July 2008 Archives

« June 2008 August 2008 »
Ludacris' Obama Song
Published July 31, 2008 @ 21:42 in Politics

MusicLudacris wrote a song for Obama called "Politics as Usual". Read the lyrics and guess why Obama is distancing himself from this endorsement.

Will give Luda a special pardon if I’m ever in the slammer
Better yet put him in office, make me your vice president
Hillary hated on you, so that bitch is irrelevant

The first black president is destined and it’s meant to be
the threats ain’t fazing us, the nooses or the jokes
so get off your ass, black people, it’s time to get out and vote!
paint the White House black and I’m sure that’s got ‘em terrified

McCain don’t belong in ANY chair unless he’s paralyzed
Yeah I said it cause Bush is mentally handicapped
Ball up all of his speeches and I throw em like candy wrap
cause what you talking I hear nothing even relevant
and you the worst of all 43 presidents
get out and vote or the end will be near
the world is ready for change because Obama is here!

It's catchy, though.

Leif Pettersen, Rest in Peace
Published July 31, 2008 @ 14:01 in Rest In Peace

In MemoriumLeif Pettersen was 57. He played eight CFL seasons with Saskatchewan and Hamilton and worked as a television analyst.

O Canada, Vegas Style
Published July 31, 2008 @ 11:33 in O Canada

canadaVegas Geoff just sent this over.

I just came across this absolutely fantastic clip of our anthem being butchered during a Las Vegas Posse CFL game. Apparently, the story goes that this singer, Dennis "KC" Parks, had never heard the anthem before, so just tried to wing it. As you can tell, it didn't go so well.

This is "O Canada", Vegas style.

Igor Kenk Stole My Bike
Published July 30, 2008 @ 20:22 in Memories

bikeI can't say for certain that Igor Kenk stole my bike. It happened in 1989 and my bike was gracefully removed from our garage in the middle of the night. One morning I woke up, saw the garage door was opened and realized my bike was gone.

Shortly thereafter I bought the same bike I ride today, but I've been ready to have my bike stolen for the past 19 years. I've always believed Toronto was "the bike theft capital of the world" because that's what we've always been told. In fact, I'm now riding my ancient beater because I didn't feel like spending a lot of money on a new bike just to have it stolen. Igor Kenk may have got me once, and I wasn't going to let him get me again.

Igor Kenk, for the unaware, is the owner of the Bicycle Clinic at Queen St. W. and Strachan Ave. recently charged with bike theft. Police have seized 2,789 bicycles since Igor Kenk's arrest, not to mention 17 pounds of marijuana. Now that Kenk is behind bars we're hearing that bike thefts in our city have fallen sharply.

I'm not an advocate for capital punishment, but Kenk might be the exception. The bastard stole my bike! Maybe...

Lynn Johnston Makes Me Feel Dumb
Published July 30, 2008 @ 19:56 in For Better or for Worse

fbofwToday's For Better of For Worse strip is sweet and all, but I didn't get it. I simply didn't know what mucilage meant.

I need you to be honest with me. Should I have known was mucilage means? I suppose the real question I'm asking is, without cheating, do you know what mucilage is?

fbofw

The Last Refuge of a Blogger
Published July 30, 2008 @ 09:43 in Mixed

sunOver at Freddie P's blog, he's been writing about how little there is to write about these days. The absence of an interesting and juicy news story is the juiciest story out there.

It’s been a quiet summer when you think about it. There’s been some gun play in the GTA, but nothing like past years, and the gang activity seems to have thinned out.

Mayor Miller has been rather quiet. He must be taking some time off this summer because; there have been very few puzzling or mind boggling decisions or statements by the man who’s slowly destroying Toronto.

Federally, it’s the same old story. A Liberal leader is attempting to destroy himself, but Ontario won’t stand for it. Canada’s most twisted province prefers to over-look the obvious shortcomings of the Liberals, and instead, dig deep for anything that might make the Conservatives look bad, even if it’s fantasy.

It’s left me scratching my head many days this summer wondering what to write about.

I agree, there hasn't been a lot of news you can sink your teeth into this summer. One can only write so many entries about Mats Sundin.

Yes folks, I just wrote about how there's nothing to write about. That's the last refuge of a blogger.

blogging

Cartoon by Dave Walker.

Lloyd Moseby: The Shaker
Published July 30, 2008 @ 09:05 in Toronto Blue Jays

blue jaysI'm featuring 1988 Topps Cards featuring members of my beloved Blue Jays that are featured on this blog.

We called Lloyd Moseby The Shaker, and he was part of "the best outfield in baseball" playing center field between George Bell and Jesse Barfield. The Shaker Mo is still the all-time Blue Jays leader in stolen bases and he was an all-star in 1986.

A likable player who signed this autograph for me, future generations will remember Lloyd Moseby for his "Shaker's Rap". If you haven't yet heard "Shaker's Rap", you're in for a treat. Get on over there and hit play.

Lloyd Moseby

It's Not The Buildings We Love, It's The Signs
Published July 29, 2008 @ 16:00 in The T.Dot

cntowerHere in Toronto, we love our signs. You can tear down our buildings, just don't mess with the signage.

The CHUM building on Yonge Street, just south of St. Clair Ave., is going to be torn down and turned into luxury condos. Fear not Torontonians, the iconic CHUM sign will be saved from demolition.

I previously examined our love affair with signs after Ed Mirvish passed and I wondered what would happen to the Honest Ed's sign when that property is eventually re-purposed. Prior to that, there was the united cry to save the Sam the Record Man sign and the City TV truck.

I don't know about you, but I feel better knowing the CHUM sign is safe. You can do what you want to our buildings, just don't f*ck with our signs.

CHUM FORMAT CHANGE.03.RPJ.

Michelle is Four
Published July 29, 2008 @ 08:56 in Family

birthdayThe baby of the house is now four. That's no baby, that's not even a toddler, that's a bona fide school-going big girl age.

I'll never forget the details surrounding Michelle's birth because I blogged the crap out of it. The July 2004 archives are full of memories like this one, this one, this one, this one and this one.

Here's Michelle, four years ago today.

And here's my big girl celebrating her birthday on Saturday. Happy Birthday, Michelle!

P7267875

A 14th Canadian to Play for the Blue Jays
Published July 28, 2008 @ 15:15 in Toronto Blue Jays

bluejaysThe Toronto Blue Jays just recalled Canadian pitcher Scott Richmond from triple-A Syracuse. Richmond, 28, of North Vancouver, B.C., has made five starts for the Syracuse Chiefs, posting a 0-2 record with a 2.53 ERA. He has limited opponents to a .210 batting average, while walking only six and striking out 31 in 35 innings.

He will become the 14th Canadian to play for the Blue Jays. Here are the first 13.

  • Dave McKay
  • Paul Hodgson
  • Rob Ducey
  • Denis Boucher
  • Vince Horsman
  • Rob Butler
  • Paul Spoljaric
  • Paul Quantrill
  • Rich Butler
  • Steve Sinclair
  • Simon Pond
  • Corey Koskie
  • Matt Stairs
Cuil Search Engine
Published July 28, 2008 @ 10:52 in Technology

webCuil, pronounced cool, is the newest search engine out to steal a slice of Google's pie. I just checked it out for the first time by searching for toronto blog.

The results were fantastic! I mean, look at what's #1 in Cuil when you conduct that search. That's pretty cuil.

toronto blog - Cuil_1217256324146

Goldie Gardner No Longer Annoying Us On WNED17
Published July 28, 2008 @ 10:02 in Television

TVBuffalo native Kathleen has just informed me that Goldie Gardner has finally retired. You may not know that name, but you know the face and you know the voice. We Torontonians have been bombarded by Goldie's pleas to give to PBS during the many pledge drives on Buffalo's WNED 17 for almost three decades.

I was very young the first time she annoyed me, I'm guessing it was around the same time the video below was recorded. Enjoy retirement, Goldie. The cheque is in the mail.

Johnny Griffin, Rest in Peace
Published July 27, 2008 @ 16:45 in Rest In Peace

In MemoriumJohnny Griffin was 80. He was the jazz tenor saxophonist who played alongside such luminaries as Lionel Hampton, Art Blakey and Thelonius Monk.

Word From India During The Terror of Death
Published July 27, 2008 @ 10:55 in News

Amnesty0.17% of visits to this site come from India. Believe it or not, that puts India in 10th place. Over the past month, these visits have come from 24 cities in India, and a city called Cochin leads the pack. I happen to know those visits are by Roshan, a big fan of Canadian music and hockey who has been a regular visitor for the past four years or so. Roshan blogs at Awake & Dreaming.

There is news out of India this weekend that a series of synchronized explosions have killed at least 45 people. An obscure Islamic group has claimed responsibility, warning of "the terror of Death" in an e-mail sent to several television stations minutes before the blasts. These attacks seem to be in response to 2002 riots in the western state which left 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead.

With cities around the country put on alert I asked the one Indian reader I knew of to write something I could post on my blog. Here's what Roshan just emailed me.

Hi Mike

The last couple of days have been tense for Indians, especially those of us in the Southern part of India & the western state of Gujarat. First on Friday afternoon, I was at the office working, when I heard that there was an explosion in the city of Bangalore, Karnataka. Some turned on the tv that sits in our reception area, others tuned to their radios and some like me clicked online to find out if there was something about it. I was the first to find a webpage that reported on the incident, some guy named Sachin Uppal had seen the blast from a distance. He switched on his computer, logged into his blogger account and blogged about it immediately, snatching bits of news from his friends & neighbours. Turns out it was more than one - 6 blasts occured in various parts of the city. The areas of Nayandahalli, Madivala, Adugodi, Mysore road, Mallya Hospital & Langford Road were the ones that were hit. A 6th & 7th explosion would follow.

My company has 3 big offices in Bangalore and I have a few friends who work in that city. We immedietaley tried to get in touch with them to see if theu were alright. the phone lines were all blocked and the smses weren't getting delivered. I was able to contact my friend Vinitha online - she was at home and on gtalk, having taken a leave from work. Another friend was in Cochin, having taken leave to come and visit her family.

Saturday, while Banglore began their slow process of recoveing from the shock, the Gujarat serial Bomb blasts have rocked industrious Ahmedabad city of Gujarat in India. Till now 6 bomb blasts have been reported. The effected areas are Maninagar Chowk , Raipur , Bapunagar , Isanpur , Narol , Naroda , Juhapura. The 6 blasts later became 16, with 10 dead an over a 100 injured. An islamic terrorist organization calling themselves the 'Indian Mujahidden' have claimed sole responsibiliy for the bomb blasts. All major cities were now told be be on alert as they could be next. And today in Surat (Gujarat) two cars with batteries & wires in the back seat were found abandoned.

This afternoon, an internet call was made to the number of a TV9 reporter, claiming to be from Pakistan and identifying him to be part of the Indian Mujahideen, said that Kerala was the next target and that it would happen at 7 in the evening. This information was soon replayed to all channels with the major cities of Cochin & Trivandrum on high alert. All cinema theatres have cancelled their evening shows and most stores & shopping malls have shut down. Police have surrounded most of the public areas and are combing through any areas that look like they could be harbouring detonating devices. Police dogs & bomb squads are everywhere. The police commissioner has asked for calm and for all citizens to be on the look out for anything suspecious.

As I type this, its a few minutes past 8 pm and so far nothing has happened in Cochin. That doesn't mean to say that it won't. This just brings me to believe that Muslim fundamentalists are out to destroy the rest of the world and that religion and god will be the end of us. Hope to see a new day. Peace.

Hindus and Muslims have been going at each other in India since independence from Britain in 1947. Here's hoping this doesn't spark more deadly religious riots and that peace does in fact prevail. Roshan, please keep us up to date and stay safe.

Vanilla
Published July 26, 2008 @ 19:57 in Family

FamilyFor a girl turning four later this week, Michelle knows exactly what she wants. For example, when it came time to bake her birthday cake, she was very clear with her request. She wanted a vanilla cake with vanilla icing. There was to be no chocolate on or in her birthday cake.

I'm now questioning the paternity here. No chocolate? Pure vanilla? How can she be my daughter?

The girl got what she wanted and I'm still shaking my head. It's just not right...

P7267869

MyTTC a Sweet Community Effort
Published July 26, 2008 @ 19:21 in The T.Dot

TTCMyTTC.ca wants to make one thing perfectly clear. They are not the TTC, nor are they affiliated, endorsed, or otherwise associated with them. They are a community effort to make using the TTC a better experience for everyone, and they've succeeded.

I love their "Plan a Trip" feature. Tell it where you are, where you have to go and when you're leaving, and instantly you're rewarded with awesome detail. I've been trying to break it but it's pretty smart.

If you ride the TTC, you've got to bookmark MyTTC.ca.

Ode To Joy
Published July 26, 2008 @ 10:54 in Mixed

humourThis one is for a little princess having her fourth birthday party today.

It's called "Ode To Joy".

Guest Playlist Ettiquette
Published July 26, 2008 @ 09:01 in Music

itunesYesterday night I had a great time at a top secret party at an undisclosed location with a fun group of people you may or may not know that I can't mention. It was to celebrate a well deserved happenstance and both Taryn and I had a blast. Even the music was pretty decent, and that's what this entry is about. It's about the music.

I knew the host of this party was putting together a playlist of tunes to play throughout, but just in case his playlist bombed out, I spent some time yesterday afternoon putting together a party playlist of my own. It's a plug-and-play world where one iPod can be swapped out for another in seconds. The switcheroo would would be seamless and my song selection would spill out into the clear night sky.

I took into account the age range of attendees, removed the "scary" music, which means stripping out the NWA, Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, Public Enemy, etc., and killed the tunes with too many prominent swears. If there were professional playlist creators, I'd be a good one. It's always come naturally to me.

Armed with my "4theMasses" playlist on my iPod Touch, I didn't want to offend the host with an early switch and I wanted to ensure the incumbent playlist was given a legitimate opportunity to succeed. There were some older, boring tunes, but for the most part it was pretty decent. I heard Radiohead, I heard Lowest of the Low and I heard Neil Young. I was impressed and let it play out all night long.

In Carrie Bradshaw Sex in the City fashion, I must ask the readers. What is the guest playlist etiquette in 2008? Do the guests have the right to engage in mutiny and change the tunes? The driver of the car should control the car radio, is it the same with owner of the house and the party playlist?

Randy Pausch, Rest in Peace
Published July 25, 2008 @ 12:11 in Rest In Peace

In MemoriumRandy Pausch was 47. He was the Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation and a best-selling book.

Tarantino's Mind: A Short Film
Published July 25, 2008 @ 09:54 in Links

LinkTarantino's Mind - A film buff tells a friend that he's finally broken "the code" - the mystery behind the character & story threads that bleed from one Quentin Tarantino movie or screenplay into the next. His friend is less than impressed. Starring Seu Jorge (The Life Aquatic) and Selton Mello (Tarja Preta). A short film by Brazilian directing duo 300ml.

Fellow Tarantino fans will love this.

Summer Movies
Published July 25, 2008 @ 09:25 in Mixed

calendarI've been hearing buzz about this little art house film called "The Dark Knight". The reviews have been off the hook, as the kids would say, assuming the kids are still saying that. It's so hard to keep up. I still think gnarly is a cool word.

Ajax Mike wrote me a note after seeing "The Dark Knight". "Take the time. Make the effort. I seriously cannot articulate how good of a movie that was." Forget Ebert, that's one hell of an endorsement. It's so good, you can't even express how good it is. I'm sold!

So yes, I will see the new Batman movie in theatres just as soon as the stars align and I have an opportunity. On the other end of the spectrum, things aren't looking very good for another film I've been anticipating. "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" is getting weak reviews, so I'll likely be catching that one on TMN in about a years time.

It's a shame. I was really looking forward to it. Forget I Want To Believe, how about a little I Want This Movie To Be Good.

Me and the Batmobile

One Day as a Lion - Wild International
Published July 24, 2008 @ 21:48 in SLS

slsI'm submitting a song for SLS20 consideration. I'm submitting "Wild International" by One Day as a Lion.

If you haven't yet heard, One Day as a Lion is Zach de la Rocha from Rage Against the Machine and Jon Theodore from The Mars Volta. It's a great sound, right up my alley.

This tune makes me wish new Rage Against The Machine was on its way. Last I checked, they were touring but not recording. Let's hope that changes.

The Balcony Is Closed
Published July 24, 2008 @ 13:52 in Movies

thumbsdownRoger Ebert has a great entry on his blog today regarding his departure from the "Ebert and Roeper" program. He was a part of the show for 33 years and while it was he and Gene Siskel, it was the only movie review show I'd bother watching. "Siskel and Ebert" were my go to guys for movie reviews until The Day I Stopped Trusting Siskel and Ebert back in 1997.

Siskel and Ebert gave "Grosse Pointe Blank" two thumbs down and then gave "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" two thumbs up. I couldn't believe it then and I still don't believe it, but I saw it with my own two eyes and know this to be fact. I was shocked by the fact they didn't like "Grosse Pointe Blank" but I was flabbergasted by the fact they actually liked "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion".

Eleven years have since passed, Gene Siskel has passed away and Roger Ebert has battled his own serious health issues, yet I'm still saddened to learn the show is going in a new direction. Love him or hate him, Ebert has a way with words and always appears to me to be an honest and insightful reviewer of films.

The silver lining here is that Ebert writes he will "continue the traditional format in a new venue". Otherwise, for now, the balcony is closed.

Only Love Can Break Your Heart and Skates
Published July 24, 2008 @ 12:58 in Weekly MP3s

MP3I share an MP3 from my collection every week. You have seven days to grab this week's MP3. Please right-click your mouse and select "Save Link As..." or "Save target as..." so you can download it to your PC before playing.

» Neil Young - Only Love Can Break Your Heart
» Hayden - Skates
During the long drive home from camping last week, I had my iPod on shuffle. At one point, Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" came on, immediately followed by Hayden's "Skates". The combination struck me as ideal.

Both songs are from great Canadian folk-rockers who aren't afraid of the harmonica and both songs are about heartbreak. "Skates", in particular, never fails to get me with that "I will skate as far as it takes, to bring her back home" line. If you've never heard "Skates" before, you're in for a treat.

It's 2-for-1 Thursday. Get 'em while they're hot.

Covers I Didn't Know Were Covers at the Time
Published July 23, 2008 @ 21:51 in Lists

MusicHave you ever been surprised to learn a song was a cover? Off the top of my head I can think of several songs I assumed were originals the first time I heard them. With many of these songs, it was years before I learnt they were recorded by other artists first.

Here are ten examples with a little explanation tagged on the end.

Don't Be Cruel - Cheap Trick
I thought I'd lead off with a rather embarrassing one. In 1988 I was still listening to top 40 radio on 680 CFTR. This Cheap Trick single was a hit and I had never heard Elvis Presley's version. I just assumed it was a Cheap Trick song. The fact is, I didn't hear any Elvis at home and my Elvis exposure at the time was pretty much limited to "Hound Dog".

If You Don't Know Me By Now - Simply Red
One year later, in 1989, "If You Don't Know Me By Now" was a hit for Simply Red and I just assumed it was a Simply Red song. It wasn't until fairly recently that I learnt it was originally recorded by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes back in 1972.

Once Bitten Twice Shy - Great White
That same year, in 1989, I was enjoying this guilty pleasure by Great White. It wasn't until about six years later when I found Ian Hunter's Greatest Hits in my future wife's collection that I realized it was a cover.

I Saw Him Standing There - Tiffany
Early in 1988 I was actually skiing, something I haven't done in over 15 years, and I heard this Tiffany single over the loud speaker. I had no idea a little band from the UK had recorded "I Saw Her Standing There" back in 1963.

Red Red Wine - UB40
I loved this song back in 1983 when I was a wee lad of 9. Who didn't enjoy UB40's "Red Red Wine"? It wasn't for another six years that I discovered "Red Red Wine" belonged to Neil Diamond.

Respect - Aretha Franklin
I suspect a lot of people think the Queen of Soul first recorded this song. It's a classic and I know I was in my 20s before I heard Otis Redding's version. Otis deserves a little respect.

Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix
Of all the songs on this list, I think I was most disappointed to learn that "Hey Joe" was a cover. I loved the version from Are You Experienced? and spun that CD like crazy. I just assumed it was a Hendrix song, but it was actually first a hit for The Leaves. Awesome song, but still not Jimi's best cover. That would be "All Along The Watchtower".

Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
This is the song that inspired this entry, because I just found out earlier today that "Blinded By The Light" is a Bruce Springsteen song. I swear, it's true. Listen to this.

Love Hurts - Nazareth
Honestly, how many of you know that "Love Hurts" was a cover by Nazareth? It was a hit for The Everly Brothers in July 1960 and I first picked up that little slice of trivia in the early 90s, many years after first hearing the Nazareth version.

Higher Ground - Red Hot Chili Peppers
I'm closing with this song because I really should have known better. At the time, I had graduated from CFTR to Q107 and "Higher Ground" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers was getting plenty of airplay. That prompted me to pick up Mother's Milk, an album I still listen to regularly. I remember my buddy telling me it was a Stevie Wonder song and me saying "That 'I Just Called To Say I Love You' blind guy? No way." I was only 15 but I should have known better.

Little Brother is 30
Published July 23, 2008 @ 19:29 in Family

birthdayHoly crap! My little brother is 30!

Here we are in simpler times. He's the fashionable dude in the middle. Man, the 80s were cool.

Many Moons Ago

Gamma Ray - Beck
Published July 23, 2008 @ 12:28 in SLS

slsI'm submitting a song for SLS20 consideration. I'm submitting "Gamma Ray" by Beck.

This is the first single from Beck's new album Modern Guilt, produced by Beck and Danger Mouse. I've been a big Beck fan since Mellow Gold and at least three or four cuts from that album still make it on my road trip playlist. Believe it or not, Beck is now 38, but he still looks 21.

And no, this isn't an official video, but it should be.

Rainfall Record Imminent
Published July 23, 2008 @ 12:00 in The T.Dot

RainIt looks like it's going to rain again today. What a surprise.

According to Environment Canada, 2008 has been one of the wettest summers ever in the Greater Toronto Area and it's only July. The agency said about 240 millimetres of rain has fallen since the beginning of last month.

Another 30 millimetres would break the decades-old record of 270 millimetres of rain for the the June July period. The old record was 271.5 millimetres set in 1980.

At the height of last summer, only about 88 millimetres had been recorded by Environment Canada.

We're coming off the snowiest winter of my lifetime. That's a lot of precipitation. I gauge the raininess of a summer by the number of slo-pitch rain-outs. In total, I've had 27 ball games scheduled and only one cancelled due to rain. When my wife told me the other day it's been rainier than usual, I threw this stat at her as proof it's not that rainy.

Honey, I was wrong.

Kic Goes Bananas
Published July 23, 2008 @ 08:49 in Dodgeball

DodgeballI've been playing ball with Kic for years. He's one of our three Mikes, and all three can lose their cool on the field now and then. When competitive people engage in a heated battle, fuses shorten and tempers flare. The challenge is to ensure the line is never crossed so you can stay in the game.

Kic is also on my dodgeball team. Last night, about half way through our tense match-up with Where's Linda?, Kic crossed the line. Already eliminated, he picked up the ball and drilled it at the guy who just knocked him out. It was then that Where's Linda? left the court and we were disqualified. We're awaiting judgment from the TCSSC as to our fate, but Kic has already launched a preemptive strike. He's quit.

Hey Team,

Sorry about my stupid behaviour at tonight's game, that was ******* of me to do. I completely ruined the game for everyone and I apologize for my actions. I think it's best that I leave the competitive game of dodgeball so that this doesn't happen in future games for you guys.

Good luck the rest of the season, I know you guys will have more fun without my antics.

I hear you giggling at the "competitive game of dodgeball" line, but when you're out on that court, it's war. The beast within you is unleashed and you enter full combat mode. We trained Kic to be a killing machine and then we chastised him for ignoring the boundaries.

Speaking of Kic, he recently appeared in a Future Shop ad. Here he is going bananas about NBA07 on the PSP.

Estelle Getty, Rest in Peace
Published July 22, 2008 @ 13:32 in Rest In Peace

In MemoriumEstelle Getty was 84. She was the Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning actress best known for playing Sophia Petrillo on the popular 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls.

Sundin Sundin Sundin Sundin Sundin Sundin Sundin
Published July 22, 2008 @ 12:00 in Toronto Maple Leafs

LeafsIt's July 22 and it's Mats Sundin, Mats Sundin, Mats Sundin, Mats Sundin, Mats Sundin, Mats Sundin, Mats Sundin.

A Swedish newspaper reported he was set to sign with Vancouver, then his agent denied the claim. Another Swedish newspaper conducted a poll asking fans where they think the free agent centre will wind up, and the results were strongly in the Maple Leafs' favour, at 37 per cent. Will he return? Will he retire? Will he sign elsewhere? It's all about Mats Sundin.

Personally, I think Mats Sundin makes us too good. I love the guy, I think he's a class act with a boatload of skill and loyal to a fault, but I've got my heart set on a 30 win season and #13 will make us a tad too competitive.

Still, I suspect The Mats will announce his return as some point this summer and he'll retire next summer as a Toronto Maple Leaf. In the meantime, the Toronto media will run with Mats Sundin story after Mats Sundin story giving the people what they want. All Mats, all the time.

That reminds me, I'm due to visit http://www.torontomike.com/countdown.html. 79 days, 7 hours, 13 minutes, and 10 seconds left until the Maple Leafs season opener!

Our Most Important Ornament

Retiring An Old Jersey
Published July 22, 2008 @ 09:43 in Raging Storm

baseballI once wrote that I like progress, I just don't like change. My slo-pitch team (the comp one, not the beer league one) has worn the same blue jerseys for years. We've done quite well in those old blue shirts, having won our division last season. Still, a few teammates wanted a change so we ditched the old blues for new red jerseys.

The moment we switched, we lost four in a row. We went from a 7-5 record in comp to a 7-9 record. Naturally, I blamed the new jerseys. The Jays haven't won since they ditched their old logo and I remember the Pittsburgh Penguins changing their jerseys after back-to-back cups and they haven't won since. You don't change your jersey following a championship season!

Last night, however, we actually won a game wearing red. It was a hard fought 14-13 victory with a thrilling conclusion and the monkey is off our back. The next step is a return to .500.

P7207834

Wintersleep - Oblivion
Published July 21, 2008 @ 16:37 in SLS

slsI'm submitting a song for SLS20 consideration. I'm submitting "Oblivion" by Wintersleep.

These cats are from Halifax and I've been singing this tune all week. It's a cool video, too.

Juan Beniquez: Seviceable and Steady
Published July 21, 2008 @ 16:15 in Toronto Blue Jays

blue jaysI'm featuring 1988 Topps Cards featuring members of my beloved Blue Jays that are featured on this blog.

I don't have a great deal to say about Juan Beniquez. He was a serviceable utility player who I remember best for being the guy set to platoon at DH with Rick Leach when Jimy Williams changed his mind and let George Bell play the outfield.

Does anyone remember the rookie who was supposed to start in left field when George Bell was moved to DH in '88? It was Sil Campusano who retired with a .202 batting average, 5 home runs and 23 RBIs. Hey Jimy, if you're going to piss off the AL MVP, make sure it's to promote someone who will manage more than a couple of dozen rbis in his career.

Juan Beniquez

Rogers Hijacks Our Web Browser
Published July 21, 2008 @ 12:56 in Technology

thumbsdownAt home, our ISP is Rogers. Judging from the analytics I receive for this site, many of you are also Rogers customers. It appears Bell and Rogers dominate the residential internet access space in the Greater Toronto Area.

When you put a term like "cnn" in the address bar, your browser typically adds on the .com for you. When you put a term like "torontomike" in the address bar, your browser typically treats it like a search and renders the results for that keyword in your default search engine. This is how the browsers work because it makes for the best user experience.

Rogers has decided to hijack that practice. Rogers customers who now put a term like "torontomike" in the address bar are automatically redirected by default to a Rogers-branded Yahoo search for that keyword, complete with obtrusive graphical advertisements at the top and right hand side, not to mention the textual sponsored links beneath that Rogers logo. Below is a screen cap of what you see with Rogers.

If you're a Rogers customer, here's how you stop the hijacking. At the very bottom click "Learn More About This Page" and agree to opt out of this madness. The opt-out is cookie-based, so if you clear your cookies you'll need to do it again.

What pisses me off is that I pay Rogers for access to the Internet, not for messing with the content. Take my money and give me a pipeline to the net where I can use whatever browser I choose and visit whatever sites I choose. I'm not paying for jerkware.

Rogers

Foo Fighters - Let It Die
Published July 20, 2008 @ 16:13 in SLS

slsI'm submitting a song for SLS20 consideration. I'm submitting "Let It Die" by the Foo Fighters.

Here's the deal... We at SLS have this little rule that says each artist can only be represented once on each edition of SLS. "Long Road to Ruin" was pegged to appear on SLS19 so there was no room for "Let It Die". However, "Let It Die" is such a cool track by one of my favourite bands, so I'm going to see if it has the legs to make SLS20.

It's not exactly fresh, but I'm still digging it.

The Faces of Dodgeball Champs
Published July 20, 2008 @ 15:20 in Dodgeball

DodgeballOver the winter I played dodgeball. It was my first dodgeball season and it was a great deal of fun. We actually ended up winning the championship.

Believe it or not, this is what a champion co-ed dodgeball team looks like. Scary, eh? I've signed up for another season and will play my first game Tuesday.

dodgeball champs