(Deep) NOT SO thoughts
A few random thoughts for the weekend we celebrate National Reptile Awareness Day.
What’s unclear about this celebration is if we’re supposed to be aware of reptiles or if they’re supposed to be improving their own awareness ...
MESSED THAT ONE UP
Note to Major League Baseball: If your umpire blows a call and then your instant replay system that is supposed to guarantee such muffed calls don’t happen still screw things up, your system stinks.
On Wednesday night, what was a home run by Jose Altuve — it was a home run — was improperly ruled fan interference by umpire Joe West. A series of replays seemed to show pretty clearly that the ball had cleared the wall and entered the seating area, meaning fans can prevent a fielder from making a play. Yet the call stood. Two-run home run eliminated. Houston loses by two.
Why do we get the feeling there is a 100 per cent chance it would’ve been overturned and declared a home run if had been Derek Jeter who’d hit it?
COULDA BEEN
The Kansas City Chiefs are doing pretty nicely this year with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. The kid leads the NFL in touchdown passes with 18 while throwing just four interceptions, his 112.2 QB rating is fifth in the league and he’s being touted as the frontrunner for NFL MVP this season.
Interesting that he was drafted with the 10th pick in the 2017 draft, a pick the Chiefs traded up to get. Meaning another team could’ve had him. And who is that team?
The Buffalo Bills. Of course.
A MILLION POINTS
When you see the name on the
back of Owen Sound Attack winger Alan Lyszczarczyk’s sweater, you can’t help but think that if you were playing Scrabble and those were the tiles in front of you, you’d be screwed.
STRANGE STAT
Connor McDavid set a new NHL record on Tuesday night when he either scored or assisted on all of the Edmonton Oilers’ first nine goals of the season.
That’s a cool mark. On the other hand, who even keeps track of this stuff ?
BIG MOMENT
Next Saturday will be a massive day for the Hamilton Bulldogs.
That night, Robert Thomas should play his ninth game of the year for the St. Louis Blues. After nine games, a player on an entrylevel contract must be sent down or stay with the big club for the entire year. For players 20-yearsold or older, that means going to the AHL. For kids under 20 (Thomas is 19), it means back to their junior team.
Meaning the Blues will have to make a decision on Thomas after Saturday’s game. He’ll either be sent back to Hamilton or will spend the year in the NHL. He’s their top prospect but is currently stuck on the fourth line with one assist in five games and is not always seeing a ton of ice time. On Wednesday he was a healthy scratch against Montreal.
He was the best player in the OHL the second half of last season and his return to the Bulldogs would be an enormous boost. Question is, does St. Louis think he’d develop better in the world’s best league in limited opportunity or here with a ton of ice time.
“He’s just trying to find his way of being successful in a league obviously that’s much tougher competition,” Blues head coach Mike Yeo told the St. Louis PostDispatch after scratching Thomas on Wednesday. “We’re confident he’s gonna get there.”
THE OTHER CONNOR MC
Speaking of Thomas, last year he was brought to Hamilton in a trade that saw Connor McMichael and some picks go the other way to London. Sportsnet is showing the Knights vs. the Kitchener Rangers game this weekend. The guy they were using as the face of London in the promos?
Yup, McMichael.
THAT’S A LOT
The Milwaukee Brewers payroll is 22nd in Major League Baseball, nearly $91 million less than the Los Angeles Dodgers who they’re facing in the National League Championship Series.
BIG PRICE
The player with the biggest contract remaining in the baseball playoffs? That would be David Price who’s currently working his way through a $217-million deal, one crappy playoff performance after another, Thursday notwithstanding. He has four years and $127 million remaining to be paid.
GULP
Seven of the top 10 highest-paid players in baseball this year were starting pitchers. The only three who weren’t? Miguel Cabrera (second-highest at $31 million) who basically missed the entire year with an injury, Yoenis Cespedes (seventh at $27.5 million) who played only 38 games this year because of injuries, and Jose Altuve (fifth at $30.2 million) who was actually worth the money.
At least as much as anyone can be worth $30.2 million.
KA-CHING III
And now for today’s instalment of the William Nylander Lost Salary Meter.
Based on a 186-day NHL season and a salary of somewhere between $6 million (what the Leafs are reportedly offering, meaning $32,258 a day) and $8 million (what some reports say he’s demanding which is $43,010 a day), he’s lost somewhere between $580,644 and $774,180 already.
IT’S STUPID
Can we be done with the whole dabbing thing in sports. It should be banished to the Island of Misfit Sports Celebrations with The Wave, The Tomahawk Chop, Vuvuzelas and U-S-A chants.
DOING ALL RIGHT
The Hamilton Bulldogs have seven wins this season going into Friday night’s contest with Sudbury. Arthur Kaliyev has the game-winning goal in three of them. He has 12 goals overall in 11 games.
The 17-year-old is eligible for the NHL draft this season.
CANADIAN WOMEN’S HAMILTON LEAGUE
The Canadian Women’s Hockey League season has started with a heavy local flavour.
Laura Fortino was taken first overall in 2014, Renata Fast was selected second overall in 2016 and Sarah Nurse was chosen second overall this spring.
Meaning 2020 is going to be great for some female hockey player from Hamilton.
YIKES
Rough start to the OHL season for Sudbury goalie Marshall Frappier. In just over two minutes of playing time against Barrie – his only appearance of the year so far – he gave up two goals on three shots, giving him a 53.33 goals against average.
YEAH, BUT THEY STINK
Canada’s men beat Dominica in soccer this week. Final score was 5-0. That said, it’s worth asking if such a game is even worth reporting since the tiny island of 74,000 people is ranked 177th in the world, one spot on the FIFA list ahead of Liechtenstein and its 38,000 folks. Maybe we should wait until we beat a country bigger than Caledon before we get excited.
NO DUMMIES
The Chicago Blackhawks are now using mannequins dressed in full hockey equipment in practices for drills in which defencemen try to get shots through to the net. The dummies tend to be less concerned about getting in the way of slapshots from the blueline than the real guys.
DESERT HEAT
Toronto Maple Leafs’ centre Auston Matthews is from Arizona. He has 10 goals this season.
The Arizona Coyotes are also from Arizona. They have four goals this season.
PLUS-MINUS
With all the scoring going on, which Maple Leaf player has the best plus-minus rating? Meaning who’s been on the ice for more even-strength goals scored than goals scored against?
Ron Hainsey at plus-7. Who woulda guessed?