The sports pool is suffering from a gap and I realize I should have had some first round NBA questions to fill in at this point – like “how many techical fouls will Iverson pick up?” for 30 points. That being said, I am astounded how I do not miss the NHL in any way. My gawking at athletes life is entirely complete without it, exemplified by how much I enjoyed last night’s 2-0 Jay’s victory over the Yankees.
Of my three disliked teams across all sports – the other two being the Habs and Man U – I admire the Yankees the most. So while I will turn on the TV just to see them lose, when they do lose it is quite the thing. And losing to the Jays is quite the thing as well. Roy Halliday, the pitcher for Toronto, threw a three hitter was as in control and dominating as any pitcher I have ever seen making veterans dive back at pitches that transformed from beanballs to middle of the plate strikes but the time they hit the catchers glove. Their shortstop, MacDonald, made a unbelieveable snab at a sure looper and Hudson at second was very strong. Randy Johnson, by comparison, appeared as weak as I have ever seen him but he still had a more than decent start with a complete game and nine strike-outs. He was just over-shadowed. The New York Times this morning says of the game:
Halladay throttled the Yankees, 2-0, spinning a three-hitter and doing his best imitation of Josh Beckett in the 2003 World Series. On a night when Randy Johnson also threw a complete game with nine strikeouts, Halladay shone brightest. “He was nasty, that’s just the bottom line,” Derek Jeter said. “Everyone talks about the great pitchers in the game: Clemens, Randy, Pedro,” Jeter added, referring to Roger Clemens and Pedro MartÃnez. “They need to start talking about Halladay, because he’s as good as they come.”
With the Big Unit out to a poor start along with the rest of the team, the judges now will be out for a good long time to determine whether Boston, with Wells, or New York was craftier in their selection of guys my age as starting ace.
Baseball has won me back. I have box seat tickets for a Pawtucket Sox game in late July and may even take the kids to see a Jays game from the cheap seats – seats you can actually afford at nine bucks and seats that are actually available. I may even drag them over the river to see the Watertown Wizards of the NYCBL. June 18th there is a whuppin’ of Glens Falls scheduled at 3 pm on a Saturday. Soon, CFL will start up. Soon, there will be talk of NFL. Soon, Bettman will be fired and, someday, the new 16 team NHL will figuring out how to get a revenue stream when you force a lock-out and declare that you will not use replacement players.