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After a vacation every serious reveller feels the need for, well, a vacation. I’m exhausted but still standing after ripping through the Big Smoke in the accompaniment of my visiting family. The itinerary included the Island, the Zoo, a Blue Jays game, an amazing night watching Toronto FC, tons of World Cup soccer on the tube, a wedding, the Queen’s Plate, a night on the town for my nieces and nephews with McClin, a visit to the barriers before the G20 nonsense (a, ahem, “riot” that left my Irish guests convulsing with laughter), Niagara Falls, Chinatown, a raucous convergence at The Rail to meet the gang and watch UFC (I know, I know) and steak dinners and movies. I’m beat and 99.2% alcohol at this point…

I could rhapsodize like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers about the beauty and complexity of Toronto. The city suits me down to the ground and the constant friendliness of the people is accentuated while you are in “tourist” mode. Living in a city we fall into a routine which often precludes enjoying all that is on offer. A wonderful two week break has reminded me to appreciate just how fortunate we are to live in the Big Smoke.

So much was a blast but I’d have to note the Toronto FC - Houston Dynamo game on July 1^st as a highlight. It was my first time at BMO and I was surprised and delighted by the non-stop singing, dancing and stomping of the Red Patch Boys and other assorted loons. They lent a distinctly European feel to the event and it was easy to become enveloped in the wave of emotion as the local team rallied to pull out a draw. The soccer crowd is unique and passionate, and they conspire to provide a magnificent entertainment experience. Put me down as a FC fan from now on…

RANDOM…sorry, just can’t find it in me to detest a Chris Bosh who suffered playing with mediocrities for seven spirit crushing years. You begrudge him the chance to play in Miami with Dwayne Wade? C’mon, that’s rubbish. The only villain is Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo for his failure to move Bosh last year when it became readily apparent to even the most casual observer that the Raptor leader was going to bolt…on the other hand; you can go immediately to Bill Simmons at ESPN if you want to see Bosh referred to as a “lapdog”…

GRID IRON…the Michael Vick “Birthday Bash” story is starting to become troublesome. The State prosecutor is contending that Vick was involved in a confrontation minutes before the shooting of one of his co-defendants in his infamous dog fighting trial. The fight was bad enough that friends had to intervene and physically pull Vick from the party. It is safe to conclude the thoroughly washed up QB is a big time tool…

..Safety Ed Reed has indicated he will return to the Baltimore Ravens this season. The all-world Reed is recovering from hip surgery and is a vital cog in what is still a fearsome D…

ICE…while the circumstances of Bob Probert’s death were desperately sad, a disservice was done to the general public by refusing to acknowledge the role his prolonged drug use may have played in his sudden death. Every 45 year old in Canada staggered a bit at the sudden departure of a seemingly healthy man. But Probert had abused his body for years and was the subject of repeated speculation in the Windsor/Detroit corridor concerning his lifestyle habits…

…the Vancouver Canucks have announced they will retire the jersey of Markus Naslund. What happened to standards?…

PONIES…the Queen’s Plate didn’t receive much coverage from a handicapping perspective, instead focusing on the presence of the Queen. Here’s the skinny; Javier Castellano, the jockey of Dark Cloud Dancer, screwed up Sam-Son Farms and any bettor who backed their runners. The track was clearly speed and inside favouring, and thus appeared to set up nicely for the speedy Dancer. He was wildly overbet, pounded down to 9-1, but looked to have distinct advantages based on the track conditions and his regal bloodlines. So Javier, brought up for the day, grabbed a tight hold and strangled the colt back to fourth in the early stages. You can’t make up this level of stupidity. The ponderous pace also ruined the chances of Hotep, who rallied to be second, and Giant’s Tomb. Big up to winner Big Red Mike, but the colt simply coasted along a surface that lent him all possible advantage. He’s a strong “stand against” type when the three year olds meet at the Fort three weeks hence…

PUG LIFE…watching an entire UFC card was dreary and occasionally ridiculous. Having said that, it was impossible to ignore the passion and intensity of the fans. I enjoyed the main event between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin but found the other matches tedious, particularly when the combatants took to the ground. I will certainly be back for a night of Ultimate Fighting when James Toney makes his debut, reportedly in late August, against Randy Couture. “Lights Out” is old and fat, but also clever and determined. A subtext of the fight will concern the ability of Toney, based on lax UFC testing standards, to resume his regimen of steroid use…

…HBO’s Ross Greenburg made the shocking (?) decision to divorce the Time Warner Empire from the Klitschko brothers. Is this the death knell of heavyweight boxing? Not really. The recent fights of the Klitschkos have been unwatchable abominations against timid and incompetent challengers. Greenburg will perk up if the Ukrainians ever get around to fighting a David Hayes or a Tomasz Adamek (indeed, he admitted as much) so Greenburg was really only underlining how pathetic their recent fights have been. The heavyweight division, with few exceptions, is moribund and unwatchable. The refusal of the brothers to execute entertaining or aggressive fight plans has contributed to the squalid nature of their reigns…

…Thomas Hauser has a great piece up on the Seconds Out website concerning John Duddy and his recent unsuccessful challenge of Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. Revelations abound, including the disclosure that Chavez suffers from dismal work habits but perked up significantly when coming under the tutelage of Freddie Roach. Duddy, a game but limited brawler, would likely have bested the pre-Roach Chavez, it is speculated, but had no chance when the Mexican began to flaunt superior speed and fitness…