Second Chance League?: The Edmonton Eskimos are apparently set to announce the hiring of Eric Tillman as their new GM, but not before floating the idea out to their fans first. His track record as a GM isn't in question. But is an absolute discharge from a Saskatchewan court for his guilty plea of sexual assault to a minor enough to satisfy Edmontonians? The stakes are redemption, for Tillman and the Eskimos, as Edmonton gets set to roll the dice.

posted by Spitztengle to football at 01:45 AM - 2 comments

Alberta Gold: No, not oil---it's curling: Edmonton's Kevin Koe follows up his Canadian championship win at his first-ever Brier appearance last month by winning gold at the World Championships in Italy.

posted by Spitztengle to other at 02:39 AM - 1 comment

Streak Spoilers: USA spoils Canada's bid for 6 straight WJHC titles with an overtime win.

posted by Spitztengle to hockey at 12:22 AM - 15 comments

When Second Place is Newsworthy: Tyson Gay ran the second fastest 100m time ever at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix meet on Sunday. Considering the dominance of Usain Bolt since Beijing, an American Record at 9.69s (same time as Bolt's WR gold medal win in Beijing) is worth posing the question: Are his competitors as far behind Bolt as we seem to think? Gay's performance on Sunday might suggest otherwise.

posted by Spitztengle to olympics at 11:39 PM - 4 comments

Basketball's Bertuzzi? : In an international friendly tune-up match between Canada and Italy, Stefano Mancinelli responds to a little loose-ball contact with a vicious elbow to the back of Aaron Doornekamp's head. Two Toronto Raptors, Andrea Bargnani and Marco Belinelli were forced to play peacekeeper.

posted by Spitztengle to basketball at 12:08 AM - 4 comments

Radio Silence Causes Panic!: Team-to-Rider radios are being banned for two stages of this year's Tour. A welcome change for a dwindling number of traditionalists, a harbinger of disaster and controversy to the new generation. Radios or no radios? That is the question.

posted by Spitztengle to general at 12:04 PM - 4 comments

Changing of the Guard: Sportswriter Mark Spector laments the loss of "character" as the torch is being passed from old to new when the core of longtime NHL referees retire over the next couple of seasons.

posted by Spitztengle to hockey at 01:45 AM - 2 comments

Haile Gebrselassie Sets New Marathon Mark: Haile Gebrselassie clocks in at 2:03:59, breaking his own world record in the marathon in Berlin on Sunday.

posted by Spitztengle to other at 01:37 PM - 5 comments

High School Hazing Rears its Ugly Head Again: In an era when bullying and initiation/hazing rituals have supposedly been all-but-eradicated in high schools, colleges, and sports teams in general, six sodomized New Mexico footballers remind us that a blind-eye is still turned on this stuff if we're not careful.

posted by Spitztengle to culture at 05:40 PM - 23 comments

Tick Tock ... the CFL clock is ticking!!!: DrJohn, where are you? The CFL season is just around the corner, and like a heroin addict, I need my fix of CFL Pick 'Em!!! Are we runnin' the same game this year? Who's in?

posted by Spitztengle to fantasy at 01:05 AM - 8 comments

9.72: Usain Bolt breaks WR in the 100m.

posted by Spitztengle to other at 12:00 AM - 8 comments

Right on the button!: Kevin Martin won his third career Brier on his final stone against defending champ Glenn Howard, capping an impressive week at 13-0.

posted by Spitztengle to other at 10:35 PM - 6 comments

New home not so sweet for CFL?: The Canadian Football League's move solely to cable network TSN is apparently not all roses.

posted by Spitztengle to football at 05:17 PM - 9 comments

A Fight to the Death: CBC program The Fifth Estate investigates the effects of undiagnosed concussions in WWE wrestler Chris Benoit's tragic demise. Also relevant to other SpoFi threads about NFL disability pensions, etc.

posted by Spitztengle to general at 09:13 PM - 6 comments

NFL Updates Disability Plan: Following a string of news stories drawing attention to the trials of former NFLers' efforts to get disability benefits, the NFL has announced updates to assist getting these benefits to players more efficiently and quickly.

posted by Spitztengle to football at 10:55 PM - 8 comments

CFL Announces Commissioner: Today, Mark Cohon was announced as the 12th commissioner of the Canadian Football League.

posted by Spitztengle to football at 03:15 PM - 5 comments

"He should be a team player 100 per cent.": A junior hockey player has been ousted from the Saint John Sea Dogs after he did not sign a Canadian flag that the team was sending to troops in Afghanistan.

posted by Spitztengle to hockey at 09:52 PM - 29 comments

Wright is Wrong for CFL.: Preseason ain't even over yet and Wright has been told he won't be renewed at the end of the season. Personally, I don't like the move. Professionally, I wonder who in their right mind would ever accept an offer to be Wright's replacement in the revolving door of CFL head office?

posted by Spitztengle to football at 10:34 AM - 4 comments

Who should "tone it down"?: I can't help but draw some comparisons to this blowout by the Canadian men over the host Latvian team at the IIHF World Championships and the Canadian women's domination of the Italian team at the Turin Olympics. In this case, it is the fans who apparently need to "tone it down", where in Turin, it was the Canadian women who came under fire for such an overwhelming performance over the host team.

posted by Spitztengle to hockey at 12:17 PM - 2 comments

Only the BEST should be in the playoffs.: Mark Cuban, in his relentlessness, is on the NBA officials again. This time it's about who should be working playoff games and why. Despite his seemingly sound rationale, I think he fails to take the officials' perspective into account, and just doesn't get that there's more to officiating than getting the "balls and strikes" right all the time. And, it is far more complicated than just pulling numbers out of the air to determine who works playoff games, as Dick Bavetta will tell you.

posted by Spitztengle to basketball at 07:20 PM - 16 comments

The Long Road to the Top: Two Years to Determine Fastest Marathoner!: If there are those who think that the Stanley Cup playoffs are a bit drawn out, can you imagine waiting two years to find out who the champion is? Here's a post that is somewhat outside of the "big four" sports for a change. I think it is incredibly interesting to see the ways in which the marathon circuit is adapting to the demands for innovation in their sport. Personally, I think they should be applauded for some of these marketing strategies. The difficulties these strategies overcome might just help take this sport to a new level.

posted by Spitztengle to other at 12:44 PM - 8 comments

Renegades Up for Grabs: Being more than a bit disheartened at the CFL's cancellation of the Ottawa Renegade's season, I'm hoping there are at least a few CFL fans in the SpoFi circle as curious as I am to see how the whole dispersal draft plays out.

posted by Spitztengle to football at 03:05 PM - 8 comments

Ruggiero: Canadian women should tone it down: In what almost frighteningly mirrors men's hockey at the inaugural Winter Olympics in Chamonix, the unavoidable gold medal showdown between Canada and the USA is sparking some lively debate as to whether there is a place in the Olympics for lopsided victories or top-heavy sports at all.

posted by Spitztengle to other at 02:20 PM - 33 comments

Mike Tyson not suitable for NHL hockey: The Ottawa Senators, backstopped by Ray Emery, lose 5-0 to the Bruins on Monday night. Emery was wearing his Mike Tyson mask in the losing effort. Tuesday it is announced that he will no longer don this mask after a discussion about right and wrong with GM John Muckler.

posted by Spitztengle to hockey at 03:41 AM - 50 comments