I pushed past a couple of construction workers, inhaled a mound of dust, and then sat at the brand new bar. The Rails and Ales had moved and if the opening date appeared to be in need of a one or two day reprieve, it sure wasn’t going to bother me.
Len approached.
We’re really not open [...]
PONIES…Canadian Champ Biofuel (2010 Horse of the Year) had looked decidedly lethargic while suffering defeats in her only two starts this season. Her connections have done the right thing by announcing her retirement. The irascible runner, a local favourite, has clearly lost the bloodlust for victory and a pale imitation of the filly satisfies no [...]
GRID IRON…one of the quick ways to evaluate the NFL contract talks is to use traditional benchmarks of revenue distribution. In “Net Worth”, the brilliant study of the NHL labour wars, it was noted that the athlete cut of income in professional sport almost always gravitates to 57%. That’s the number that seems fair. When [...]
PONIES…Woodbine cancelled racing this afternoon due to “extreme heat”. That’s a Big Smoke first but the city is just that hot…
…the Canadian Triple Crown has completed two jewels and both races were outstanding. Inglorious, currently awaiting an Aug 20th engagement at Saratoga in the hugely important Alabama Stakes, has had her Queens Plate speed figure [...]
This summer is driving me crazy, for reasons other than the oppressive, overarching heat;
THE BLOOR…the staple of my movie going life has been sold and is currently undergoing a massive renovation. Yes, that’s what people wanted, all the seats torn out and the character of the grand dame scrubbed clean. Sickening. The new owners are targeting [...]
While cleaning out a closet - no, not a metaphor, I was cleaning out a closet, a real one - I was confronted by the final two tomes in the Harry Potter series. The first five had been digested before I decided enough was enough, condemning the two concluding volumes to a life co-exisitng with [...]
On Dec 5th, 1998, Wladimir Klitschko was stopped by 24-13 (win-loss) tub of goo Ross Purity. He never avenged the loss. Subsequently, the Ukrainian wunderkind was decimated by both Corrie Sanders, in March of 2003, and Lamont Brewster, in April of 2004.
Excuse me if I choke on the laudatory comments heaped on the timid heavyweight [...]
It’s not a nice time to be thoughtful in The Big Smoke.
Two of our purported leaders have botched affairs with radically stupid actions.
Mayor Rob Ford declines to attend Toronto’s biggest parade, Sundays Pride event, while Brian Burke, the Leaf GM, is noticeably absent while his underlings pitch Brad Richards, a player the team desperately needed.
Is [...]
GRANTLAND…can I be the first to start a nasty whisper concerning Bill Simmons much hyped new website? One about thin skinned, territorial writers? One concerning the best writer in sports building a team of writers he, consciously or subconsciously, knew were not able to even come close to his talents? Hmmm, the only thing that [...]
PUG LIFE…Antonio Margarito has agreed to a Dec 3rd date with Miguel Cotto. The pairs notorious first fight saw the Mexican pull a huge upset, albeit one most people believe was achieved with “loaded” gloves. Before Margarito’s 2010 fight with Manny Pacquiao he was caught attempting to create a “high” in his system by ingesting [...]
