This past February, the National Basketball Association held its first All-Star Game in Toronto, the first time the event has been held outside of the United States. This was a historic moment for all fans north of the border. “All-Star Toronto 2016,” the banner read two years ago at the press conference. Rising Stars I was able to grab some tickets to the Rising Stars Challenge, the first...
A few thoughts on the very public negotiation between the Blue Jays and Jose Bautista I am normally opposed to opinions that professional athletes are paid too much. Professional sports are highly profitable and athletes are generally paid what the market will bear—within a reasonable range of what they are worth to their teams. But recently, rumours relating to Jose Bautista’s contract demands...
How Valuable is the First Overall Section in the NHL Entry Draft? D-Date: With the Toronto Maple Leafs firmly entrenched in last place (as of 17 February 2016) in the National Hockey League (NHL) standings, Leafs Nation has already circled 29 February as D-Date, because a closer look at the NHL calendar would reveal that it is the trade deadline for this season. Following the Leafs somewhat...
Kudos to anyone who knew beforehand what a “meteor hammer” was. My knowledge of the weapons of ancient warfare is limited. I am of the opinion that Kill Bill, Volume 1 is the best Quentin Tarantino film made thus far (although I have yet to see The Hateful Eight). What he did for female heroines in Kill Bill, Volume 1 and Kill Bill, Volume 2 is analogous to when The Matrix revolutionized action...
Osgoode Hockey primed for Queen’s Law Cup 2016 Take note: Osgoode’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ Ice Hockey teams are whooping some serious ass this season. It’s a little known fact that there are two extremely good hockey teams representing Osgoode in York University’s Ice Hockey Intramural League. Over the last several months, Osgoode ‘A’ (Tier 1) and Osgoode ‘B’ (Tier 2) have been rolling through any team in...
The history, present, and future of gambling and sports A recent investigative report alleges widespread match fixing in high-level professional tennis. These serious allegations again raise serious concerns relating to sports gambling. The dangers of sports gambling and its potential to corrupt the competitive process is not new. In 1919, eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of...
Why We Should Play The Most Sensible Lottery General Managers (GMs) in Major League Baseball (MLB) often want to try to catch lightning in a bottle when and if they can, especially given the current economics of the game, where the average salary of a big league player now exceeds $4,000,000 per season. One highly economic way often utilized that goes far back in time is the infamous Rule Five...
Entering the 2015-2016 NFL season, few expected the Carolina Panthers to repeat as division champions, and no one foresaw the team getting 15 wins, let alone making a trip to the Super Bowl. In the summer, Kelvin Benjamin went down with a torn knee. As the Panthers best receiver, this did not bode well for their playoff chances. At the same time, great teams find ways to win. This is football. ...
Every year, we witness things in sports that provide us with lasting memories. Some of these memories remain with us for a lifetime. This year was no different as the last twelve months gave us jaw-dropping, head-scratching, fist-shaking moments. NBA Year of the Warriors 2015 NBA Champions. A 24-0 start to the following season. The Warriors had the best start in NBA...
A Comparison of the 2015 Team with Its 1992 Predecessor Part Five: Examining the Starting Pitching: Back-end of the Rotation Traditionally speaking, the back-end of the starting rotation is where General Managers (GMs) can go “bargain hunting” for cheap options via non-tendered players and/or wavier claims. Why? With the front and middle of the rotation sorted out, GMs can...
On November 15th, at approximately one o’clock a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), the mixed martial arts (MMA) world was flipped upside down. It was one of those moments that every fan that watched will remember, recalling their whereabouts and feelings when it happened. On November 15th, I had every intention of writing a comparison of the celebration of “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, (at the time)...
A Comparison of the 2015 Team With Its 1992 Predecessor Part Four: Examining the Starting Pitching: Middle of the Rotation As much as “Chicks Dig The Long Ball,” the iconic tagline made famous by the Nike commercial featuring Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and Mark McGwire back in 1998, there is a general consensus in baseball: pitching and defence win championships. In fact, pitching is...
I always enjoy a good storyline coming into a sporting event. I think a lot of people do. It adds to the hype. It raises the stakes. It gives you another reason to root for this person or that team, if you so choose. In non-team sports, like boxing or mixed martial arts (MMA), spectators often identify a little more with one of the competitors over the other. Instead of focusing on their acumen...
A partial list of the ridiculous things that happened during the seventh inning in game five of the ALDS “Bilbo rushed along the passage, very angry, and altogether bewildered and bewuthered – this was the most awkward Wednesday he ever remembered.” This throwaway line from The Hobbit has always been one of my favourites, both because of the wonderful made-up word bewuthered, and because...
A Comparison of the 2015 Team With Its 1992 Predecessor Part Three: Examining the Starting Pitching: Front of the Rotation Correction: This article was intended for publication in Volume 89, Issue 4. There is an old saying in baseball: good pitching stops good hitting. In Part One, I compared the infield of the 2015 American League Division Series-bound Blue Jays with its 1992 predecessor, the...
One of the reasons why sports is so ubiquitous is not only because of the celebrity of its performers, but a lot of the issues that are pervasive in society—issues surrounding race, ethnicity, and class—are (usually) suppressed for a moment, allowing us to enjoy the competition inherent to the game. Now, I am not saying that sports are free of those issues, but for the most part, sports remains...
“Here it is, the groove, slightly trans…formed. Just a bit of a break from the norm…” Nostalgic, isn’t it? Next May will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the timeless single that still gets airplay on the radio. Of course, I’m referring to “Summertime,” the g-funk-inspired melody from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Next summer may be a break from the norm. The free agency class of 2016...
A Comparison of the 2015 Team with its 1992 Predecessor Part Two: Examining the Outfield Earlier in Part One, I compared the make-up of the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays infield with its 1992 counterpart and concluded that the former is stronger than the latter. Here in Part Two, I will look into the two teams’ outfield composition. Left Field: Ben Revere (2015) versus Candy Maldonado (1992)...
What are the ingredients for an unenviable offseason? Well, start off with a “teaspoon” of a workplace investigation, followed by a report that implicates you in scandalous behaviour. Then, the Commissioner of the (National Football League) NFL drops a “pinch” of sanctions on the Patriots, with Tom Brady emerging scathed as the only suspended player on the team. How about a “scoop” of Ben...
The End of Idealism in Professional Sports One of the main arguments in favor of participation in team sports has long focused on the values that they foster. It is argued that athletes are more honorable, team oriented, and simply better members of society. Simply, more sportsmanlike. This may remain the case in principle, and in the context of child focused, participatory sports. However, in...
A Comparison of the 2015 Team With Its 1992 Predecessor Part One: Examining the Infield At first glance, mentioning the two teams—the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays and its 1992 counterpart—in the same sentence seems daring, if not ludicrous. The latter team was first ever non-U.S. based Major League Baseball (MLB) team to win a World Series while the former had a losing record as late as July 28, 2015...
Thirty-one. Thirty-one days from now marks the beginning of the postseason in Major League Baseball (MLB). October is a huge month, as it is one of only two months that will have regular or post-season games from the four major professional sports leagues (and Major League Soccer). More importantly, October is the month with the most optimism for sports fans here as the Raptors and Leafs begin...
When J. P. Ricciardi was hired as the General Manager (GM) of the Toronto Blue Jays, he was given the initial mandate to slash payroll because his predecessor Gord Ash had constructed an eighty-eight million dollar roster that failed to make the postseason. More importantly, Ricciardi was supposed to create “mini-Oaklands” by following the “Moneyball” philosophy of his...
I pray every Sunday. Before you label me as a zealot-dogmatist, I would like to inform you that a lot of my praying occurs during afternoon football games. I am a football fanatic. I watch the draft. I exceed my allotted mobile data to follow the off-season signings and trades. I watch the 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and late night games on Sunday. I watch the terrible matchups on Thursday nights...
The hypocrisy of American university sports American university sports are founded on the idealistic notion of amateurism in the form of student-athletes. Supposedly, what matters is the personal growth of the students, and the school spirit fostered by competition. Perhaps this was once the case, and perhaps in some corners it remains the case. However, at the largest American universities this...