I keep attempting to catch up with the inbox and try to write about my most recent trip but I keep running in place!
Pluto's "heart" (now named Sputnik Planitia) was most likely caused by a giant impact but the interesting unanswered question is this- Could the item that slammed into Pluto still be on the planet covered under its nitrogen ice?
Washingtonian writes of the closing of the Crystal City Underground mall which will occur in October.
Dubbed the DC Area's strangest mall since its opening in 1976, Crystal City is literally underground (technically street level) in Arlington, Virginia, and catered to office workers and commuters going through Crystal City to get somewhere elsewhere.
The Athletic writes about the conditions at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium which were anything but pristine.
The article discusses the paper-thin clubhouse walls that fans could see the players through, the tiny clubhouse that wasn't capable of holding the entire team after September callups, the awful post-game food spread, and the only batting cage in the entire facility.
Three Down Nation notes that CTV (Canadian Television) will return to televising the CFL later in the season (the CFL season has currently started) on Saturdays along with playoff action.
CTV is the largest Canadian network and last televised the Canadian Football League in 1986 when it shared the league's television rights with CBC.
KETV writes of the discovery of a pet donkey, who had been missing for five years in California, has been discovered by a video taken by a hunter in the area.
Diesel ran away from his owners near Sacramento in 2019 and hadn't been seen since until spotted on a video but the catch?
It appears Diesel is the leader of a pack of elk, which is a surprise to me until you discover that donkeys often protect livestock and it would make sense that a wild donkey could fill the role of protector with a pack of any animal.
Fox Business wraps this edition with word of Build-A-Bear and their recent offering of West Virginia's Mothman having sold out almost instantly and is currently unavailable.
The inbox has been bulging with so much to take care of, so hopefully, we are making strides in getting close to normal as football season nears its start.
I've written before about why team handball hasn't become bigger in the United States (2012 with the pictured Pernille Larsen dominating the game I watched) and while the topic of team handball usually comes out around Olympic time, I do enjoy watching the occasional game from Europe when the Olympic Channel carries them on occasion.
Yahoo writes of why the sport isn't bigger here, why the assumption of American dominance should the best athletes begin to play, might be not quite as accurate as we think, and how the system that makes small European countries perform very well isn't all that different than the system that creates athletes in other sports in the USA.
The Smithsonian Magazine writes of a recent NOAA expedition to the Atlantic Ocean in the north and their remote-controlled robot on the ocean floor discovered this picture of a real-life Spongebob Squarepants and his friend Patrick Star.
The occurrence was unusual because sponges in the deep sea are usually orange or white to blend in better in the environment rather than Spongebob's yellow coloring.
It was also unusual as starfish are known to eat sponges as part of their carnivore diet.
The Toronto Star writes of the long-term future of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts.
The article discussed the Argonauts' options for the future and the problems of a league often struggling to make ends meet that missed an entire season.
The CFL is big business in the prairie provinces (Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Edmonton, and Calgary) and struggling its three biggest cities (Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver) but is unusual as in the area of potential revenue sharing as it would be their smaller markets subsidizing larger ones which is the opposite of the problems in Major League Baseball.
MSN writes of a problem in lakes and ponds as people toss unwanted goldfish into those bodies of water.
Without predators, the non-mative fish are beginning to take over these areas and bulk up in sizes as big as a football!
The Goldfish certainly qualifies as an invasive species as it can eliminate native fish, mess with the quality of the water (as anyone that has ever cleaned an aquarium can tell you), live to be 25 years of age, and live in water that has frozen over!
SkyatNight Magazine brings us an article on the work being done of restoring many pictures of the Earth and Moon that were taken during the Apollo program.
It's amazing the amount of material from the Apollo program that is in the public domain, yet few seem to know about and even fewer are accessing to use or restore.
We wrap with Vice's article on the eccentric Bradley Koda, the owner/operator of Best Electronics, who appears to have the largest number of remaining parts for Atari computer/video game consoles dating back to the 80s.
These parts are pretty much what is available to fix Atari machines for their devotees so part of looking for obscure things will be dealing with the person that possesses these items and the fact that they hold all the power in the transaction.
The article deals with the Atari crash and the rare parts but also of the perils of dealing with Koda and how you can easily find yourself on his list of undesirables- a list that seems impossible to be removed from.
The sports inbox cleaning concludes with a few notes from outside the baseball world.
The recent documentary on Michael Jordan was one that I had no problems skipping because I had seen that film before.
Mainly because it almost always ended with Jordan leading North Carolina over Maryland, the Bulls getting by the Cavaliers and I didn't need to see those endings again.
However, one episode covered Jordan's "Shot" that began his dominance over Cleveland and placed the Cavaliers firmly in a group of teams that could have been great but were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ron Harper claimed that he told Cavaliers coach Lenny Wilkens that he would "take" Jordan defensively on the inbounds pass that led to Jordan's shot over Craig Ehlo for the Bulls win, but Wilkens refused Harper's request and placed Ehlo in the defensive position.
Sports Illustrated writes of what Really may have doomed those Cavaliers against those Bulls as SI discusses the story behind Cleveland's trade of Harper to the Clippers for Danny Ferry.
Most of this story has been written in a book that is over twenty-five years old now, but it is essential history to getting to know the Cavaliers of the 70s and 80s.
Cavs from Fitch to Fratello by Joe Menzer and Burt Graeff isn't available on Kindle, but for a Cavalier fan, it is a must for your library.
As for the poster, I had this at one time and I am not sure if it is still around somewhere or not.
The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix writes about the CFL simulation board game "Sports Action" and the cult following that the game continues to have with players even today.
The article talks to Terry Appleby, the creator of the game that sold the game out of his home from 1974-89 before selling his game to another company, who promptly shuttered the game thereafter to eliminate a competitor as well as a man named "Garth" who provides downloads of ratings for players from every season since to keep the game up to date.
The Athletic writes of the one-season record holder in passing yards in B.J. Symons of Texas Tech, who threw for 5,833 yards in 2003 for the Red Raiders.
Symons, who played in 13 games that season, held off Joe Burrow's run last season to keep the passing record, although Burrow did take Symons' total offense record in his 15 game season.
As a Tech fan, I saw many of those games and Symons was the first to prove that in the Mike Leach system that a quarterback with a quick release can thrive as Symons had sat behind Kliff Kingsbury for three seasons in Lubbock before getting his chance to play.
Symons injured his knee midway through the season, which cost him his mobility against the rush and a small drop in his play before finishing tenth in Heisman voting.
Symons would be drafted in the seventh round by Houston and played one year for the Texans before bouncing around various minor leagues.
I am going to add one goodbye to this post as it's the one person that really doesn't fit into the subjects of the two tribute posts in the words as Pepper Rodgers passed away at the age of 88.
The colorful and media-savvy Rodgers was a fun coach to watch and listen, but you wonder how good he was as a coach in college stops at Kansas, UCLA, and Georgia Tech, Rodgers compiled a record of 73-65-3 with only two bowl teams.
To be fair, two of his three UCLA teams would have been bowl teams had the archaic Pac 8 (at the time) rule of only the champion could make the postseason, but still not an outstanding record by any means.
Pepper was much better known to me as the coach of the two seasons of the Memphis Showboats in the USFL and the one year tenure of the Memphis Mad Dogs in the CFL.
Rodgers took the Showboats to an 11-7 record in their second year, won a playoff game over the Denver Gold before losing in Oakland in the league semi-finals.
Rodgers might have been a better personnel man than a coach as many of the Showboat players would move onto NFL careers after the two-year life of the Showboats, including players such as Reggie White and Tim Spencer among others.
Rodgers also was the coach/personnel man that discovered Joe Horn with the CFL Mad Dogs before Horn would become a star with the Chiefs and Saints.
I was fortunate enough to be asked to appear with my old friend Joe Pritchard on the Rouge White and Blue podcast where I talked CFL, my background as well as some television talk, USFL and a little more.
If you listen, give them a review and tell them Thoughts Of RS sent you.
The cleaning of the inbox continues with a few notable articles to peruse at your leisure.
Bruce Markusen's Card Corner for the Baseball Hall of Fame starts out with a reference that I should have seen, never have previously, made me howl with laughter and will now never leave me with his comparison of the Phillies slugging outfielder Johnny Callison with the actor Edward Winter- best known to fans of MASH as Colonel Flagg!
Markusen's article made me laugh with the remembrance of some of the best lines of Winter/Flagg. "The Wind just broke his leg" along with the career of Callison, who had the Phillies not blown the pennant in 1964, would have been the likely National League MVP.
SABR is in the middle of an extensive series that looks at ownership history for each team and it is tremendously interesting to read about the attendance and the triumphs and failings of the various teams through the years.
The series has just started, but the Indians and Giants have already been posted.
ESPN writes about one of my favorites in Dale Murphy in a long article.
Dale Murphy seems to be one of the rare people in public life that seems to be exactly as his image portrays and the article also looks at the generation that grew up watching him on WTBS.
Author Wright Thompson has written several terrific articles for the Worldwide Leader.
The Altoona Mirror writes about the history of the team's theme song "Everybody Loves Curve Baseball".
Played every time the Curve scores a run as well as other times during the game, the song is sung by a Slovakian group and the words are written to the music of a Slovakian hit.
I'm not sure that you can go to a Curve game and not hear or remember - Everybody Loves Curve Baseball.
In the Canadian Football League, a huge rivalry was once played for a trophy that now isn't awarded at all.
The Harold Ballard trophy was awarded to the winner of the season series between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts and it was named after the unpopular owner (who named it after himself) of the Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That seems awkward to start with- an owner that owns a team in each city that generally doesn't care for each other with Toronto looking down on Hamilton's working-class status, Hamilton disliking Toronto's metropolitan status along with never forgiving the Leafs for always (along with the Buffalo Sabres) foiling Hamilton's perpetual efforts to bring an NHL team to their town.
Add to that the bombastic and cheap owner, it was almost as if Canada had their own "Mr.McMahon" 30 years before the heel owner existed.
Last Saturday's football game between Texas Tech and Houston left me a little conflicted as the former SWC rivals played in a non-conference game in Lubbock.
While I've been a Red Raider fans since I was a child, I actually watch more Cougars games now with scheduling.
I did watch as a reasonably passive observer, the SWC Roundup did an excellent job at looking back at the series between the schools and their game history.
I would have liked a look at their 1976 game in which both teams entered the game in the top ten in the nation and Houston's 27-19 win would be the tiebreaker in deciding which team would represent the SWC as champion in Dallas for the Cotton Bowl against undefeated Maryland.
Houston would defeat Maryland in that game 30-21.
We wrap with Philadelphia Magazine's ode to Mayonnaise and why it says millennials have killed that condiment.
I sure would not report its demise, but then again I'm not of that age bracket either!
I won't be stopping my use of it, that is a promise that I can easily keep!
I've been listening to a CFL podcast of late and was able to reconnect with an old friend, Joe Pritchard, who is one of the hosts of the podcast.
Joe and his fellow hosts have reignited my CFL interest and I'm having to re-learn the league's rosters again, but I'm having fun doing just that.
I was a pretty big CFL fan in the early 80's when we first had cable available and ESPN showed a lot of CFL games.
Somewhere in the archives, I still have a booklet that ESPN sent out upon request that explained the rules and a little history on each team.
During that period, I mainly rooted for the Ottawa Rough Riders, even though they were terrible because they had J.C. Watts as their quarterback (remember my Oklahoma fandom in the Barry Switzer days?) ,but I also rooted for a team in the same division as well- the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and when Watts retired, I rooted more for the Ti-Cats.
I've always spoken well of the league to others and tried to make a few fans by recommending its high-octane and fast-paced game.
ESPN gave up the CFL rights in the US and the rights through the years shuffled between several networks and currently is back with ESPN, who streams a lot of the games and shows a fair amount on the "over the air" stations until the fall and the college season begins,but my peak CFL interest was the middle 90's and early 2000's with this thing called the internet and a device long forgotten-WebTV.
WebTV was our first entry on the WWW and one of the neat things was discovering Usenet, which was a message board on about every topic you could dream of including the CFL and hosted chat rooms on tons of topics as well.
Those chat rooms most notably here are remembered by the lovely Cherie meeting what turned out to be her best friend, Christine in a homeschooling chat room in what Cherie says was the ONLY time she ever entered a chat room!
I didn't use the chat often, but I did spend lots of time on Usenet discussing the CFL and actually listening to the audio of live CFL games.
This was after the Baltimore franchise had moved to Montreal to become the "new" Alouettes after the CFL's American expansion, I had watched a lot of those games and was very knowledgeable about the league and wanted to "talk" with other fans.
I was arguably more of a CFL fan than an NFL fan then as Baltimore had stolen the Browns and then had no further use for their CFL Stallions and passionately rooted for the Tiger-Cats.
I was a Doug Flutie fan as almost everyone was, but I liked other passers as well such as Damon Allen, Tracy Ham and my favorite of all- Matt Dunigan.
I was happy when Dunigan joined Hamilton following his season with the defunct Birmingham Barracudas, but alas Dunigan would play just a few games with the Ti-Cats with his career ending due to concussion issues and just one football card in a Hamilton uniform,
Dunigan was a quarterback before his time with a strong arm, but at 5'11, Dunigan didn't even have an NFL opportunity.
Had he played today, he would have at least been drafted and given a chance and he might have been an NFL starter in today's game.
Hamilton became even more fun to follow in 1998 and 1999 under new head coach Ron Lancaster as they split a pair of Grey Cups with Calgary.
CFL veteran Danny McManus manned the quarterback position with hard running back Ronald Williams combining with receivers Darren Flutie and Mike Morreale to pace a strong offense, but the defense was the best part for me with rush end (basically the CFL's version of a 3-4 outside linebacker that rushes the passer) Joe Montford along with CFL veteran linebackers Calvin Tiggle and Lamar McGriggs with a punishing hitter in Canadian safety Rob Hitchcock to lead the defense to two Eastern titles.
Somewhere in the archives, I have an official 2000 Grey Cup Football from those teams and I should dig it out sometime.
The CFL football is a little different than the NFL ball, a little thicker around the middle makes it a stubbier looking ball that you really cannot tell unless it is side by side with another football.
Another Ti-Cat that I liked was electric wideout Earl Winfield, who I remembered at first from his college days at North Carolina and even though Winfield wasn't part of the Grey Cup title teams (Winfield retired a few years before), he still was my favorite player from the era of the 80's.
Winfield was one of those players that you didn't want to take your eyes off because when he touched the football, he had the potential to take it to the (larger) end zone.
I was able to meet Earl (Now a CFL Hall of Famer) a few years back when Winfield and I appeared on a local radio show and what a class gentleman he is!
I took a picture with Earl, had him sign some cards and a Hamilton mini helmet and it ranked right up at the top with the famous people that I've been able to meet.
The Tiger-Cats have a new stadium now and I still haven't kicked the habit of calling their home Ivor Wynne (the name of the old park), so it'll be a little different as I start to watch more CFL, but there will be quite a few players that I'll be familiar with and it won't take me long to get back to speed.
There is one more thing that I love about the CFL and that is the better than average chance of getting some snow football during the postseason.
And with only one of the league nine facilities being indoors after Toronto's recent return to the great outdoors, even the championship game has a reasonable chance of inclement weather.
I remember quite a few snow classics during my years watching the CFL.
1993's Western Final with Edmonton upsetting Doug Flutie and Calgary, 1994 with BC on a miracle run to the championship (BC won two road games and then the Grey Cup over the top three teams in the league by a total of five points) in pulling a massive upset again over Calgary and Flutie with a touchdown on the last play of the game that ranks as the best CFL game I've ever watched and 1996's Grey Cup at Ivor Wynne with Flutie and Toronto holding off Edmonton in the snow daddy of them all for me, to just name a few.
Snow football is just so much fun to watch and the CFL allows you to see many battles in the white stuff!
Hope you enjoyed some of my CFL memories, I have a CFL Forgotten Superstars entry planned in the future and maybe even something else perhaps as well, if time permits.
Back later with game two of the Cavaliers and the Warriors-hopefully some real referees show up for this one!
I have tons (and I mean TONS) of stuff building up inside the inbox and I was going to dump some of that today.
That was before the Browns announced the release of the only veteran wide receiver looked to be safe entering training camp as former Dolphin (and Buckeye) Brian Hartline was given his release.
Hartline broke his collarbone late last season after catching 46 passes for 523 yards,which was decent production,but not tremendous numbers.
The release comes right after mini-camp and the Browns drafting four wideouts to the roster.
I'm mildly surprised only by the timing.
Hartline would have been a veteran pass catcher that might been useful with rookies,but the writing was on the wall for the future and the money savings was likely a factor.
The main thing that I take issue with was once again,the Browns waited far too long to release a veteran player and as a result hindered his chances of finding another team.
After the Donte Whitner waiving,I would have thought that the Browns might have learned a lesson in how to handle players-Apparently that lesson hasn't take hold yet....
Another Browns note from the inbox as the Browns made an unusual move in their search to challenge incumbent kicker Travis Coons.
I wrote a while back about the signing of Maryland kicker Brad Craddock as that challenger,but after camp,the Browns released Craddock and claimed another rookie undrafted free agent in TCU's Jaden Oberkrom off the wire from Jacksonville.
Oberkrom must have been really impressed with Cleveland,the Browns or pro football in general as he promptly retired and left the Browns still looking for another kicking contender...
We are still loaded with inbox notes,so I'm going to slide a few in here!
From the feel good department,Donnell Alexander,the son of former Chief Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas,went undrafted and was given a tryout by his dad's team.
The former Akron Zip runner was invited by the team and the odds are against him,I have no word on whether he was given an invitation to the full camp or not....
The Canadian Football League has left Nike and went with Adidas as its apparel source and announced their uniform changes.
Some I like as Winnipeg went back to its classic royal blue,some was meh as Hamilton went all black (I like black jerseys,yellow pants),some stayed the same and some revamped helmets that were pretty bad (British Columbia)....
Howie Rose,the long time voice of the Mets and Islanders has trimmed his responsibilities down to one as Rose will not be returning to the Islanders next year.
Rose has always been one of my favorite hockey announcers and back in the days before Rachel cared about hockey,I would watch the Devils games on occasion on the opponents networks,if the announcers were of quality.
The Islanders were one of those teams.
Rose will still remain in his role as the TV voice of the Mets.
We wrap up with an article from SABR on Santo Alcala,who went 11-4 in 1976 with the World Champion Reds as a rookie and would win just three more games in his career afterward.
Guys like Alcala were a big deal to stat hungry kids like me in the 70's because you had to dig his information out from obscure sources and he was one of many "common" players that their names are memorable to me from this day from the "wonder years" of baseball that everyone has from childhood.
The inbox is more than full,so it's overdue for dumping.
We blast out of the gate with a cool post from TSN (the ESPN of Canada) with BarDown and the cartoons that he does based on each of the CFL teams.
These are awesome and I wish that they'd get more exposure along with the CFL getting "BarDown" a few bucks to use these officially.
They remind me of the stuff used in the 60's and 70's and that's a good thing...
SI.com writes about the forgotten dynasty of the USFL-the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars,who won two of the leagues three titles and lost the first by just 24-22 to the Michigan Panthers.
Considering the issues of the time in Baltimore,one unknown question in football history is this-had the USFL forced a better result in their court battle vs the NFL and if the Stars had pulled out that first title,would it be possible that the Stars could have entered the NFL in Baltimore?
If that happens,there is not a Browns move to Baltimore and all the resulting spinoff that happened from that.
Fun to consider.
Nigel Collins of ESPN (and a long time boxing scribe) scribbles about the only fight in the United States by Middleweight champion Carlos Monzon in 1975 vs Tony Licata.
Most observers rank Monzon as one of the top five middleweights and one in particular ranks him at number one.
Here's a hint-you read his writings all the time.
Ryan Clingman of the Wrestling Observer writes of the 25th anniversary of one of the greatest wrestling matches ever,which led to the greatest run of business in Japanese history with Mitsuharu Misawa breaking through with an upset of Jumbo Tsuruta.
It's a very detailed article that praises both men for the upturn in the business of All Japan Pro Wrestling and traces to both men's connection to the beginning of Pro Wrestling NOAH....
Hardball Times hits one back through the grill with a look at minor league food at various ballparks.
It's funny,I almost never eat food at my home three parks,but when I go to new parks,I usually try a thing or two.
None of the parks that I visit a lot tries anything different for the most part,so I try for new experiences....
The Cleveland Plain Dealer takes an interesting look at some of the various players that the Cavaliers could be interested in with the Brendan Haywood trade chip before August 1 when it would expire.
The players and positions vary,but gives plenty of food for thought for possible new Cavaliers..
The New York Times writes about the trip to Pluto and the resulting end of planetary exploration.
It's not as much about New Horizons as much as the various probes sent out through the years and hopes of finding even just a speck of life on the trail....
That cleans things out for a while.
One quick note before I go,I haven't forgotten about the podcast.
It is just that I have had a planned guest have to back out twice in the last few days.
There is one coming soon-I promise!!!
The inbox isn't overflowing,but on a slow day (unless I want to comment on the 1,000 different rumored variations on Kevin Love coming to Cleveland),I figured I could keep things cleaned up.
These things tend to ebb and flow,so a clearing things out works for me....
The biggest news for me is that ESPN and the Canadian Football League have reached a multi-year agreement to televise games in the United States.
ESPN first exposed me to the CFL in the early 80's and the game has been important to me ever since.
Different networks have televised the league through the years and usually it covers lots of the early season games before the college year begins and then dwindles off.
ESPN will do things a bit differently with having ESPN3 online and although my Fred Flintstone speed internet likely won't be able to handle it,it's still a good move.
I was able to watch the Tiger-Cats and Stampeders last night from Calgary and despite a surprisingly dull game (a 10-7 Calgary win),I always enjoy the games.
The Grey Cup along with the Eastern and Western Finals will be televised and although I hope to see the Eastern and Western semis get a U.S. TV home-that is a really good start for a fun game to expose the northern style...
I've written often about my fondness for Strat O Matic baseball and here is a article from an author that credits Ryne Sandberg for winning a bet with his dad for the cash to pay for the most recent SOM season!
Sandberg's Saturday game of the week heroics is remembered by most fans of the Cubs that were alive then and that game is occasionally shown on MLB network.
I'm always a sucker for SOM stories especially from the time that I was living at home because I can really relate to the time and importance of the game.
A very poignant story on the struggles of the aging Y.A. Tittle as he struggles with dementia later in life.
The Hall of Famer is 87 now and the problems with anyone of the age is quite apparent as the author Seth Wickersham follows Tittle and his daughter through a trip home to Texas.
As someone that has recently had to deal with such a diagnosis,the article hit home with how these things not only affect the person but their surroundings as well.
I highly recommend the read.
We wrap up with an article by my favorite ESPN baseball author Christina Kahrl on Julio Teheran and his blossoming as the ace of the Atlanta rotation.
I've been a Teheran fan since seeing his low A debut against the Suns and quickly added him to my minor system in the next fantasy draft.
My best Teheran story though came off the field as I was still learning the ropes of graphing and watched in the parking lot as Julio signed what seemed to be 100 cards one day in Hagerstown.
Teheran had just one card and slowly signed Julio Teheran with every letter being clear (That changed as now Teheran is reported to sign JT) on every card and without a reply.
I assume that was due to a language issue,but I remember that quite vividly.
That's one reason that I give latin players somewhat of a pass on signing at the lower levels because often times,they simply struggle to communicate well due to being new to the English language.
I might be in the same boat in other countries....
We return to clean out the filling up inbox with a few notes and news!
The Houston Astrodome recently had a "yard sale" selling all sorts of stuff from the "eighth wonder of the world"which was the first domed stadium that opened in 1965.
The Astrodome looks headed for demolition after Houston voters defeated a plan to renovate the old girl,but before the vote,the sale was held with seats,turf,lockers etc available for sale.
Why do I never hear about these types of things until it's too late?
I would love to install in my sports room,seats from Cleveland Municipal Stadium,Three Rivers Stadium,Richfield Coliseum and yes,the Astrodome....
My beloved Aunt Becky sends word of the opening of the new Westbound Inner Belt Bridge in Cleveland.
We have written here in the past about the decrepit state of the two inner belt bridges to the point that Becky refuses to drive on them!
With the West bridge completed,work will now commence on the new Eastbound bridge after the old one is demolished.
The West will hold two way traffic until the Eastern is completed in 2016...
More Grantland as an Atlanta lifer discusses his pain on the Braves leaving Atlanta for the suburbs of Cobb County GA.
It's an article filled with pain from a team leaving town,even if it is just 20 miles or so.
It could be worse,you could lose them to Fredericksburg VA. Sniffle.
Congrats to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for their upset win in the CFL Eastern Final on Sunday over the hated Toronto Argonauts in Toronto!
The win boots the Cats to the Grey Cup against Saskatchewan Sunday and rest assured I'll be on the couch watching and rooting for the Tabbies!
Before the game,the Canadian press was filled with articles on the heated Hamilton-Toronto rivalry.
The Toronto Globe and Mail's take is here,the Toronto Sun looks at it here and the Hamilton Spectator glances from the Eastern Ontario side.
I am considering coverage of the Grey Cup since I will be able to watch it live!
This Thanksgiving is a rarity as Thanksgiving and Hanukkah crossover on the same date for the first time since 1888 and for the last time until 79,811.Thats right 79,811.
It is because the 28th is the earliest that Hanukkah can start and the latest that Thanksgiving can be held.
The Baltimore Sun takes a look at all the possibilities here.
Battlin' Bob sends me word that the Cleveland Browns have found their 1946 All American Football Conference trophy in a garage in North Carolina.
The trophy was with a former minority owners grandson and discovered on a TV show named "Garage Gold".
Great to have this piece of Browns history where it belongs!
We wrap up with my friend Tricia sending me a link from NPR about the work being done to make sports video games commentary better and better.
I remember those robotic early SEGA Genesis games and their basic commentary and they have come a long way!
I still shudder remembering the first play by play game-Joe Montana's football for SEGA, "Back to pass,better hurry".
It was delivered far duller than it reads!
Ah,the inbox is now clear for a while.Thanks to all who sent links and remember full credit for anything I use.
Photo Credits;
Astrodome and CFL:Unknown
Trophy:Cleveland Browns
