In The Pressbox

Return of the Jayguy

Guess who's back?

No, it's not Slim Shady. It's me, your friendly neighborhood sports reporter! Raise your hand if you missed me.

....anyone? Anyone?

Yep, I just returned to the office yesterday after a two week summer vacation (funny, they were a lot longer when I was a kid). I wrote a column about the vacation when it was around the corner, but that only appeared in the newspaper and not this blog. My apologies to my faithful blog readers, then, if you thought I had deserted you.

I swear, it was only a temporary desertion.

I spent the two weeks off with my family (the nuclear one), as myself, my sister and my parents first traveled to the best city in the world to visit relatives and take in the wonderful sights and sounds. And of course while there, I did a few things you simply must do in La Belle Province, including enjoying delicious cuisine and buying the best in fashion.

After that, it was home to Midland for a couple weeks as a family. A blast from the past and a nice change of pace. Although there is a lot of water under the bridge since the days that the four of us resided in the same house, when we are back together it feels like no time has passed at all.

But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and so my sister boarded a flight back to Australia and I returned to my apartment in Cobourg (also known as the Hall Of Justice - think the Bat Cave, only with less bats, and it's not a cave) and to my job.

Luckily for me I don't work in the spice mines of Kessel, because by now I'd of been smashed into who-knows-what.

Instead I work here, where I'm both a reporter (like Clark Kent) and a photographer (like Peter Parker).

Yep. I'm a Super/Spider-Man.

Breaking up is hard to do

*ring, ring* *ring, ring*

Mats Sundin: Hello?

Bob Gainey: Mats, baby! It's me, the Bobster. How's it hanging?

MS: Oh, to the left I guess.... no wait, the right.

BG: Good man! Listen buddy, let's talk turkey. I want you. You're a big stud who would look great on my top line, and I've got a jersey just for you. What do you say I come by your place after dinner tonight for a nice chat?

MS: Oh, I don't know about that Bob. I don't know if I'm ready to meet face to face.

BG: Whaddya mean you're not ready Mats? Are you afraid I'm going to try to close the deal on the first date? I'm a gentleman!

MS: Oh, I know Bob. It's just... well, you know I've been seeing Toronto for a while...

BG: Mats, baby, listen to me. Toronto's in the past. They're behind you! You deserve a new beginning.

MS: But I love them so much Bob. I know they haven't treated me that well, but you don't know them like I do. Besides, they need me. I really think if I stay long enough, I can change them!

BG: Mats, you've been with them 14 years, and they could never give you what you need. What's possibly gonna change?

MS: Oooooh..... I.....

BG: Lemme ask you something Mats. In all those years, has Toronto ever given you that top line winger you've really wanted? Have they ever given you that cup ring you want on your finger? Have they really made a commitment to you?

MS: Well, not really. You know, I think they have commitment issues because of this whole 40 year drought thing. Maybe if I stay with them a little longer, I can show them I'm really serious about them...

BG: Mats, let me paint a picture for you, okay? Imagine yourself centering Alex Kovalev and Alex Tanguay. Got that? Now imagine yourself quarterbacking the leagues best power play, two years running. Imagine charging up the standings and clinching a playoff berth long before the season ends. Imagine getting that ring on your finger you've wanted for so long. How does that sound?

MS: .......

BG: Mats?

MS: That..... sounds really nice, Bob.

BG: That's what I wanted to hear! Now let's talk term.

MS: *sobbing*

BG: Uh, Mats? Are you crying?

MS: *still sobbing* A little, yeah.

BG: Why in the name of Toe Blake are you crying?

MS: It's Toronto. I can't do this to them!

BG: Dang it Mats, I've got two words for you. Man up!

MS: *click*

BG: F#%ing Leafs...

Give us your captain!

Mats Sundin of the Montreal Canadiens.

That has a nice ring to it!

Today reports are surfacing that the Maple Leafs have granted my beloved Habs permission to talk turkey with the skilled Swede in advance of the July 1 free agency kick off.

I'm not sure what the Leafs get out of this if Sundin and my Habs come to an agreement. Not that I'm really concerned about that mind you, it just seems odd that they would let their captain walk to one of their most hated rivals, and actually give him a helpful nudge out the door to boot!

Alas, the Leafs are in one of those strange situations where great players like Sundin are something of a hindrance to the team's bests interests (bottom out and rebuild with top of the line draft picks). If the Leafs want to be the club to take John Tavares first overall next summer, they'd be a lot better served with a last place finish and the skilled and proud Sundin will likely want no part of that.

Sundin's options, if they don't involve returning to the Leafs, become retirement or signing elsewhere. As a Habs fan, sure I've had some animosity for the big lug over the years, but I think we'd all welcome him into the bleu blanc rouge fold with open arms.

And if we happen to win the Cup next year in our 100th anniversary? Oh, the image of a CH-clothed Sundin hoisting the Stanley Cup would live in infamy until the world ends! It would also make up for all the Leaf fan taunting I was subjected to in my younger days!

Would Sundin's legacy as a Maple Leaf be damaged by such a move? Fans are already angry with him for refusing to waive his no trade clause in the spring (a show of loyalty that, in today's NHL, can actually be construed as a show of selfishness).

But what will they think of him if he walks away now, leaving the Leafs with nothing but memories (and a little of that 'passion that unites us all' no doubt), and leaving for the hated Habs, of all teams???

Interesting days ahead!

What a bunch of goofs

I'm not entirely sure how these news media conglomerates work. I know Metroland is owned by The Star, so I won't speak ill of them (and why would I? It's a fine publication!). I just hope that the CBC doesn't have any hands on my paycheque.

Because today I'm speaking ill of them!

The CBC. Man. What a bunch of goofs.

You've probably heard that Hockey Night in Canada will no longer feature the classic theme song that every Canadian can hum by heart. Something about an expired licensing deal, and CBC being cheap. Rival CTV jumped on the chance to make the CBC look stupid and did so quite effectively by swooping in to purchase the song themselves for use on hockey broadcasts on the channels they own, mainly TSN and RDS.

To put it in hockey terms, the CBC just got deked out if its jock strap. And they have nobody to blame but themselves.

I'm not a business man, so you can tell me I just don't understand, but some things you can nickel and dime and some things you can't. If the CBC wanted to cut back on the snacks in the commissary for example, be my guest, get the no name chips and the RC Cola. Buy Bob Cole a cheap toupee. It's all good.

But don't play fast and loose with a song that basically became the national lullaby over the course of decades! A song that is intrinsically linked to your flagship broadcast! A song that, when heard on another show, will serve as a perpetual reminder of how bad you screwed up!

You big goofs.

Here's the funny thing from my standpoint. It's been a long while since I've really even cared about Hockey Night in Canada. Sorry to say, but in recent years the 'national' program has long since alienated, well, anybody who doesn't live in or cheer for Toronto with their Leaf-centric coverage. Maybe the Leafs get the best ratings and the most ad revenue (and if that's the case, I'd suggest it has a whole lot to do with the fact they're always, you know, on the show) but as a publically funded Canadian company, the CBC failed to provide equal coverage of all of Canada's NHL teams. By hitching their wagon to the Maple Leaf 'star', they nestled into Leaf Nation and left the rest of Canada's hockey fans to fend for themselves.

Now, I'll actually hear the theme a lot more when it plays prior to Habs games on RDS. A strange little reunion, since the aforementioned national broadcaster pulled the plug on "La Soiree Du Hockey", the French version of Hockey Night, a few years back. Now the song and the team are back together, on a different network entirely. How times change.

So on one side, you've got the CTV and their comprehensive and modern hockey coverage, with a variety of Canadian teams showcased on their networks and the very theme song of their enemy planted firmly in their grasp.

And on the other side you've got the CBC, caught with their pants down and their wallet empty.

What a bunch of goofs.

My guide to a fun (and cheap) summer

It's June (hard to believe eh!) and the warm weather is here to stay, at least until the first snow fall in September. I'm joking. I hope.

Summer offers us a variety of ways to have a good time. I spent last summer working four jobs, so I really didn't have much fun. But now that I've whittled my workload down quite a bit, I look forward to putting some of my free time to good use!

The question is how, and where, and when to do that. Just as the cost of living keeps going up, the cost of a good time, however you define it, keeps rising too. Just ask the guys who kick back five or six beers at the bar every weekend, or the couple that likes to take in a movie down at the multiplex every Saturday night. These things aren't cheap!

And that's before you even factor in the *sigh* gas prices. Those are no less than thirty cents higher than they were this time last year, and the gap will probably increase before summer's end. Big travel time, summer. No doubt the gas companies will gouge us even more raise their prices because of short supply or terrorists or whatever.

So I'm thinking, how will I have an enjoyable summer that won't turn me into a homeless person?

1) Lock up my credit card and throw away the key - Surely there is no stronger temptation than the dark side of the force your own credit card. Mine has probably done me more harm than good, and so the little monster will be thrown somewhere dark, dank and irretrievable except in times of dire need.

2) Copious enjoyment of my new entertainment system- Thanks in part to that evil credit card, I have recently procured myself a truly respectable home theatre and entertainment system. A 40 inch flat screen HD TV, brand new DVD player, surround sound system and a gorgeous 'centre' (or stand, if you prefer) to hold it all. I am still in the process of setting the whole thing up, but once I do, I'll be able to charge admission!

3) Copious enjoyment of my Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and extensive DVD collection- One of the keys to saving your money is to make use of the things you've already bought! In my case, I have been very generous to myself, and I have plenty of 'entertainment options' right in my apartment. And my new entertainment system breathes new life into my gaming and movie/TV watching hobby. Yes, I know I'm a geek. Loud and proud!

4) Copious enjoyment of my library-like book collection- I need to read more, partially because I have a gazillion books I've barely touched, and partly because I keep using the words 'copious enjoyment'. Obviously my vocabulary is becoming limited!

5) More time at the gym!- More time spent pumping iron will be good for me on a number of fronts. It'll get me in better shape, give me a body I won't be entirely ashamed of at the beach and it saves me money (well, extra money) since I already pay for it every couple weeks.

6) Walk everywhere that I can- I love my car (it's the Chambymobile, after all), and she's not a gas guzzler by any means, but I'm still feeling the pain, as we all are, of the asinine gas prices. So I'm going to have to walk a fair bit this summer. To make it easier on myself, I'll bring my Ipod, or at least play Staying Alive by The Beegees in my head.

7) Enjoy my apartment- Though I'll look to get outside as much as I can, I'm already paying for my apartment, so I might as well use it! I can host friends and small gatherings, and also a good place to collect my thoughts. We all need a Fortress of Solitude!

So that's my plan for a fun, cheap summer. Here's hoping it works out.

Otherwise, I might be living in a cardboard box by the fall!

Layton Dodge a living legend

How often do you get to meet a living legend?

I had that rare opportunity when I sat down to speak with Layton Dodge. Throughout a career that spanned five decades at the Cobourg Daily Star, Mr. Dodge tirelessly chronicled local sports teams and their athletes. If there was a sporting event somewhere in Cobourg, you could bet he would be there.

To say that his impact is still felt here in the community is an understatement. When I began working at the Northumberland News last summer (over 10 years after Mr. Dodge had retired), there were quite a few people eager to tell me about the man who paved the way for sports journalists like me here in Cobourg. A decade later, folks still remembered his dedication and love for his craft.

In his own words, Mr. Dodge “married his work”, and it was a remarkable partnership. Routinely working 80 hours a week and never taking a vacation, he shone a light on all of Cobourg’s athletes, young and old, big and small. And in doing so, he cast a mighty long shadow for those who would follow him.

As someone who makes his living covering local sports, I’m at once proud and overwhelmed to follow a man who made such an impact doing what I do. I do not relish making direct comparisons between myself and a man with his reputation, but I believe there is a lot I can learn from the example he left, which is why I was thrilled to meet him. Something that struck me when I spoke with Layton was the obvious, genuine love he had for the work that he did.

To this day, he holds sports, the newspaper business and the Town of Cobourg close to his heart, and in finding a way to combine the three, he never worked a day in his life. The only thing that could tear Layton away from the job he loved was his diagnosis with terminal germ cell cancer in 1996. But he approached his recovery with the same zeal that he had for his profession, and after a long hard battle he was officially declared cancer free last year.

Meeting the living legend of Cobourg sports journalism was truly a thrill, and as I move forward with my own sports writing career, I will look more than once to his example and guidance.

Though I don’t think I’ll ever put in his 80 hour weeks, I will certainly try to match his passion for telling every sports story that Cobourg has to offer. And I’ll keep following in his footsteps, though I might need bigger shoes.

On a day like today

I'm glad I'm a sports reporter.

My co-workers Jeanne Beneteau, Jennifer O'Meara and Peg McCarthy have spent the day chronicling the undoubtedly gut wrenching funerals for the three young ladies who died tragically last week. Managing editor Dwight Irwin has spent his day writing a moving editorial and deciding how best to incorporate our coverage of the sad events.

And me.... I'm writing about sports.

Kind of puts it all in perspective.

Tragedies, funerals and the like are immensely difficult to cover. When families are going through their worst nightmares, we journalists are charged with trying to tell their story without intruding on their grieving process. It's a difficult line to walk.

My feelings on the subject are, admittedly, uncertain. It is of the utmost importance that the coverage of such events be carried out with absolutely no disrespect or interference towards the grieving parties. I am grateful to be part of a news organization that honours that requirement. Disgusting displays like the paparazzi death chase of Princess Diana, and the blanket 'coverage' of the lives, loves and walks-down-the-street of B-level celebrities seem to blur the line between journalism and harassment, and perhaps it is difficult for some to tell the difference.

I can say with confidence and certainty that our newspaper, and our parent company Metroland, are diligent and respectful in their coverage of these sensitive, difficult subjects.

A crucial distinction that must be made when reporters are seen at funerals is that we do not come to exploit the obvious pain and anguish being felt. We come to honour the memory of the individuals that have died and to tell their story so that the community may know what a loss it has suffered.

Even so, sometimes I wonder if it would be better for the families that want their loved ones stories told to come to us. Allow the ones that do not want the attention to be spared it. And allow those who want people to know all about their dearly departed and how wonderful they were to be given that opportunity.

Does the public's right to know trump a family's right to grieve in peace?

It's just one of many questions I struggle with, and by no means is it my intention to attack or disrespect the profession that has allowed me to make a home and life for myself. But journalism is about asking questions and telling stories. If I don't ask the questions that I need answers for, I'm not being true to myself as a reporter, and certainly not as a person.

So yes, on a day like today I'm glad I'm a sports reporter.

Why?

There are some things about life that just don't make sense.

This is one of them.

I won't recap the news that you've no doubt heard by now, and I know that this is far, FAR from the only incident of its kind in Ontario, or Canada, or even the world, this month, let alone this year. But the world is a big place and even if you're really trying, you'll never know everything that's going on. So when something like this happens close to home, we stop and think.

Or at least, I do.

Of all the questions we have it in us to ask each other as human beings, there may not be one more vexing and, occasionally, impossible to answer than, 'why?'. Some events seem to transcend 'why'. Some events just seem to be beyond understanding.

I didn't know the three girls that lost their lives in this accident so it isn't a personal loss, but anytime good, positive, happy people leave the world too soon, everybody loses.

In cases like this, there's no blame to dole out, no judgment to pass. There's simply that 'why?' that I struggle with and that, no doubt, the family and friends of the deceased will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

And there's sadness.

Here's another 'why' for you. Why is it so easy to ignore what we have until it's gone? Why does it take tragedies like this to make myself and others slam on the brakes in these crazy lives of ours and actually show our gratitude for the people we love?

I'm 24 and I've done my share of stupid things, so I am lucky to be in good health. I'm lucky to still have four grandparents, a sister and two wonderful parents as close as the nearest phone. I'm lucky to have friends, real friends, who would be there for me in the drop of a hat.

... and as the outpouring of sympathy and grief for these women has shown, they were lucky in those ways too. Which reminds me that, indeed... there are no guarantees in this life.

I could be gone tomorrow. Someone I love could be gone tomorrow. That's the brutal, undeniable reality. One which we hide from, more often than not.

I can't do anything for Erin, Robyn or Kandas. I wish I could.  All I can do is be thankful for the moments I have. That my loved ones have.

And I'll keep asking why. Maybe I'll get an answer some day.

This sequel sucks

'In The Pressbox' now goes live to Celebrity Jeopardy!

Sean Connery: I'll take 'Ape Tit' for $400 Alex.

Alex Trebek: That's 'A Petit'- never mind! Let's go with 'Famous Writers' for $500. "This charismatic and charming young sports reporter got dragged out of bed at the ungodly hour of 8 am this morning, as a result of construction workers ripping up his driveway." Mr. Connery?

Sean Connery: Who is Jason Chamberlain?

Alex Trebek: My God! That's the correct answer! Are we recording this? This is unprecedented!

Sean Connery: I know that chap quite well, Trebek. Almost as well as I know your moth-

Alex Trebek: Stop right there!

Sean Connery: She says hello, by the way. HA HA HA HA HA!

Yep, my good friend Mr. Connery speaks the truth. 'Construction Hell 2: Backing Up For More!' continues to film on my street, a mere six months after the first one wrapped. I guess it was a hit!

But don't hold your breath hoping for an Empire Strikes Back level of goodness from this particular sequel. It's already starting to seem formulaic. They started at the other end of the street, just like in the last one. They put so many pylons on the road it resembles a stunt driving course. Just like in the last one! And this morning, I did indeed get dragged out of bed by construction workers pounding on my door, just like in the last one. See, last night I made the terrible mistake of parking in my own driveway, which is being ripped up (just like in the last one). No sooner had I moved my car on to the street (and shown the world my Superman pajamas) did my driveway disappear once again in a cloud of dust and chopped up concrete.

In short, this is one predictable sequel. I just hope they leave out the dirt mountains this time.

Construction Hell 2 - Backing Up For More!

You know, I usually love sequels. Wayne's World 2 notwithstanding.

The Empire Strikes Back, X2, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Clerks 2 all have prominent places on my 'most loved movies' list. Just a couple weeks ago I was laughing non stop when I saw Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay.

But there are times when sequels are just plain ill conceived.

Right now, for example. 'Construction Hell 2 - Backing Up For More!' is on the fast track on Sinclair Street in Cobourg. You may remember how much I despised loved the first one.

It went directly from construction to winter last time, and now it's back to construction before I've really had a chance to enjoy the snow free roads. It's not as bad as it was before... yet. But there are pylons everywhere, a few bits of sidewalk are gone and concrete is ripped up around every manhole on the street. Good times!

Now again, it isn't as bad as it was. But the nightmares of dirt mountains, mud bowl streets and a driveway that didn't exist for at least a month are as fresh as ever. So until I see the last construction flag lifted out of the ground and the last pylon gone, I'll be a little on edge.

Because this is one sequel that gets a thumbs down from me.