First Prize In Bob's Lottery

I'm aware that it's actually Gary's lottery, however I'm not going to let facts get in the way of a good pun.

Anyways, I'm glad that Crosby went to Pittsburgh as opposed to Anaheim. Yes, Edmontonians would have been able to see him play live more often were he playing in Anaheim, however at the same time it would mean that Anaheim would have yet another superstar that they didn't deserve. To say nothing of the increased odds of the words "Mighty Ducks of Anaheim" appearing on the side of the Cup. Pittsburgh at least has passable hockey pedigree. As well, I'm looking forward to a Mario-Crosby-Recchi line (though, by the time the Pens come to Edmonton two of them may be retired). Combined with Marc-Andre Fleury and the expected influx of free agents (when you can't make more elsewhere, you may as well sign to play with Mario and Crosby) the Penguins should be pretty good this year.

I am glad that hockey is back, and I like the agreement for the most part. That being said, I think a bunch of the rule changes are, well, stupid. Particularly the restriction on allowing goaltenders to play the puck and, of course, the shootout. I'm not sure who these fans are that are clamouring for shootouts, but I'm certainly not one of them. I just wish that the NHL would quit trying to suck up to people that at most will have only a passing interest in hockey at the expense of the die-hards.

And, on to football. I took a bit of a beating last week, but there were lots of results that few sane people would predict. Hopefully this week will be better.

Toronto and Montreal
Alright, we get it. The Als aren't as good as they used to be. And their vaunted defence gave up 51 points last week. I'm still picking them. This will be Montreal's first shot at Toronto since the Eastern Final last year, and they really are a different team at home. That being said, both teams should be looking to make amends for poor outings, so it should be a close game. While Toronto will have had the bye week to prepare, I'm going to go with Montreal regardless.

Ottawa and Saskatchewan
This is the hardest one to pick this week. As we saw last week, Saskatchewan is starting to feel the effects of all those injuries. Likewise, Ottawa has really improved over the course of the year, and were the first team to score more than one offensive touchdown on the Esks defence. I'd like to think that Saskatchewan is going to bounce back after what happened last week, but Ottawa really seems to be on a roll as of late. This is more a "gut" pick than anything else.

Calgary and B.C.
I think perhaps that I've let my disdain for the Stamps in general, and their overrated and overpaid quarterback in particular, influence my judgment. Calgary still has a good defence, and they have a lot of weapons on offence (I've been particularly impressed with Reynolds so far this year). As well, as we saw last week, B.C. is not as good as their record would seem to suggest. That being said, I think Calgary is going to have a bit of a letdown after last week's big win. B.C. will remain undefeated, at least for now.

Hamilton and Edmonton
Hamilton was rather unlucky not to come away with a win last week. Apparently they're also signing Khari Jones, though as I think we saw here during training camp, his best days are probably behind him. At any rate, after meltdowns by Montreal and Saskatchewan last week, I think it's fairly safe to say that Edmonton has the best defence in the league right now. As well, while the offence has been in a bit of a rut as of late, they're still doing enough to win. Hamilton will win a few games this season, but this game won't be one of them. Edmonton should win, as Joe Montford comes back to haunt his former team.

Winnipeg and Toronto
Well, this certainly puts Edmonton's poor performance against Winnipeg in a different light. The Bomber have really stepped it up on defence, and they racked up a lot of points offensively against the Als. Toronto has historically been weak against the run, so I'm expecting another big game from Charles Roberts. As well, Toronto does get stuck with the short week, which usually has meant a loss for teams in that position. That being said, I'm still not completely sold on Winnipeg. Toronto should win, but I'm a bit less confident than I should be.

Summer Festivals

So, I've had a chance to take in a few of the summer festivities that Edmonton has to offer thus far. My thoughts...

I got time off for the Klondike Days Parade. The fact that many of my classmates did not represents one of the main difference between Klondike Days and the Stampede, with the whole city getting behind the latter to a greater extent. I don't think that the theme is a problem, and I think that people that complain about the theme are just making excuses. Yes, it's easier for people to just put on cowboy hats for the Stampede, however apart from "ease of participation" I think a lot of the other arguments are red herrings. While Edmonton's connection to the Klondike may not be as strong as a summer festival theme would imply, I don't think that a "Fur Trading Days" would be any easier to dress up for. Plus, a casino wouldn't fit as well with it. So, the way I see it, Edmonton would have the option of pursuing a theme with no connection at all to the city (Pirates, Hawaiian shirts, etc.), or it could try and be a me-too Stampede with people donning cowboys hats, which has the additional negative aspect of making the city look like a wannabe. Really, I don't think people not coming out has anything to do with the theme.

Anyways, on to the parade itself, it was pretty good but could have been a couple of floats shorter. By the end of it my feet were definitely quite sore. The floats were pretty good, but there was nothing that really stood out. It was good to see that the Leduc float won two different awards, however (Best float built by volunteers, float judged best by children). The one negative thing was that an antique truck which was pulling the "Klondike Kate's Tea Party" float broke down in front of where I was standing, so they temporarily had to divert the parade around it until a tow truck could come and pull it and the float through the parade. So I missed a few floats. In terms of "people I knew on floats", I saw Cam walking beside the ATB Financial float while Former Education Councillor Jason Baxter was riding an antique ETS bus. Both gentleman saw me in the crowd and waved. Sadly, no sign of Rachel on the Dragon Boat Festival float.

The taste of Edmonton was quite good as well. The one side close to Churchill Square is a bit crowded, however. I must say that the new Churchill Square does work well for summer festivals, as those steps they put in around the edges provide for good seating.

I was also able to take in the Opening Ceremonies for the Worlds Masters Games. My sister was volunteering for the Games so I was able to use her free tickets to the ceremonies (oddly enough, I'm not volunteering). The ceremony was fairly good. Randy Bachman was a nice touch. It's also always good to get a couple of Snowbird flybys. The one thing which I found a tad irksome was when some of the athletes started the wave during one of the speeches. I'm all for enthusiasm, but I don't think that the wave should be done during someone's speech. Particularly when it's a speech by Her Majesty's Representative in Alberta. (I would say that's the greatest indignity committed to a 1950's Eskimo in Commonwealth since they booed Don Getty when they put him up on the Wall of Honour, but that's perhaps going a bit too far).

I am impressed that Edmonton's been able to handle all these events at once. I haven't heard how the turnout was for the Triathalon this year, but I assume it was decent. I'm also looking forward to the fact that Leduc is apparently the venue for a couple of Masters Games events.

Champ Car Races Sing This Song

It was good to see Edmonton turn out for the big race. That's the sort of civic pride I love about this city. I caught the race on tv (I'm not much of a car racing fan) and the atmosphere looked pretty cool. Here's hoping for a big turn out for the World Masters as well.

On to other matters sporting...

Edmonton and Ottawa
Lost in all the talk of how bad the offence played last week is the fact that the defence didn't give up an offensive touchdown. This isn't to take away from how bad the offence played, but sometimes it pays to look at the glass half full. That being said, Ottawa does concern me for a few reasons. They've certainly improved since the first week (when they were able to stay with Edmonton for a half), and have been very good at home. As well, they have some big playmakers in Murphy, Armstead, Ranek and of course Joseph. One question is how banged up the Esks continue to be, and if Ed Hervey will be in the line-up to face the team he almost signed with (though, with the way he's been playing lately it's an open question as to whether that's a good thing or not). I also haven't heard anything on the status of Davis Sanchez or Mike Bradley. Anyways, last week they did what they needed to do to win, and now is no time to be pressing the panic button. Edmonton should pull it out, but it should be reasonably close.

Montreal and Winnipeg
For all the talk of how good their defence was last week, Winnipeg still has a very bad offence. While I am in agreement with those that say that Montreal is not as good this year as they have been in the past, I think they're still good enough to beat Winnipeg. Montreal should win, mostly on the strength of defence and special teams.

B.C. and Hamilton
This is starting to look a lot like 1997, when the only wins Winnipeg and Hamilton got was when they played eachother (I think I'm exaggerating a bit, but it certainly seemed that way at the time). I'm actually starting to feel a bit sorry for Hamilton. And while I certainly still have no love for the Lions, it would be foolish to pick anything else for this game. B.C. wins to remain undefeated.

Saskatchewan and Calgary
Well, if it isn't the second most anticipated game of the year for Rider fans (the first being when Calgary comes to Regina). Saskatchewan has impressed me with their depth so far, as they've been able to keep winning in spite of having a lot of their stars out. Calgary looked quite bad against Ottawa last week, and I'm not sure things are going to get any better this week. While Burris should be up to face his former team it likely won't be enough. Saskatchewan wins, keeping pace with Edmonton and B.C. for top spot in the west.

Winning Ugly Is Still Winning

Goodness that was a bad game.

I seem to be on a bit of a two-year cycle as of late. Went to my first game in College Corner in two years. Lots of parallels with the last one (and lots of things were different). Last time, like this, it rained and it was one of those buy-a-burger-get-a-free-ticket games (in the earlier instance beacuse the borders had recently been closed). However, last time it was a blowout win. This time was a little different.

I was there with a bunch of my classmates, so it was fun times. There's definitely a lot more activity up in College Corner. Not everyday you get to see a former Engg Week judge get thrown out by security.

With regards to the game itself, there's not much to say. I'm not sure how much worse they could have played and still won. Luckily Winnipeg played worse.

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Last night I went to former ESS President Angela Thomas' farewell shindig at the Funky Buddha. I hadn't actually been there for about two years, almost exactly, when it was still a Sherlock Holmes. Coincidentally, that time it was another farewell party. I must say, the menu was rather more extensive at the time.

Ang is one of those people I've seen in a bunch of different contexts over the years (In addition to hack-ism, as an OP she presented to my groups two years in a row during Orientation, and Phil was one of Helen's High School cronies so she was also at one of Helen's birthday parties back in the day). I'm sure she'll do quite well in Japan.

At any rate, Jones and I departed early to catch Shakespeare in the Park with William McBeath and former MatE Social Coordinator Sherry. Apparently Sherry had never been to Shakespeare in the Park before. It was a fairly packed house, as we all wound up sitting on the grass for the first half. Wisely, we moved under cover after intermission, so we avoided getting hit with the rain. It was coming down sufficiently hard that they temporarily stopped the play. Luckily they resumed after a short break. I find it's always better watching Shakespeare when you're at least passably familiar with the play, as you tend to miss less. Consequently, I think I got more out of this one than the last one given that I'd read it in grade 10. I saw a couple of my classmates there during intermission as well, so that was nice.

Save A Horse, Ride A Lawboy

Well, last weekend was good times at the Stampede. We departed a tad later than anticipated, and for the second year in a row when Roman and I have hit Stampede, there were car problems. This time, the back window of the car wouldn't close, so we went the whole way there and back with it open. We stopped off at Glenn's in Red Deer, before arriving at Cam's around 11:00 or so. Cam had a pretty cool basement, and an awesome cable package, which included ESPN Classic Canada, the NHL Network, and Fox Sports World. Basically much of the weekend consisted of drinking beer and watching sports highlights (notably including game 7 of the 1997 Oilers-Stars series) and Family Guy episodes. Particularly enjoyable was watching the second Test between the All Blacks and the Lions from Wellington. Great match. It's perhaps a bit too early to tell, but methinks that Dan Carter's performance may prove to be the same sort of coming out party that another All Black had 10 years ago in a certain World Cup Semi-Final.

When we finally got around to hitting the Stampede, we hit the casino for a bit where we observed Roman playing roulette. I did a voiceover for a lacrosse highlight package at the Sportsnet booth, and they let me keep the tape. It was sort of tough syncronising the action on screen with the script they have for you, so there wasn't a lot of emotional expression that went into the call. We were going to meet my friend Clarissa and some of her friends in Nashville North, but the line was just too long already so instead we hit up a different beer garden. There, we proved our cool-ness by discussing whether the smoking bylaw in Edmonton would also apply to beer gardens or not (as I found out on the news after we got back, apparently it does).

After more walking around and a roller coaster ride, we headed to BP's for dinner and a team pitcher. We had initially intended to go out after, but that sort of fizzled. We did meet up with Julia there, though, and she gave us a ride back to Cam's.

The ride home was fairly uneventful, apart from the construction on the bridge by Leduc. All in all a good weekend.

So Much To Say, Here's Football

Lots of stuff to talk about, but it will have to wait until I have more time. For now, it's good to have hockey back. Here's this week's football picks.

Edmonton and Winnipeg
Winnipeg may well be the worst team in the league. Couple that with the fact that the Eskimos probably should have won last week, and almost did in spite of playing rather poorly, and this should be a blowout. While I am a tad worried about facing Keith Stokes on special teams, I'm confident that those problems have since been ironed out. Edmonton will win this one, and it shouldn't be close.

Toronto and B.C.
While I'm well aware of what happened last time these teams played, I'm going to go with my previous pick here. Toronto almost beat them last time, and probably would have but for a few dropped balls. That being said, by all accounts the Argos should have lost last week. Nevertheless, I'm going to go with Toronto.

Calgary and Ottawa
After the first week, Ottawa's actually looked o.k. They beat Montreal and were reasonably close to B.C. Calgary is coming off a win, but that was against Winnipeg. I'm going to gamble and go with Ottawa for this one.

Hamilton and Saskatchewan
The third repeat match-up this week, the CFL really needs to do something about it's scheduling. With the season this young we shouldn't be seeing so many repeats already. Saskatchewan is yet another team that probably should have won last week. While not as bad as Winnipeg, Hamilton hasn't looked particularly good so far this season. Saskatchewan won last time, I don't see anything that would make the result different this time.

Hand On The Glock

Jones, Roman and I decided to celebrate the 4th of July by getting our collective blast on. We all got turns on a 357, a 44 revolver, a 9 mm at the shooting gallery at the Mall. I was the first with the 9, so when the guy asked me which one I'd like to shoot I naturally opted for the Glock. I'd never actually shot a gun before, so it was quite an experience. They're quite loud. And it's kind of hard getting the bullets into the clip as well. And your hands get a little dirty after the fact. All in all, it was an interesting experience. The kick on the 44 wasn't that bad either. Next time, we'll have to go for the Desert Eagle.

Not sure how much time I'll have this week, so here are the football picks.

Winnipeg and Calgary
It really pains me to do this, but Winnipeg is really not very good this year. I anticipate Hank to make the same stupid mistakes as last week, and I think Tee Martin will be better this week. That being said, I can't see the Bombers winning this one. Calgary it is. I hope I'm wrong.

Edmonton and Montreal
Every year it's the same thing. Being a realist, I pick Montreal to win, Gary makes fun of me for lacking faith, and then to spite me the Esks win anyways. Well, not this time. Their fold job last week against the Renegades is evidence that the Als are vulnerable, and Edmonton's defence has only given up one offensive touchdown in each game. While I am a tad concerned about the injuries on the offensive line and what it means for facing the Montreal pass rush, I'm confident that I can predict an Edmonton victory.

Ottawa and B.C.
Ottawa got their miracle for the year last week. An Ottawa team hasn't beaten B.C. since they were the Rough Riders. Factor in the time zone change onto the coast, and this one should be a bit of a romp for B.C. That being said, I'm not going to predict a blowout, though I think that B.C. should still come out on top.

Saskatchewan and Toronto
You know, I was going to pick the Argos for this one. But then I just finished watching an interview with Prefontaine and I've changed my mind. This looks to me like a team in turmoil. And while the Roughriders didn't put away Hamilton as decisively as they should have last week, they've looked good in all three phases so far this year. Besides, Damon Allen is due for a bad game. Saskatchewan should win.

Let this also serve as warning to my Calgary readers that I'll be hitting up your city for Stampede this coming weekend, along with some of my classmates. Apparently Shakespeare in the Park has been moved due to flooding this year, so it can't be a complete repeat of last year, but it should be a fun weekend nonetheless.