Hawkstock and Two Smoking Barrels

Okay readers, here we go with some observations and thoughts.  Feel free to respond.  Or send money.

First MLB started those World Series games an hour and a half LATER than they did during the regular season, then they have James Taylor sing the national anthem.  They must think we need sleep.

Cleveland doesn’t strike me as a city who’s teams rebound well the following season.  I don’t think that the Cavs or Indians will be as serious of a post season threat next year.

When I was a kid, I thought, “What if there was no news on a day, would the 11 o’clock news just show more traffic/weather/sports info?” Now we have multiple daily entertainment news – why?

When the NHL was expanding, was there a good reason that Milwaukee didn’t get hockey?

Why blame the coach of the winless Miami Dolphins? He comes from parents who weren’t creative enough to give him a name other than Cam Cameron…

I’m looking forward to hearing the 20th anniversary remastered version of The Joshua Tree.  I was thinking about some of the songs on that album, and I realized that – and keep in mind that I think the world of Bono – With or Without You may just be rock’s version of Hamlet’s To be or Not To Be soliloquy.  Also, might Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For echo You Can’t Always Get What You Want? Anyway, if you listen to the whole CD you get to Bullet The Blue Sky as the fourth song.  I haven’t seen a drop off after the big three, since this season’s edition of the Boston Celtics.

Notice that the NHL’s emblem is the only one that isn’t red, white, and blue.  And while we’re on it, the Original Six Teams’ logos seemed to fall in one of two categories: either intricate detail like Detroit, Chicago, and Toronto, or simply the big letters of Montreal (C), Boston (B) and NY Rangers.

Yes, that is me to the stage right in the Mark Messier/Lay’s/Hockey Hall of Fame commercial.

My dad knows the names of all the ‘on stage assistants’ on Deal or No Deal.

 The Patriots win this week by 15.

 NBA Predictions for 2007:

East Play-offs – Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Orlando, Toronto, Boston, New Jersey, Indiana

West – Houston, San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas, Utah, LA, GS,  and Denver.

The only real surprise is the absence of Cleveland.  The wheels of progress/regression turn at a different pace these days.  Carolina and Edmonton played for a Stanley Cup and then they both missed the play-offs.  Cleveland didn’t improve enough in a conference that otherwise did so.

MVP: Duncan

Finals: Detroit vs. Dallas

Winner: Detroit (What???????? you say.  I know.  At this stage, just wait, I’ll explain later on).

NHL Predictions: Americans don’t watch.  Ottawa wins the President’s Trophy.  Nothing changes in Toronto.  By the way, will Sundin’s trade value ever be higher?

The CFL’s Stupid Names

I entered this blog on CBC.ca’s CanadaWrites Contest. 

 

With the arrival of autumn, I began thinking about football and something odd dawned on me.  The NFL team in Buffalo (the Bills) has a symbol that is representative of the city’s name, not the team name! They have a buffalo on their helmet and not something a lawyer sends you.

Then I began thinking about the silliness of the names in the CFL. 

The obvious absurdity is that not too long ago, the league had two teams that shared the same name.  How was this possible? I don’t even want to know which team should have had the right to call themselves the ‘Roughriders,’ or ‘Rough Riders,’ if you will. 

Either way, it is embarrassing.  My hunch is that it is more of an afront to the fans in Saskatchewan since Ottawa is home to many shameless politicians.

Then I asked myself, ‘do the football folks in Hamilton think that Canadian football fans need a little extra explaining ?’ Why call the team the ‘Tiger-Cats?’ The ‘Tigers’ would have sufficed.  It worked for the B.C. Lions.  Maybe they were afraid that Newfoundlanders would mistake them for tiger sharks.

Alas, Edmonton.  Good job on the alliteration.  Bad job on the political correctness. 

I could go on about how English Canada is familiar with an alouette mainly from the children’s song, but I do not want to raise the ire of the skylark loving football fanatics in La Belle Provence.

I’m just glad that the largest football loving city in western New York was not originally called Moose Jaw.  Imagine that helmet.

That Summer was a Bummer

My apologies to my readers for the delay in posting this piece.  I consider the end of summer when the good weather ends. 

If ever there was a season for pop culture, it is the summertime.  Pop culture is disposable, like a popsicle stick.  It comes and goes before you even learn the chorus.  The temperatures soar, while our standards for what is acceptable entertainment drop. 

And I want my summer of 2007 back.  Or at least I want us all to learn from the mistakes we let the entertainment industry get away with.

In the past the Beach Boys, Under the Boardwalk, Dancin in the Streets, and Summer Nights set the tone on the airwaves.  Sure, they are dated, but you get the point.  What did we have this year? Rehab by Amy Winehouse and Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston.  Those two pop radio mainstays deal with the question of going to rehab and suicide.  Maybe I’m alone here, but neither makes me wanna load up the camper. 

A couple things quickly: I know that it is unfair to lump them together.  I do not own a censorship chip for my television.  I also know that it isn’t the artist’s responsibility to provide a soundtrack for a season.   I do know that the rest of the year has budgets, overcast clouds and extra clothing.  So I want summer to be funner than 75% of the year. 

Even the biggest concert of the summer was thrown by Al Gore.  Captain Runner-Up.  And guess what? It was for global warming.  Gee, get me a party hat.  What was that 7 continent special called again?

It used to be that the third installment in a movie meant it was the end.  Except for Police Academy.  Or Leonard Part 6.  This summer we saw a third Spiderman, Ocean’s and Bourne movie.   Fans of those franchises may shed a collective tear at their passing – if they knew they were actually done.  Instead, the Rocky, Die Hard, and Indiana Jones (2008) franchises are still churning out pics, even though collective age of their male leads totals somewhere around 180.  See what I’m saying? Either some of the biggst blockbusters of this decade ended, or they are going to be kept on life support ‘just in case…’  Anyone else imagine Matt Damon thinking to himself, ‘Hmm, I can do two more Bourne’s…three if the script’s good.’  So where do we stand? What new trilogy’s kicked off? Which new action hero broke out a sweat in the heat of the 2007th summer? Surely not Seth Rogan.  Alas…

A couple more points about the films and summer times.  First, I remember a few years ago when Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughy starred in Reign of Fire.  I really enjoyed it, but it was released in the summer but looked like an autumn movie.  Why does Hollywood do this? Movie of this look and feel (The Order of the Phoenix, for example) can wait for the right season.  Trust me.  They just released Hallowe’en BEFORE Labour Day, for Pete’s sake.  Why not do that in, oh, say October?

And while I touched on Harry Potter, the end of that series, as spectacular as it was, is perhaps the end which began the most lamenting amongst pop culture fanatics.

I would turn to television for some hope or salvation on the pop culture front but I’m not so easily duped.  Here is what is on TV in the summer time: reruns, reality tv, and the least interesting sports time of the year. 

Still not convinced? Does steroids, animal abuse, and crooked officiating make you want to go on a picnic? Consider this: of the four major sports, the commisioner who had the best summer was Gary Bettman.

I rest my case.  I rest it right on top of my Pet Sounds record.

In other words, all around it was a bummer.  Let’s not do it again.