Warning: This blog will be meandering and likely drift from sports to none sports. Can't say there will be much Junior Hockey in this one, though there will be some tidbits. Lots of items over the summer have caught my attention. Some commentary will be a little lengthy. Others will be quite succinct. So let the rambling begin.
PATRICK KANE'S SATURDAY EVENING AND ANOTHER REPORTER GETS HARASSED
Ah yes, the Summer of 2015 brought about a bountiful amount of rape culture and victim blaming. Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane is being investigated for an incident at his home late one Saturday evening. As news, or supposition trickled out, it was alleged that there may or may not have been a sexual assault being investigated. That was all it took for all the social media lawyers to pile on the victim and rush to the defense of their boy Kaner. (Kane could get laid by any woman. He doesn't need to rape was one of the takes: It all got to a ludicrous level as nobody really knows what happened and the police investigation remains tight lipped. Regardless, of what happened, I think people need to be educated about consent and rape/sexual assault. From where I stand, and what I know about Canadian law , consent is ongoing. This means that whatever was consented to at one time, has no relevance later on. If a person does not consent and the other person "persists" then you're looking at a crime. For the sake of this argument, the rape laws of New York State are mentioned here only for reference and not for any sort of clarification. The notion of consent is mentioned in every single type of sexual assault. I've got too technical for something that is only an active investigation at this point and nothing further
Just when you thought the acronym FHIRTP was permanently shelved, another reporter found herself to be the target of an on-air disruption. BC Reporter Megan Batchelor was reporting for the CBC at a music festival when a young man decided to rush the flustered reporter and deliver a kiss. I'm on the side of the reporter on this one. What the young man did was assault/sexual assault, or at the very core harassment. That's the letter of the law and I commend Ms Batchelor for making a report to the RCMP. Predictably Twitter vitriol was in full effect and some of the stuff was plain nasty. Others saw it as no big deal to which I invite anyone to invite me to their workplace, I will have a few drinks, get shirtless and sweaty and rush you and kiss you, and then run away. Doesn't sound as much fun does it? Anyways, good news and a somewhat satisfactory conclusion as the young man apologized, the reporter accepted and we move on. Now the onus must shift to the workplace, in this case the CBC, to provide a safe environment for their employees.
Here is the incident and the apology: CBC Reporter Incident and Apology
SPORTS CONTENT YAY! THE SUMMER OF THE BLUE JAYS
Oh yes, these are heady times in Blue Jay land. The team has won eight games in a row, just swept the Yankees and shut them out two times in a row, trail them by 1 1/2 games and are in a playoff spot. David Price jerseys are likely flying off the racks, along with Troy Tulowitzki. Alex Anthopoulos has become Alex the Great instead of An-sloth-opoulous. Crowds will pack the Rogers Centre for the rest of the year no doubt. All heady stuff for a team that is still only 9 games above .500. There has not been too many moments of celebration for Toronto sports teams, but the last two weeks show that Toronto is starving for a winner, they will pay for a winner, and they follow that winner through the shadows of the valley of death! (Yes, I quoted Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio- That's how amped up I am !!). Sportsnet is boasting audiences well in excess of 1M, peaking at almost 1.5 M for Sunday's win over New York. Can the good times of '92-93 return when people's biggest complaint were the corporate types who showed up in the 3rd inning and left in the 7th? If the Jays fade down the stretch, and do not reach the playoffs, then the bandwagon will empty in a hurry. As I said before Blue Jay fans will pay for a winner. They will buy tickets, drink overpriced beer, learn how to say Tulowitzki, forget about Kawasaki and back this team for all its worth. Fun times indeed!
HOCKEY NOTES:
Good for Luca Caputi, the IceDogs alum and former Penguin/Leaf has retired and joined his old junior coach Mike Kelly in Guelph as an assistant coach. Caputi played his best hockey my first season with the IceDogs and he remains the only Niagara IceDog to top 50 goals in a season. A 4th round pick of the Pens he had a cup of coffee with Pittsburgh and the Leafs before bouncing around a while. I thought Caputi had a real shot to have a solid NHL career, and this is why I would not make a good scout. I saw his 6'2 frame and ability to work the cycle down low with great leg strength as assets he could carry forward. No knock on Luca, as the injury bug hit him, and I think playing for the Leafs put pressure on him as a local product. That said, he and Michael Swift were magic that first year in Niagara. Both topped 100 points and their chemistry had people leaping as best they could from hard wooden benches at the ancient Jack Gatcliffe Arena/Gatorade Garden City Arena. We all see stories in pro sports about people who sort of lose their way after their professional careers are done. Great to see Luca still have the passion burn within him to remain in hockey and coach.
ICEDOGS NEWS:
It's the 10th of August...there's nothing going on. Training camp starts in 20 odd days. Not much of an update! TV Cogeco will add one exhibition game to their broadcast schedule on Saturday September 19th with Oshawa or Kitchener , I honestly cannot remember which. Broadcast time is 6:30 or 7, and we may or may not have a pregame show. That might be the worst promo ever written. Just tune into TV Cogeco on Saturday September 19th on 6:30pm and there will be hockey on ok?
SPORTS MEDIA NOTES:
One of my favourite sites to visit is www.torontosportsmedia.com . Great content, and the place for anyone interested in sports media and its nuances. There are two greater bloggers: TSM , or Toronto Sports Media who created the site out of his own self-interest and posts on a regular basis. His content is sharp and opinions legitimate. Plus he seems to have sources and can unearth some pretty good scoops. Weekend columnist Mike (In Boston) has become must read. I know that he has become must read as I now make sure I have my morning coffee before reading. The best part is the discussion thread is civil and anyone who gets out of hand is called out by either TSM, Mike (in Boston) or other regulars. It's a rare treasure to see a site with intelligent discussion. For those who wish a sample, here is the latest column:
Personally, I decided to take on a new tactic when it came to pursuing opportunity. I contacted the usual suspects that I normally do every summer (TSN , Sportsnet etc) to see what was up. Then I decided to put my research hat on, research every single broadcasting director/decision maker I could in the NHL and introduce myself. Hardily ground breaking, but I thought that you can't get your stuff looked at if they do not know who you are. So far I think I've hit 27 teams, received 7 responses and one phone call. No offers, but that was not the object of the exercise. The object was to let people know that I am a working broadcaster with a desire for the next level. Not too shabby, and I've felt that I am really taking a step forward. Now, no more trade secrets from me!
QUICK HITS:
- Can't call myself a huge Jon Stewart watcher, but I was a fan, used him a lot in my class, and laughed every time I watched. He was a satirical genius, his political commentary was cutting and he handled serious situations with aplomb. He will be missed.
- Stay safe Ferguson, Missouri. It is the one year anniversary of the Michael Brown death and things are getting violent.
- I am typing this blog while following Bachelor in Paradise and following the lame plot lines perfectly. This was after I switched over from wrestling. Not exactly challenging my brain tonight
- Speaking of wrestling, RIP to one of the great ones in Rowdy Roddy Piper, the best villain, and one of the best promo men in the business. He once said in an interview that he would not live past 65 and this became sadly prophetic when he passed away at the age of 61.
- Go Canada Go. No, not hockey, but women's basketball. They are in Edmonton right now trying to qualify for Rio and the Olympics next year. Kia Nurse is set to be the next Canadian breakout star. She's already an NCAA Champion at U Conn, and a PanAm gold medalist, and she's 19 years old. You got next big brother Darnell!!
- I could give a damn about the election right now. 82 days of false promises, white teeth, Justin Trudeau's hair , Stephen Harper's permanently frozen hair, Tom Mulcair's beard. Oh, I will vote. I always do, but it is all a bit much right now. I am begging for another Elizabeth May weird moment like when she may or may not have got drunk at a function and went off! That's what we need. Booze these leaders up, let them debate and then you will get some truth.
BACK TO SCHOOL FOLLIES
A sure sign that the Summer of 2015 is slowly drawing to a close was the conversation heard between my brother in law and nephew about the CNE. The Grand Old Lady is set to begin in a week and half and will usher out the summer and will be clumsily and warily enter a fall of uncertainly in the school system. You see we teachers are on work to rule, we think. As of July 20th, we were to cease all school related activities. Now, what that meant I am not so sure as normally I have trouble tracking the days of the week in the first part of summer, I care so little about school. Yet, there we are working to rule. You would think that there would be a sense of urgency to get to the table. But outside of a meeting between Premier Wynne and the union leaders along with a very vague commitment to bargain, there has been precious little to report. Premier Wynne has spent a fruitful summer with PanAm photo ops and LRT unveilings. No wonder the public is pissed off! Now, it is not exactly shocking to see idling negotiations. Many times it takes a drop dead date to get the ball rolling. As the first day of school approaches, maybe that will shake the trees a little bit. Maybe, maybe not, I'm not sure. I am sure if I care or not here. There's a lot of blame to go around. I'll stop there, lest I get in more trouble.
This article by the acerbic Sue Anne Levy (that was the kindest way I could describe her). Sue Anne likes to write about City Hall in Toronto and this time decided to lend her alleged talents to writing about labour and union strife. So she pieced together some old quotes, one or two new quotes, a couple of no comments and some information that may or may not be correct and presto, an article got churned out Sue Ann likes to taunt people on Twitter with a tired mantra of faux vitriol and "the lefty conspiracy". Try to talk reasonably to her, and you won't get a response. Respond angrily and you get Sue Anne do the Twitter equivalent of throwing cats at you.
Article is here, and believe me you will not need your dictionary for big words:
Until next time
