I'm not sure how many people actually read this, but for those "few" that might, I apologize for the lengthy absence on this blog. I took a bunch of time off - for a variety of reasons that I won't go into here - and just decided that now is the time to return.
Well, now that that is out of the way, here's my take on a few of the interesting issues that I have noticed over the past month that I have been away.
Weird, wacky CFL
B.C., Saskatchewan, Toronto and Edmonton have gotten off to the starts that were expected of them - as has the continuation of the hapless Ti-Cats. But I can honestly say the dismal start of the Stamps is the most shocking thing to occur this season, followed closely by the mediocre performances from Montreal. As for Winnipeg, I'm not sure anyone knew what was going to happen there and now that they have created a kicker controversy, it might give the fans something to go and see.
What Cap??
With all of the free agent signings and the offer sheets (Hello, is anyone going to pick up that call from Kevin Lowe?) that were done in the past couple of weeks, does the NHL even have a so-called salary cap or is the league going to have to hire the IRS and the Canada Revenue Agency to sort through the legaleeze of the long-term, front loaded contracts to figure out if teams are contravening the cap? For me, the league needs to pair down the number of teams and bring up the talent level across the board OR fix the schedule to make things more interesting throughout the season, or else it will be another season of me catching the highlights on the news after I'm finished watching a local hockey game or the WHL on the dish.
Just an Observation (This was my column I had when I was still working the print biz).
As a sports official - several of them - it seems to me that both players and fans (along with some of my former colleagues in the media, whom should be ashamed of themselves) have taken things to a new level of despicable behaviour when it comes to questioning rulings and calls on the field of play - be it at the professional level or at little Billy's 6 & 7 year-old sports event.
Granted, officials are only human and will make mistakes, but whining and complaining (and several other things that have been done) about the situation to the point of looking ridiculous is just making things worse - for sports in general and for those just learning to love sports.
I'll continue this topic in my next post, but for now, those that get ejected from the stadium, thrown out of the game and suspended by the league or are charged criminally for their actions need to take a hard look at themselves and the impression they have left behind.
