tommybiden's profile

tommybiden
7631
Name: Thomas
Location: London, Ontario, Canada
Gender: Male
Social Media Account: thowden@rogers.com (AIM)
Member since: January 30, 2006
Last visit: August 16, 2025

tommybiden has posted 423 links and 4,434 comments to SportsFilter and 0 links and 278 comments to the Locker Room.

Sports Bio

I have two favourite sporting events. One as an adult and the other as a child. The most entertaining sporting event I ever saw as an adult was January 9, 1986. Toronto Maple Leafs at home versus the Edmonton Oilers, 99, Mess, Coffey, and the rest of the boys. At this point in my life I had seasons tickets for the Leafs, I lived in London Ontario, about 2 hrs west of Toronto and as a result sold most of my seats to friends who lived closer to Toronto. I kept tickets for 5 or six games that year and thankfully that was one of them. The Leafs led 5-1 at the end of the first period. The Oilers tied the game at 6, and early in the 3rd, Edmonton led 8-7. Final score 11-9 Toronto! We almost blew the roof off the Carlton Street Cashbox that night. When I was only 7 years old, living near Toronto, my mother and father threw us kids into the car, drove us to Malton (now Pearson) International Airport. From there, we flew to Montreal, Mom, Dad, my 3 sisters, my brother and I. We watched the Expos play the Astros in a double header. We picniced in the park outside Jarry Park before the games, went for a swim in the pool just beyond the right field fence, and most importantly got Rusty Staub's autograph. I still have it! We flew back to Toronto the same night, we even got to go sit in the cockpit of the Air Canada jet. That's something that wouldn't happen today! It was the first time any of us, my parents included, had been on a plane. Way too cool. I've seen the Leafs 4 times at the Air Canada Centre, each time as the guest of friends in their private box. It's the only way to fly, if you can afford it. I've seen plenty of NFL games in Detroit and Buffalo, C.F.L. games in Olympic Stadium, Frank Clair Stadium, C.N.E. Stadium and Skydome(Rogers Centre). My family had seasons seats for the Blue Jays for the first 8 years of their existence. I could only guess at how many games I attended, maybe 350? I go to Rogers Centre a couple of times a year for Jays games now, and Comerica Park to see the Tigers at least once a season. I've been to a Toronto Rock lacrosse game, entirely too much fun and entertainment. I've seen 2 N.B.A. games live, the Raptors home opener in MoPete's rookie season, and at The Palace of Auburn Hills, against the 76'ers, on the night the Pistons honoured Chuck Daly. My two sports loves are the Toronto Maple Leafs and the late, lamented Montreal Expos. May The 'Spo's rest in peace. Damn you Jeffrey Loria, Bud Selig, and the rest of you baseball bastards.

Recent Links

Ottawa Senators, NCC complete sale agreement for 11 acres at LeBreton Flats.: Cyril Leeder (Senators C.E.O.): “There are still many more hurdles to clear, and we look forward to working with the NCC and other stakeholders to achieve our shared vision of creating an event centre at LeBreton Flats that can be enjoyed by our Ottawa-Gatineau community.”

posted by tommybiden to hockey at 03:14 PM on August 11, 2025 - 5 comments

Venezuelan Little League team forced to skip World Series after Trump denies visa for annual event: “The players are demoralized,” Cacique Mara wrote in a statement in Spanish on social media earlier this week. “The only thing that they know is baseball. They want to go to compete and put the name Venezuela and Latin American on high. They don’t represent any threat, they are 15-year-olds that want to win the world series.”

posted by tommybiden to baseball at 10:41 AM on July 29, 2025 - 2 comments

Ex-NHL enforcer breaks silence on viral golf course beatdown: 'This might be a blast': Nick Tarnasky became a viral sensation after adding some sound effects to his beatdown of a drunken instigator earlier this month and is finally sharing his side of the story on the wild scene

posted by tommybiden to hockey at 07:07 PM on July 15, 2025 - 5 comments

White Sox fan learns fate after reducing Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte to tears by mocking his dead mother: The Chicago White Sox and Major League Baseball have banned a 22-year-old man indefinitely after he taunted Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte over the two-time All-Star’s late mother.

posted by tommybiden to baseball at 03:11 PM on June 25, 2025 - 3 comments

Why the jury was dismissed at the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial: A second jury has been dismissed and the case will be proceeding by judge alone at the sexual assault trial of five players from Canada’s championship-winning 2018 world junior hockey team.

posted by tommybiden to hockey at 03:08 PM on May 16, 2025 - 1 comment

Recent Comments

CFL Pickem Week 11: The Week of Blown Locks

Tim Horton's is in Georgia?

Tim's is awful.

posted by tommybiden at 06:05 PM on August 16, 2025

CFL Pickem Week 11: The Week of Blown Locks

Tim Horton's is in Georgia?

Tim's is awful.

posted by tommybiden at 06:05 PM on August 16, 2025

SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle

Alejandro Kirk does it all as Blue Jays win comeback thriller to open series against Texas including his 1st career stolen base!

posted by tommybiden at 09:40 AM on August 16, 2025

CFL Pickem Week 11: The Week of Blown Locks

My picks:

Argonauts by 10 (lock)
Roughriders by 10 (lock)
Lions by 10 (lock)

posted by tommybiden at 05:45 PM on August 15, 2025

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

I see Tom Dundon is leading a group purchasing the Portland Trail Blazers.

Is this a good thing for the franchise and its fanbase?

posted by tommybiden at 02:34 PM on August 13, 2025

Ottawa Senators, NCC complete sale agreement for 11 acres at LeBreton Flats.

Though, the Ottawa PWHL club's facility is scheduled for renovations, shrinking capacity by over 2,000 seats.

The club regularly sells out or nearly so.

Oy.

posted by tommybiden at 07:52 PM on August 11, 2025

Ottawa Senators, NCC complete sale agreement for 11 acres at LeBreton Flats.

Uhhhhhh, haha, the transit system in Ottawa is a work in progress. The powers that be rolled it out live likely a full year before they should have.

They seem to be working the bugs out slowly but surely.

The L.R.T. system has been plagued by glitches, literal freeze ups and accidents over the past number of years. The Senators plan to remain in the west end for ~5 more years. Hopefully the city will have extended (as is planned) stations to the far west end of the city by then. The biggest bus (OC Transpo, which according to family observations, is good) issue is the city/region has only one expressway, which is completely clogged on a daily basis. There are dedicated H.O. & Bus lanes, which help but not amazing.

The Senators are moving towards far more fans than they're moving away from. To the west, north, south of Kanata, there are bedroom towns, but no major population centres until you hit Kingston, ~200km away.

posted by tommybiden at 04:02 PM on August 11, 2025

Ottawa Senators, NCC complete sale agreement for 11 acres at LeBreton Flats.

As a Maple Leafs fan with Senators fans in my family, fantastic news. Solidifies the Ottawa franchise in the nation's capital. A much more centrally located arena, allowing the club to draw fans more easily from western Quebec.

posted by tommybiden at 03:17 PM on August 11, 2025

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

Brutal injury in Atlanta Detroit football game tonight with ~14 minutes left.

Lions safety Morice Norris took an accidental knee to head, on turf for a long time, ambulance off.

Atlanta snapped ball on next play, the clubs stood for 8+ minutes, then the officials called the game.

posted by tommybiden at 09:50 PM on August 08, 2025

Why Teddy Bridgewater Won't Apologize for Providing Impermissible Benefits to High School Players

The horror, the horror.

i'm shocked, shocked I say, that a Florida organization would rule this way.

Okay, I'm not THAT shocked.

posted by tommybiden at 12:54 PM on August 07, 2025

Venezuelan Little League team forced to skip World Series after Trump denies visa for annual event

The Venezuela Little League team has been granted a exemption to the travel ban & will be allowed to enter the u.s.a. for the tournament.

posted by tommybiden at 12:46 PM on August 07, 2025

CFL Pickem Week 10: Tiger-Cats on a Roll

My picks:

Lions by 7 (lock)
Alouettes by 10 (lock)
Argonauts by 8 (lock)
Stampeders by 9 (lock)

Note: I maintain my commanding lead in the race for the Costanza!!

posted by tommybiden at 12:43 PM on August 07, 2025

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

The 'gals'?

posted by tommybiden at 09:09 AM on August 06, 2025

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

I found the article, NoMich (I am a subscriber).

I knew Marv Levy was a good man.

But, hearing from men who played for him, and to a person what they had to say, fantastic.

posted by tommybiden at 04:45 PM on August 04, 2025

He Who Controls the Ice Controls the Universe

These sound like completely normal, rational actions.

posted by tommybiden at 09:50 PM on August 01, 2025