No shows make huge comment

Easily the biggest story in the sports planet is Barry Bonds and the statistic surpassing (call it what you will) shot this past week.
My opinion on this has not and will only change once the allegations (suspicisions, etc) are either completely disproven or (as is likely the case once he retires) he finally comes out (like Rose eventually did) and states he did it.
I still think that Hank Aaron is the real home run record holder and that Bonds - along with several other "sluggers" - took cheating to a new level of lowlessness several years ago. Then again, baseball seems like a sport that never really rebounded for me since the strike shortened season back in the 1980s. That left a very sour taste in my mouth and I really haven't followed the game too much after that.
Additionally, many of the players still act like little babies waiting for someone to tend to them hand and foot, while rubbing the wads of cash in everyone's face. Sort of like NFL football, but without the handguns.
Sticking with the grand game (CFL style that is), maybe it's time for the league to begin looking hard at video tape evidence of brawls and fights like the one last week between the Eskimos and Calgary.
One can be fairly sure that at least one or two camera angles caught exactly what went on in the trenches to start the incidient. And if it was indeed the "squeeze" being put on AJ Gass by a certain Stamps O-lineman (and the certain individual isn't even commenting on it, let alone denying it), then maybe the suspension should come to him and not Gass. Instead, Gass will play this weekend while he appeals his one game ban and a few others will pay off fines. Maybe someday the league will begin to be a bit more fair in its conclusions if it takes a better look at things.
Well, that's all for this time around....

Dog days of summer

After surviving the opressive heat and humidity that hasn't been seen on the Saskatchewan prairie in a long, long time, I decided that I should begin the month of August with a renewed effort to keep my "thriving" readership from starving for my commentary (or what passes as it anyway). It's been a fortnight (for my Canadian impaired friends that's two weeks) since my last post and I need to do a lot better in this department, especially since I have all the time in the world at the moment.
For those that don't know, I have been back in the market for a job since early May and - unfortunately - have had to turn down a few offers due to a lack of ability to survive (read - couldn't pay the exorbitant rents in Alberta on the salary, if that's what they call it, the company was putting forward).
That seems to be the biggest reason for the job hunt having to continue lately. Oh yeah, and the fact that I can afford to be picky right now. There has been no lack of interviews: several newspapers - both for editor, news or sports reporter positions - along with a couple of radio stations and a few posts on the "dark side". The majority have been in Saskatchewan, but there has been ones in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. I haven't really gone after anything further east, unless it was something that was very intriguing.
Once I figure out how to do it, I'll post some articles and photos I have kept from my career so far.
As for the rest of the time I have had off, I have spent much of it with my family - my wife and three children - who were sad to see my without a job, but extremely pleased that they can once again see me more than an hour at lunch and a few hours before bedtime a few times a week. That's the one thing that has been a blessing during this time - a chance to have kind of a vacation with the family, something that we have missed having for the past three years.
I really don't want it to end, but the oldest goes back to school in less than a month, so if I get a job soon it won't be like I'd be missing a lot more than if it happened a month or so ago. And this "break" has also helped me better appreciate the time I have been able to spend with the family, as well as knowing what I should do more of when I do get a job.
To end this post, I'll give "Just an observation" on a few things from the later part of July:

• As I was on my way back home this past Monday (July 30) and I began to hear reports of tornado sightings in an area that I could have been driving through - should I have choosen that route home - I was taken back 20 years to Black Friday. I had only 30-40 minutes earlier, driven through the area of Sherwood Park (AB) where the killer tornado of July 31, 1987 struck before it moved onto the trailer park. Hearing about a tornado nearby put me right back there and stirred up sights, feelings and memories that will never be forgotten. Also, being a volunteer firefighter now, gives me even more appreciation for what the rescuers had to do back then in the aftermath.
• The casual sports fan could soon become the amateur sports fan, as the gambling and drug abuse allegations combined with the overall apathy towards professional athletes as of late take its toll on several sports - ie: cycling, baseball, hockey, basketball....Maybe if fans weren't so interested in the everyday occurances of the athletes and more focused on just what went on in the games, then it would become a sport again -- instead of a soap opera.
• Is it just me or is everyone about sick of hearing about the spoiled Hollywood brats and supposed stars in every newscast during the day??

Okay, that's it for now....Everyone have a good long weekend and stay safe.