(NOT SO) Deep thoughts
A few thoughts for Ice Storm Saturday, which is just like every other Saturday, only ice-stormier …
KIA STARTS IT
Hamilton’s Kia Nurse was selected 10th overall by the New York Liberty in the WNBA draft this week. Barring something bizarre happening, Hamilton’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will go in the first round of the NBA draft in June.
Not sure what the odds are of a pair of players from the same Canadian city being taken in the same draft year in traditionally American-filled leagues but they would be very, very long. Making the odds infinitely longer, some mock drafts having him going 10th overall, too.
Crazier still, both played at St. Thomas More Secondary at the same time.
BUT NO SIEGFRIED OR ROY
If you didn’t see the Vegas Golden Knights’ pre-game show prior to the first game of the playoffs, oh, you missed a lot. In short, it included a sword duel involving — appropriately — a golden knight slaying a capewearing Los Angeles King supporter at centre ice, some kind of lantern-carrying wanderer foretelling a prophecy, a drum line, glowing glasses, on-ice animation, music from the Medieval Times/Canada’s Wonderland collection, over-the-top narration that included the line “fate has chosen our opponent,” Blue Man Group, flags, fireworks, streamers, smoke, strobe lights, cheerleaders, a mascot, a siren, a 20foot-tall 2,375-pound helmet descending from the rafters, a castle and Jeremy Roenick.
Of course, by Las Vegas standards this is still considered shamefully understated.
WE NEED THIS
Not far behind in the bonkers pre-game show department were the Nashville Predators who picked up right where they left off in last year’s Stanley Cup finals.
Please pray for a NashvilleVegas Western final.
GOLF IN APRIL USED TO BE BAD
The NHL’s national TV rights south of the border belong to NBC. How much does the peacock network value the sport? Several games will be shown on … drum roll please … the Golf Channel.
That’s not a typo.
In case you’re wondering what was so important at the times those games are scheduled that it couldn’t be bumped on any of NBC’s other channels, CNBC has reruns of “Shark Tank,” USA Network has “Law & Order SVU” and “Suits” reruns, while NBC has “Family Feud” and local news.
NOT MAKING IT EASY
The Hamilton Bulldogs are certainly tempting fate by continuing to take penalties while their penalty kill struggles. Giving up 10 goals while short-handed in these playoffs so far doesn’t seem like a recipe for long-term success.
Yet there is precedent for winning while being sievelike down a man.
When the Owen Sound Attack won the 2011 OHL championship, it gave up an astounding 29 power play goals in 22 games.
MAKING IT EASY
On the flip side, the Bulldogs’ power play in these playoffs has been ridiculous.
No team in the league can match the 14 man-advantage goals they’ve scored so far.
They have at least one in eight of the 10 games they’ve played in the post-season tournament so far.
NO LINES
AT THE BATHROOM
Things didn’t go exactly perfectly for the Chicago White Sox home opener on Monday. The mid-afternoon game during work hours was played in frigid conditions after it had snowed the entire night before.
While the announced crowd was 10,377, the Tampa Bay Times says the actual crowd in the stands was 974.
That’s about two sections of FirstOntario Centre full. In a stadium that seats 41,000.
BUELLER? BUELLER? BUELLER?
Meanwhile, on the other side of Chicago a Grade 4 student went all Ferris Bueller and skipped school to attend the Cubs’ home opener this week. Even brought a sign saying he was skipping, so don’t tell Principal Versluis.
Of course, Principal Versluis was also skipping school and saw the kid. And his sign. Busted. Sort of.
“He’s a great kid,” the principal told the Chicago Sun Times (yes, it made the paper). “He was student leader of the year. I thought his sign was hilarious.”
(FOREHEAD SLAP)
A freelance writer — whose name will not be mentioned here because she doesn’t deserve the attention she so obviously craves — tweeted this week that the national sadness over the Humboldt bus tragedy is driven in a significant way by the fact that the victims are young, white men. Sheesh.
AND IT’S ZERO-ZERO, NOT NIL-NIL
Soccer people — though the true aficionados would never call themselves that since they would never refer to the sport as anything other than football — have a habit of saying their team needs a “result” in an upcoming game.
Which is odd because simply by stepping onto the field they are guaranteed a result. A 0-0 tie is a result. A 4-1 win is a result. A 2-1 loss is a result.
What they mean is that their team needs a win. Which is a far-less-pretentious way of saying it.
GOOD MOVE
The Toronto Argonauts have announced that ticket and concession prices will drop this season in an attempt to draw more fans to BMO Field.
While few around here would ever have much good to say about the double blue, it would be wonderful if a few other teams would follow their lead at least with the concession prices.
Ten bucks — or more — for a beer is crazy.
THE POWER OF SPORTS
The GoFundMe page that has been raising funds for the Humboldt families is closing in on $11 million. It’s a remarkable response from over 123,000 different donors over just a few days.
The last outpouring like this that comes to mind came from the Marathon of Hope TV telethon held shortly after Terry Fox had to stop running because his cancer had returned. That event also raised roughly $10 million. Though when you factor in inflation, it was worth more than $30 million in 2018 dollars.
People can pooh-pooh sports and say they’re all about people playing a kids’ game for a lot of dough — which they can be at times — but few things can inspire the same kind of emotional response and pull people together as thoroughly.