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By John Burtis
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The arrest of veteran NBA referee Tom Donaghy for gambling finally reduces the NBA from a simple employment system for a growing host of athletic felons and muscle bound ne'er-do-wells to mere scripted entertainment.
The victor in this form of garishly tarted up amusement, just like the WWE, where Mr. Benoit recently went a little crazy in the head and murdered his family after apparently drugging them while battling a low testosterone level brought on by the prolonged steroid use needed to puff him up for the close-up cameras, and which is all about bad behavior on and off the mat or court, is always determined in advance. But we know it and nobody goes to a professional wrestling extravaganza without understanding that the winners are selected in advance.
By Edward Zawadzki
Sunday, May 27, 2007
It's great to hear that Sam Mitchell and the Toronto Raptors have agreed to a new contract for this year's NBA coach of the year recipient. The likeable Mitchell and the team have agreed to a three-year, $12 million dollar (US) deal that will see the coach and his stable of young talents try and improve on their respectable showing of the past season where the team posted a franchise record 47 wins and their first round playoff demise to the New Jersey Nets. What I truly believe to be the story of next season will be just how cohesive the relationship between Mitchell and team GM Bryan Colangelo will remain over the long term. There is a faction within the local basketball community that believes that the team would have played just as well for anyone and minimize Sam's leadership role in the teams great turnaround in good fortune this season.
By Edward Zawadzki
Friday, April 27, 2007
It was only a year ago that Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell was being crucified by fans and media alike as inept and as a lame duck coach at best. Hell, even Sports Illustrated had unofficially tagged Mitchell as being the worst coach in the NBA. What a difference a year makes! Along with leading the team to the top of the leagues' Atlantic Division with a franchise tying 47 wins behind them, next the personable Mitchell goes out and wins himself the honour of being named the NBA's 2007 Coach of the Year. Honours aside, Mitchell not only had the team playing well, but more importantly with purpose and pride. That's something the team has sorely lacked in the past several seasons. No one in the league deserves this award more than our own Sam Mitchell, who faced pressure and adversity that may have broken a lesser man.
By Edward Zawadzki
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Even though I wasn't too excited about the Leafs picking up Yanic Perrault for his third time around as a member of the Blue and White, after giving it a little more thought it's probably going to turn out to be a pretty solid choice for the Buds. Perrault is a pretty damn good defensive specialist who should shine playing with the likes of a Michael Peca and as a face-off man his talents go without question. Another plus for Yanic is that unlike Peca he also has a pretty good knack for putting the puck in the net as he becomes one of the very few Leafs that will exceed the 20-goal plateau this season.
By Edward Zawadzki
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Tiger Woods is without a doubt proving himself not only to be the greatest golfer in the world today, but arguably the most successful on the planet in any sport. With his win on the weekend in the Buick International, the greatest one has now stretched his record to seven straight PGA wins only four behind the 62-year-old record of 11 set by the legendary Byron Nelson. Heading towards that record many wonder just how long it will take Woods to reach the next plateau in his incredible career, which without a doubt is matching the great Jack Nicklaus and his 18 career major tourney victories. Woods is in hot pursuit of that accomplishment with his total set at 12 and most certainly climbing.
By Edward Zawadzki
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
The year 2006 was
a roller coaster year which saw such characters of renown as Saddam Hussein finally meet his day of reckoning doing his finest
Fred Astaire impression dancing on the wrong end of a necktie.
By Edward Zawadzki
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Well it only took six weeks but the world of NHL hockey just got a bit more exciting on Monday with the news that Bobby Clarke is back with the Philadelphia Flyers when the team announced that they have rehired the NHL legend as their team Senior VP. Clarke, who resigned his GM job at that time suffering from acute burnout seems to be fit and raring to jump right back into the fire in his new position. It's great to see him back in the league and we're all chomping at the bit to get some new great quotes from the politically incorrect, former all-star star and team GM.
By Edward Zawadzki
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Big congratulations going out to Canadian Justin Morneau who was chosen as the American League MVP for the 2006 season the other day. The 25-year-old, hard-hitting first baseman had an outstanding breakout year hitting an impressive 34 round trippers and 130RBIs while batting.321 in helping his Minnesota Twins to top spot in the ALs Central Division.
By Edward Zawadzki
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Here we are past the halfway point of this up to now pretty darn exciting regular season of the world's finely marketed sport-NFL Football.
We have had a number of surprising situations arise this season such as the implosion of the defending Super Bowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers and their motorcycle-loving QB Ben Roethlesberger.
By Edward Zawadzki
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Tough break for the Maple Leafs losing their Captain and leading scorer Mats Sundin for up to a month with a slight tendon tear of the elbow. It could have been a lot worse and luckily it looks like no surgery will be needed for the big Swede. The rest of the team will have to step up and pick up the slack left by the absence of Sundin.
By Edward Zawadzki
Friday, November 3, 2006
I got to know former World and Canadian heavyweight boxing champion Trevor Berbick a little while he was living in the Toronto area a few years back. A violent, delusional man, he proved to have almost as many battles with the legal system as he had in his pugilistic career. It comes as no shock that this ring warrior met an early demise when his lifeless body was found in a church courtyard next to his home in his native Jamaica .You can never take away from Trevor the fact that he defeated the legendary Muhammad Ali back in 1981, a bout that made the quickly fading Ali finally resign himself to the fact that he was finished as a fighter. A shell of the legend but a win is a win and the Ali beaters club only has a mere membership of 5 human beings in its miniscule worldwide membership. Also never deny Berbick the accomplishment of holding a portion of the heavyweight title which he won from Pincklon Thomas in 1985 until his destruction at the hands of the 20-year-old fighting machine named Mike Tyson less than a year later.
By Edward Zawadzki
Thursday, October 26, 2006
In a league where most of the power executives tow the NHL line of political correctness, Bobby Clarke always practiced the exact opposite and love or hate him no one could ever deny that the man did not bleed the Orange and White of the Philadelphia Flyers. As a player, this ferocious centre from Flin Flon overcame diabetes to become one of the most valuable players to ever lace up a pair of skates. If it wasn't for his inability to sign a true long term big league goalie, Clarke would have had his fingers adorned with many more Stanley Cup rings than the two he won when he led the infamous Broad Street Bullies into hockey immortality back in the mid `70s.
By Edward Zawadzki
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
The bright lights of our fair city of Toronto must be shining a little dimmer today after hearing the news of the passing of legendary local impessario and man about town Gino Empry. The dapper Gino passed last Saturday after a lengthy illness. After hearing the news while on vacation in Poland, it made me sit back and reminisce about this strangely hip, and actually quite remarkable little guy with the artificially enhanced pompadour and the Romanesque probiscus that would have made the late Jimmy Durante bow in admiration. It made me think of the lofty ambitions of this talented man's youth, the son of hardworking Italian immigrants who would turn his love of showbuisness into an empire that would see him represent an eclectic yet powerful clientele comprised of such heavyweights as Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Craig Russell, Ronny Hawkins to political power punchers such as Pierre Trudeau and the shapely bevy of bountiful beauties of Playboy magazine that Gino took care of for so many years.
By Edward Zawadzki
Thursday, October 12, 2006
The world of professional baseball is mourning the loss of one of its most charismatic characters and spokesmen with the passing Saturday of 94 year old Buck O'Neill. A slick, hard hitting first baseman who barnstormed the Negro Leagues with contemporaries such as Satchel Paige, Ray Brown and Andy Cooper, O'Neill made baseball history in 1962 when he became the very first black coach in the majors when he signed on as a bench coach with the Chicago Cubs. Unfortunately O'Neill was never inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his lifetime missing the cut in 2005 by a single vote. There may have been better ball players but as a true ambassador of the sport this special man will be sorely missed by all who ever met him and the likes of will never be duplicated.
After all these years toiling for the Maple Leafs as their resident enforcer it was off the ice the recently retired Tie Domi truly developed his scoring touch. From Hollywoods own Relic Hunter Tia Carrera to Liberal honey pot Belinda Stronach, Domi found the time for high romance while also building a financial and business empire, all while patrolling the wings for 16 total NHL seasons,11 full seasons as a member of our Toronto Maple Leafs.
Domi who faces the prospect losing a huge part of his wealth in his now public and messy divorce proceedings from long time wife and mother to his three children Leanne Domi, has proven himself a shrewd business man and will most likely survive any setbacks to his financial fortune. A less clear picture is just how this public mess will affect the political ambitions of reported Domi "friend" Stronach who has gained media fame in recent years for changing parties more than Paris Hilton on a Saturday night.
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