Lock-outs!

The National Football League locked out their referees before the season began.
More recently the NHL owners have locked out their players before the NHL season begins.

Ho Hum. It is a really tiring subject....but I am going to weigh in anyway.

The NFL Referees

I could begin by going on and on about the issues of this strike and there is no question that the NFL has a different opinion than the Refs as to what the problems are and why they can't solve the problems. It might not surprise you to learn that the referees would like more money, better pension yada yada....keep in mind that they make more money than most of you in a year...and they officially work about.....16 days a year. I am being a bit hard on them I guess, because I know they do a lot of prep work too...but my point....I feel that for what they do, they are more than fairly compensated.
On the other hand....the NFL is a multi billion dollar business, and to spend so much time on this is laughable.
The replacement refs are being roasted. They are under the microscope, every play being analyzed to the point of ridiculous.
Now of course this all came to a head on Monday night when on the last play of the game the Seattle QB threw a pass into the end zone for the win.

                                           One ref says no touchdown, and one says yes.

After review, the touchdown was counted, and all hell broke loose. The Green Bay players and fans went crazy, the media has been going on and on about the call, replay after replay, it is nuts.
Want my opinion on the call? - Blatant pass interference call that was missed first on the receiver from Seattle....no call.....and than it appeared to me in the highlights that the Green Bay player had more of the ball. But remember we have the advantage of slow motion replay. There is no question that the Seattle player did have his hands on the ball as well, and when they went to the booth, it was so close, they stuck with the call on the field. Touchdown. Like it or lump it, that is the call. Live with it. The thing that bothers me is that far too much attention is being given to this issue. The replacement guys are making mistakes. Makes sense. They don't have the experience. However, I have been watching football for a very long time, and guess what, the regular refs make mistakes...all the time....just like the players do....and the coaches do......just like we all do.....so RELAX people.
The NFL Referees could come back to work any time, and get paid a lot of money for doing a 16 day a year job. Time to go to work boys.

The NHL Lockout

Most of you know my opinion on this already. It is no secret. A joke. Both sides, players and owners should be embarrassed. Billionaires and Millionaires arguing because they both want more money. Ridiculous.

 And who does it affect? The fans. The people paying the money, filling arenas, buying jerseys etc. lose out. What about the businesses around the arenas? Regular people, trying to earn a regular dollar lose out, while millionaires sit around complaining...."it's not fair'!
 Selfish, Greedy, Pathetic.


To put it in perspective....who do you feel sorry for? See below.

                                                

Time to play hockey.

Fall means Chili Sauce

I know this is a sports blog (mainly) - but sometimes I do tend to wander...and today might even be more than a wander.

My brother Jim dropped by to visit, all the way from Boutliers Point, Nova Scotia....and lucky for him, he came to visit on the day Mom and I had planned the famous "Chili Sauce" Day.

Now I am not sure if you even like Chili Sauce, after all, it is an acquired taste,and the chili sauce connoisseur will tell you "it goes with everything". It is all up to you.

It starts early in the week as Mom searched out for the best tomatoes, pears, peaches (all Ontario grown of course) - they have to be just the right ripeness to make the cut, and this in itself is a chore.

Once you have everything you need.....you begin.

First of course you must sterilize the jars....boiling them, and dried in the oven.

                                                 ....getting the jars ready.........

In the meantime, there is a lot of slicing and dicing to do. Onions and peppers to start with...

                                                       ....starting to take shape......

The fruit is a little more difficult, peeling peaches and pears and tomatoes is a challenge.

                      The Assembly line hard at work (sorry, but someone has to take the pictures)

That is actually the hardest, and the most time consuming part...peeling chopping etc.

Once done, everything goes into the pots....and the cooking begins.

                                          Now we wait, and stir....and wait....and stir....etc.

After a few short hours.....we are ready to jar.....the end is near.

 

After a busy day, many hours and a lot of laughs.....we are done.

 

                                                                         Voila! All Done!!!

 

Thank you so much to my great team.....after all a successful team is the sum of it's parts. (whew, I was able to slip in a sports tie in after all)

 

                                                  Brother Jim....Mom, and me....

 

Hmmm, now who do I give one too.....I must think on this.

 

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Recent "Feel Good Sports Stories"

There has been some really cool stories in sports over the weekend.

Some may interest you. (some might only interest me.) ....for example.....

1/ Adrian Peterson.

For those of you that know me well, you know I am a Minnesota Vikings fan. - and for those of you that follow the NFL, you know cheering for the Vikings is excruciatingly painful. Trust me. Therefore, when anything great happens, I climb to the nearest mountain and scream - YAHOO!!  - This past weekend, Adrian Peterson played football in game number 1 of the season. All the experts said he should not rush it, his season ending knee injury last year followed by surgery left a lot of doubt. However, it is very difficult to measure the size of a person's heart....and AP has the biggest heart, and is pound for pound one of the toughest athletes I have ever seen play sports. I love to watch him gut it out, play after play, always 100%. Every Time. Last weekend he put on the pads, and went out to play football again. Minnesota won 26   23 over Jacksonville and Adrian Peterson carried the ball 17 times and had 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. Good on you Adrain.

                                                              Adrian Peterson

2/ Peyton Manning

The Indianapolis Colts finished dead last in the standings last year. Their star quarterback did not play. Peyton Manning had 4 neck surgeries......you heard that right.....Four (4). Manning missed the entire 2011 season with a damaged nerve that caused weakness in his right arm and required multiple neck surgeries, including a single-level fusion in September. The Colts with their poor performance were able to pick Number one in the NFL draft, and it was a no brainer, they selected, superstar QB Andrew Luck. Everyone thinks this guy will be a star for years to come. What about Peyton? He was released and signed with the Denver Broncos. How did he make out in his debut? Would is neck be Ok? Could he take a hit? All questions were answered. Denver 31  Pittsburgh 19. Peyton completed 19 passes out of 26 for two touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He looked great, in control...it was really good to see.

                                                             Peyton Manning

3/ Andy Murray.

The world of professional tennis is a relatively small one. On the men's side it has been Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael have dominated tennis for a very long time. It is impossible to get inside these top three players on the rankings and although it is well deserved, they are tremendous athletes, I wondered if anything would ever change. Until now. Great Britain's Andy Murray stunned the Tennis world by winning the Gold Medal at the London Olympics this year. It was amazing. One of the most important things an athlete must do after winning a big tournament...is to validate it by winning another. It did not take Andy Murray long, and he did it on the World's Biggest stage. Monday night Murry beat Novak Djokovic in a 5 hour marathon tennis match to win the 2012 U.S. Open in New York. The tennis world may be shifting. ** Young Canadian tennis star Milos Raonic lost to Murray in the round of 16....Raonic played well, and losing to the Champion, is something to build on.

                                                            Andy Murray


...sports briefs......Team Canada plays Panama tonight in its continuing bid to qualify for the World Cup of soccer.......in lacrosse....The Peterborough Lakers finally got in the win column in game 3 of the Mann Cup in Peterborough. The home team scored 6 straight goals in the 3rd period to win
 14 - 10 over the Langley Thunder. The best of seven series is now at 2 - 1 for Langley. Btw, for those with Cogeco cable, the Mann Cup games are live on Cogeco tv. Next game is Sept. 12.

                                                             

University Lacrosse

I love the fall. ( i love the summer more, but I can't control the seasons).

With all the great pro sports on right now, sometimes we lose track of some other great sports.

Last night in Peterborough, The visiting team, Langley Thunder took the first game of the Mann Cup over the heavily favoured Peterborough Lakers. If you are in the Peterborough area in the next week go and check out fantastic Lacrosse. Read the story here, courtesy of TSN.

It is no secret though, that I love University sports......especially football and my favorite lacrosse.

The Ontario University Women's Field Lacrosse season starts (sort of) tomorrow in Scarborough. It is not officially the start to the season, but it is a day, as a lacrosse fan I love. Almost all of the Universities come to this opening exhibition day. The teams play about 5 games each....short games of about 40 minutes. It allows coaches to work their teams in a game setting, try some plays and give their team some real "game type" situations.

                                                University Lacrosse Face-offs this Sunday


These girls work incredibly hard, balancing a busy lacrosse season with a really busy schedule in their studies. It is quite impressive.

I, of course am partial to the UOIT Ridgebacks. Tristen is in her fourth year of nursing, and her last year of lacrosse, so we will be there cheering her on.

I will also give a shout out to Silvanna Yee, coach (and friend of mine) of the McMaster Marauders Women's team. Silvanna is a tireless lacrosse coach (and player) all year long.

Also, Todd Pepper, head coach of the Toronto Varsity Blues team. Todd promotes Women's Lacrosse year round, and he too deserves a pat on the back.

If you are not busy tomorrow, drop by the Scarborough University of Toronto Fields. I beautiful place to watch some lacrosse.

Here is the schedule and directions.

Maybe see you there.

Busy Sports World

After a short "break" from my blog.....I am back....and the sports world is humming right now.

Let's have a quick look.

U.S. Open Tennis.

I am not sure if you are a tennis fan or not, but if you are a fan of great athletes, you should really take the time to watch some of this event. There are some compelling stories....(Andy Roddick announces retirement) - and he is rolling right now. It would make a great feel good story for sure....but with guys like  Djokovic and Federer....it is a long road for sure.

                                                     Andy Roddick

One of the things I love about tennis (like golf) is that the players get paid for performance.....the more you win and the better you play the more money you can make. If you play terrible, you don't get paid. Hmmm - novel idea. I wonder how much my beloved Maple Leafs would be paid, if they were paid "by performance". Ha.

Fedex Cup

Speaking of Golf...it is playoff time in the PGA, with the boys moving to the BMW Championship at the Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana. The top 70 golfers after last week will playoff, with the top 30 this week moving on to the Tour Championship.

I love the playoff format....and for the most part,the best of the best are rising to the top again.
Check this out. In the World Golf Rankings....the top 20 guys (IN THE WORLD) are still alive in the Fedexcup playoffs. It does not get any better than that.

(courtesy of pgatour.com)

It is tremendous golf. Tiger Woods has the fire burning, Mickelson is coming into form, and of course Rory McIlroy makes winning somehow look easy. It should be a great couple of weeks.

The NFL begins tonight.

I love the NFL....it is by far, the best, most professionally run league in pro sports. (in my opinion)

I am looking forward to a few different story lines this year.

New York Jets - Yikes....nice drama. The number 1 quarterback Mark Sanchez is really under the gun as the Jets also brought in Denver phenom Tim Tebow to back him up. This has all the makings of a train wreck. The New York media is buzzing, the fans are crazy, and the rest of the New York team is confused. To add to this, the Jets scored only one touchdown in preseason play (and that was by the third string QB) - funny stuff.
Sanchez is a better QB by far than Tebow, he is solid...but fans are impatient...and if Mark does not get a win early.....watch for the fireworks.

Mark Sanchez

                                                                   Tim Tebow


-  Minnesota Vikings- my team (alas) - not looking really solid this year....but watch for Adrian Peterson - the toughest running back of all time to rebound from knee surgery.

Indianapolis Colts - Manning out - Andrew Luck in. It should be fun to see how this superstar rookie performs. He is a winner.

                                                           Rookie Andrew Luck

- but on the flip side, I am really excited to see how Mr. Peyton Manning performs playing in Denver after so many neck surgeries.  I love the guy, love his compete level, how can you not cheer for this story?

tidbits......Blue Jays sunk to new low, lost 12 - 0 last night to Baltimore, and when the rain came, the dome roof got stuck when closing.....oh boy. - Maple Leafs have new president - Tom Anselmi - with all due respect to Tom.....(whoop dee doo).....that is the best news the Leafs can give us?

That's all for now.....Enjoy some Great Sports!!