Need a ticket? For just $22,000 ...
A few thoughts for a Saturday just 11 days before Blue Jays’ pitchers and catchers report for spring training ...
THAT’S A SPICY MEATBALL
The most-expensive ticket for Sunday’s Super Bowl is $1,800. That’s face value. The top available ticket on StubHub right now — resale price — is $22,000.
A top ticket to Super Bowl I was $12.
ALL CANADIANS WERE BUSY
The CBC has dozens and dozens of on-air folks heading to Pyeongchang for the Olympics that starts next week. Not sure we need two commentators, two analysts and a reporter for speed skating, or a commentator, three analysts and a reporter — that would be former national women’s soccer team goalie Karina LeBlanc, whose connection to skeleton or luge is unclear — for the sliding sports.
But the oddest choice? Alexei Yashin as hockey analyst. Yes, that Alexei Yashin.
Canada has millions of people
who’ve played hockey over the years at various levels. Millions. Yet we can’t find one who can analyze the game at the Olympics so the national broadcaster hires a Russian who’s spent the past four years as a hockey consultant back home?
Nobody tell Don Cherry.
I’LL PUT FIVE ON PURPLE
Dozens of prop bets are available for the Super Bowl, as they are every year. These are oddities that may or may not have anything to do with the action on the field. This year the stranger ones include whether Nipplegate will be mentioned since Justin Timberlake is doing the halftime show and we all know what happened last time (oddsmakers say no), will Pink be airborne at any point during her singing of the national anthem (they’re going with a strong, no), and what colour Gatorade will be dumped on the winning coach (lime, green or yellow is the strong favourite).
THEY STINK
Edmonton, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa are the sixth-, fifth-, fourth- and third-worst teams in the NHL right now. That’s not good. Even more staggeringly awful? They have combined to give up 125 more goals than they’ve scored.
THEY STINK II
Want to know why the Edmonton Oilers are as bad as they are? They’re second-worst on the power play and dead last on the penalty kill. That’s brutal. Especially the power play numbers for a team with Connor McDavid and the rest of the offensive talent around him.
NOT RIGHT
Twenty-eight Russians who’d been banned from the Pyeonchang Olympics because of doping were reinstated this week. Canadian luger Sam Edney nailed the sentiments of many when he heard.
“Above everything else, this is a very, very, very dark day for the Olympics,” he said. “And this is a very, very, very dark day for clean sport ... if there is such a thing anymore.”
While it would be terribly unfair to all the clean athletes who’ll be at the Games, would love to see all of them refuse to compete as an act of protest. Essentially, grind the Olympics to a halt to show their disdain for these rulings.
LOOKING UP
Six Hamilton Bulldogs finished last season with 40 points or more. With 19 games remaining this year, six players have already reached that mark.
ALEX WITH THE BURN
Best thing on TV this week? Alex Trebek mocking three football-clueless contestants on Jeopardy for their absolute lack of pigskin knowledge. After nobody buzzed in for any of the first four questions, he suggested they look at the $1,000 question — what was the nickname of the Minnesota Vikings’ legendary defensive line that led the team to four Super Bowls? — just for fun.
“If you guys ring in and get this one, I will die,” he deadpanned.
The answer: The Purple People Eaters.
No, they didn’t get it.
THEY STILL BOO HIM
This week marked the 25th anniversary of Gary Bettman taking over as NHL commissioner. During his tenure, the league has expanded from 24 to 31 teams, has added several teams in the sunbelt and other non-traditional hockey markets, and league revenues have grown tenfold.
The one thing that hasn’t changed? He still hates Hamilton.
ANIMAL IMPULSE
So you’re still not sure who to lay a few bucks on for Sunday’s game? Various zoos and aquaria across the U.S. have had their animals predict the winner generally by picking to eat out of one of two bowls marked with either an Eagles or Patriots logo.
Fiona the hippo chose the Eagles, April the giraffe — the same one that went viral last year during her elongated pregnancy — went for the Patriots, Ozzie the bear was all in on the Eagles, Bubbles the elephant did too, as did Florian the skunk, Walter the camel and Octavia the octopus. Meanwhile, a bunch of puppies on the Tonight Show chose the Pats.
Yes, it’s come to this.