After it was announced that the Buffallo Bills were going to play a 2008 preseason game and a 2009 regular season game in Toronto, CFL headquarters went into Chicken Little mode, warning anyone that would listen that the NFL in Toronto would spell immediate doom for the league. For years, fans of the CFL, and the media that covers it, have told me at nauseum about the vast popularity of the league outside of Toronto; and it’s superioriority over the NFL product. So why all the panic? When Bills owner Ralph Wilson eventually passes on, there is still no guarantee that Toronto is going to get the team. Even if they do, if the CFL is such a magnificent game, surely it will survive the loss of a few corporate Toronto dollars and get by on it’s merit over the “inferior” NFL. Fear not CFL fans; people in Calgary, Regina, and Vancouver could care less if Toronto gets an NFL franchise. The CFL has lived through many crises in it’s time, and it will live through this one too.
Leafs Power Play Not So Powerful
Posted on October 10, 2007 – 9:09 am
Four games does not make a season. But early on in the campaign there is an alarming trend that must have even the most fervent members of the Leafs nation concerned. In a time when power plays are handed out like candy on Halloween, the Leafs are not scoring on their opportunities. The Leafs were pasted last night 7-1 by a balanced Hurricanes team that was driven by four goals while being a man up. Conversly, the Buds scored only their second power play goal of the season en route to losing their third of four games. It is crucial for teams that are not as offensively gifted to capatilize when they have their opponents short-handed. The Leafs fit this mold. After just four games this is certainly not an epitaph, but a slow start last season contributed to the Leafs missing the playoffs. So, with eight of their first ten games at home, wins are imperative. Power play goals would go a long way to assist in getting those wins.
Baseball Needs Instant Replay
Posted on October 2, 2007 – 11:03 am
For those who missed the 13 inning, one game playoff to decide the National League wildcard Monday night, my sympathies. It was a wild one. It showed why playoff baseball is such a spectacle. The Padres and Rockies battled it out for 4 hours and 40 minutes until Rockies slugger Matt Holliday dramatically slid home for the winning run. Or did he? The replay showed that Padres catcher Marty Barrett blocked off the plate and Holliday missed touching home. In this technology-driven era, the time has come for instant replay in baseball. This may sound like sacrilege to some, but there have been many changes in baseball over the years. The designated hitter, free agency, and night games, to name a few, have all been a part of the evolution of the sport. After 162 games, these great athletes and their fans deserve more than a playoff game ending on a missed call.
Romo Looking For Big Payday
Posted on October 1, 2007 – 8:19 am
The Dallas Cowboys ripped the hapless Rams on Sunday and once again quarterback Tony Romo was front and centre. Romo is quickly proving himself to be a top level player. Now in his second season as a starter, he is putting up Pro Bowl type numbers. He is also demanding the kind of money that matches those numbers. Reports circling around the league has Romo, who is a free agent at the end of the season, asking for 34.5 million in guaranteed money via his agent, Tom Condon. Although it sounds outrageous, consider that the Raiders first overall draft pick JeMarcus Russell received 32 million in guaranteed money before taking one NFL snap. That’s more guaranteed than Peyton Manning got in his deal. With rookies making this kind of money, it makes it hard for NFL capologists to find the bucks to spend on the players that have proven themselves as pros. The league needs to cap rookie spending and redistribute that money to the veteran players who have earned it. As for the Cowboys, signing Romo should be their first priority—just ask the Bears and Falcons what it’s like not having a competent quarterback.
Bears Finally Bench Grossman
Posted on September 26, 2007 – 9:42 am
The Chicago Bears have decided to bench their much maligned quarterback Rex Grossman. For most Bear fans, this has been a long time coming—since last season’s Super Bowl to be exact, where his two interceptions cost the Bears any chance of victory. His atrocious play this season, combined with a 1-2 start and numerous injuries on defense has forced head coach Lovie Smith’s hand. Replacing Grossman will be 10-year veteran Brian Griese. While no one in the Bears Nation is expecting Griese to be the team’s saviour, they are hoping for a little stability. As for Grossman, with no contract for next season, it’s unknown whether the Bears will trade (not that anyone would want him) or release him immediatley. Either way, the only thing that will keep Grossman in Chicago next season will be a job at Taco Bell.
Hero or Villian? Bonds’ Numbers are Staggering
Posted on September 24, 2007 – 9:03 am
It was recently announced that the San Fransisco Giants are severing ties with slugger Barry Bonds. During his 15 seasons with the Giants, Bonds hit 586 home runs and won 5 MVPs. He also became one of the most vilified athletes in the history of sport. Bonds has been front and centre in the steroid scandal that has dogged baseball for the past few years. Many believe he used steroids to transform himself into the hulking player we now know. This, despite having never testing positive for steroid use. Steroids aside, his relationship with the media has forged his image more than any other factor. The sports media has painted a not so pretty picture of Bonds; one that a countless number of fans have attached themselves to: Believing anything they hear about the man they love to hate. With Bonds doing very little to change this surly portrait, he will always remain a polarizing figure. Whether his image is based on fact or fiction, his astonishing numbers cannot be denied.
Not all Leafs change colour in the fall
Posted on September 21, 2007 – 9:41 am
As we get set to embark on yet another NHL season, Toronto Maple Leaf fans are once again brimming with hope. Leaf management is putting on their annual confident front. GM John Ferguson Jr. and coach Paul Maurice are saying all the right things to Toronto’s compliant media. Leafs ownership? Now that’s another story. When your owned by a pension fund, money means more than wins. Last year, Forbes magazine reported the Leafs league leading profit was in the $42 million range. The Rangers were a distant runner-up at $19 million. With numbers like that who needs a Cup? Especially armed with the knowledge that no matter how bad their product is, their building is full and their television ratings are high. As Leaf fans dream in Lord Stanley silver, Leaf owners dream only in green.
Parity vs Mediocrity
Posted on September 19, 2007 – 10:09 am
Parity is defined as: equality, as in amount, status, or character. It’s a word the NFL and its fans trumpet from the rooftops when describing how great the salary cap has made their league. There is, however, another word one could use: mediocrity. Last season, 20 out of the 32 teams finished with 8 wins or less. The Chicago Bears won the woeful NFC despite having one of the worst quarterbacks in recent memory. Early this season, more games seem to have been won or lost as a result of miscues rather than great plays. Take New England and Indianapolis out of the equation, and you end up with a big pile of average. Now, I’m not saying that instead of watching this Sunday’s games, I’ll be heading on an antiquing adventure with my wife. I just think the league should be more concerned with their onfield product. I guess if the betting line is in the paper along side the league injury report, that’s all that really matters.
Dog-Tired about Vick
Posted on August 24, 2007 – 10:27 pm
As the NFL season grows ever closer, we at thedizzy.ca have been pondering the Michael Vick controversy. As horrible as the charges aganist him are, the hypocrisy of the league is almost as bad. On the NFL website, you are no longer allowed to purchase a Vick jersey. However, you will have no trouble buying a Panthers’ Ray Carruth jersey. For those who have forgotten, Carruth was convicted of having his pregnant girlfriend murdered. Now, I know dog fighting is deplorable, but come on. By the way, you can also buy the jersey of a particular former Buffalo Bills running back who had a scrape with the law a few years back.
Another problem we have is with the gambling allegations. The league seems to be so horrified that one of its players was involved in non-football gambling. Someone should remind commissioner Roger Goodell that his league’s success is directly related to gambling. Betting lines and injury reports have become as important as the actual games. Hopefully, in the future, this space will be reserved for onfield activities.
Same Old BCS Story
The Bowl Championship Series rankings that will ultimately decide Division 1A college fooball supremacy in America came out this week. So once again, it’s time for anyone who cares about this grand game to begin their annual rant against the NCAA and their lack of a playoff system. With every sport (including all other levels of football) having some sort of playoff, it seems logical to have one in this case as well. Creating such a system would be straightforward: the NCAA could simply take the top eight teams in the Associated Press poll and match them up. This might sound uncomplicated, until you factor in the monetary part of the equation. The bottom line is that college football is run by the elite programs that make up the “power conferences” along with television networks; both parties have no interest in sharing their slice of the pie with the Boise States of the world. So, until the NCAA stops allowing the networks and a handful of colleges to make all of the decisions, we will be stuck with this murky mess they call the BCS.