottawa Lynx as I do the Senators, but it still wasn’t nice to hear they were being moved elsewhere. Whether it’s football, lacrosse, or in this case, baseball, it seems Ottawa’s interests can’t expand beyond hockey and once something new becomes old, it’s quickly tossed aside and forgotten.

Perhaps then, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Ottawa Lynx have left town.

Poker lasted a little longer than expected and I just got home and need to get to work tomorrow morning, so we'll just write a few lines tonight.

First, happy Labour Day! A long weekend is always welcome. Next time we have one, the Sens will have earned four points after playing the Leafs back to back!

And Happy b-day to Alex and Plan B. As always, the cake was delicious!

I'll be chatting about the final Ottawa Lynx game tomorrow.

I have officially stopped buying bottled water.

I can't even remember why I started in the first place.

In any case, loading the fridge with bottled water was very convenient. It was easy to grab a bottle before heading out to play Ultimate, or even just having nice, clean tasting H2O nice & cold at the turn of the cap. I got spoiled and decided tap water just didn't cut it. It didn't taste good. It was good for a shower and not much else.

There really isn't that much of a difference. But for the convenience and slightly different taste, we are paying about 1000% more than what's charged on our water bills and more importantly, adding tons of waste to our landfills if they weren't already pushed to their limits.

So, I'm not perfect, I bought a Brita water filter and in the process, have to dispose a filter every two months. But overall, I think us and the environment will all be better off if we stopped buying another bottle of Evian or Dasani, so I've quit buying.

This past week, Vancouver launched their new Reebok Edge jerseys and slightly more than 8,500 turned out for the unveiling. And man, I don't think any team has made improvements.

First off, what's with putting "Vancouver" over the logo? Are they worried the fans won't know where they come from? I think it's distracting and doesn't add anything nice to them. Next, that stupid Orca Bay Company logo, with what I *think* is a whale bursting out of ...I don't know, the letter C?...has just got to go. Who cares who owns the team? Can you imagine if Eugene Melnyk airbrushed his face on the Sens' jerseys? This was a chance to correct a mistake, but they didn't.

The colour scheme is good. I like the green/blue/white vintage look from the 1970s with the "hockey stick in a rink" shoulder patch (seems every team is using the shoulder as a nod to the past). And the horizontal stripes on the bottom finishes off the jersey nicely. I think every team should include that.

Overall though, bleah. These jerseys are coming off worse than the originals.