Manhunt on the Subway

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I spread the link to the facebook event but people have been having trouble viewing it so i decided to post the information here.

Time: Wednesday, December 29 · 8:00pm – 11:30pm

Location: Meet at Bathurst station, lover level

More Information: Meet at Bathurst Station, Lower Level at 8:00pm. Game will start at 8:30pm.

Game One: 8:30-9:30pm
After the game meet at the streetcar platform at SPADINA SUBWAY

Game Two: 9:45-10:30pm
After the game meet at the TICKET COLLECTOR at YONGE/BLOOR SUBWAY

BOUNDARIES (BOTH GAMES):
Yonge/University/Spadina Line – North: Rosedale Station + Dupont Station
Yonge/University/Spadina Line – South – Union Station
Bloor/Danforth Line – East – Yonge/Bloor
Bloor/Danforth Line – West – Bathurst

Aftergame:
Karaoke

Hockey Players Don’t Cry So Why Should Football (Soccer) Players?

I’m not really the biggest fan of Rosie DiManno but I am a big fan of football (real football not the american stuff) so of course I read this article and I completely agree with what she had to say,

When Brendan Shanahan missed the final shootout attempt at the Nagano Olympics, bouncing Canada out of the gold medal game, he was devastated. But he didn’t bawl for all the world to see.

On none of the three occasions that Dave Stieb lost no-hitters with two outs in the ninth — before finally nailing it one memorable night in Cleveland — did he convulse into blubbering, though tears of rage at some limp fielding from teammates would have been justified.

Not even a notable mama’s boy like Vince Carter ever turned on the waterworks whilst on the court.

There’s no crying in hockey, no crying in baseball, no crying in basketball and sure as hell no crying in oblong pigskin football.

But the other football, as most of the planet calls soccer, is one big Crying Game.

Oh, the boo-hooing at the World Cup. A New Zealander sobs before the start of that country’s final match here, overcome with emotion. A Blue Samurai weeps profusely when Japan is ousted on penalty kicks.

It makes for great drama, I suppose, a grand opera of soccer sentimentality, feelings worn on one’s sleeve. But, sheesh, get a grip girls.

Admittedly, I’m a Philistine at the gates of the World Cup. I can barely keep my Ronaldos straight from my Ronaldinhos and Robinhos. I am not excessively moved by any team’s anguished departure from the tournament.

And I’ve spent enough time in losing dressing rooms, across the spectrum of sports, to know that athletes do choke up, get lachrymose, over dreams crushed. But at least they usually have the good grace to keep these moments relatively private. That’s what renders those occasions when tears are spilled out in the open even more poignant — such as Mats Sundin wiping away salt droplets from his cheeks after the long standing ovation upon his return to the Air Canada Centre as a Vancouver Canuck.

Soccer players, by comparison, weep at the drop of a hat, or the strains of a pre-game national anthem — joined arm-in-arm-in-arm (way too much touching, as me) — fists squinched into eyes, forearms raised across faces.

They are as prone to sappy histrionics as they are to ouch-oomph-owie dives, faking flamboyant spills when barely touched by an opponent.

Perhaps this over-the-top emotionalism has something to do with ethnic extraction, soccer most wildly popular in countries where passions percolate close to the surface and males aren’t considered sissified for showing their sniffle-sniffle side. That might explain the Latin nations, anyway. If Italian players can get away with carrying man-bags, they surely don’t have an image problem making like onion-peelers. At least the anal English side maintained a stiff upper lip when tossed so ignobly in the round of 16. (Paul Gascoigne sobbing inconsolably at the 1990 semi against Germany was a famous exception to Albion stoicism.)

It could be that my own cultural aversion to men weeping — or, ahem, holding hands — has predisposed me to wincing at the display of overt emotionalism in South Africa, all that mawkishness. But between the crying and the diving — excuse me, the simulation — it’s been like one long pussy-fest.

On the matter of the latter — players sprawling to the pitch as if shot — referees are supposed to be trained in detecting real fouls from flagrant fakes and feigned injuries. Yet they’ve often been as blind to hammy theatrics as to obvious goals un-counted and hand-balls un-called. Meanwhile, some of the game’s biggest stars — Cristiano Ronaldo come on down — endlessly whine about ghost molestation.

Didier Drogba, who really did have a fractured elbow coming into this tournament, is another serial simulation offender. In a moment of shocking candor, he once admitted: “Sometimes I dive, sometimes I stand.” Later he retracted the comment.

Just Score Already

I’ve been watching the world cup as I’m sure most of you have too and I’ve become really bored with most of it. It seems that all has happened so far is that lots of good teams have ties some not so good teams, teams that would normally be knocked out in the first round have been holding their own and Germany flattened Australia 4-0. Just draws and slow games. It is getting very boring. So far the only exciting part was the last 15 minutes of the Cameroon vs. Japan game. That was a nail biter. I’m getting to the point that I might not watch any games that don’t have my team in them.

I of course am cheering for England and its not looking good since the 1-1 draw with the U.S. which I didn’t get to see (I’m so mad, I heard it was good). Canada didn’t qualify (big surprise..) because let’s face it, we’re not very good. Don’t get me wrong though, Canadians are big fans of Football (don’t call it soccer) we just can’t seem to get enough actual players together in order to make a good team. So for now I will be cheering for England. At least until Canada gets a team that gets past qualifying.

Is UFC A Bad Ban

The Ontario government has said that it is not going to bring UFC to the province. According to a Toronto SUN article premier Dalton McGuinty’s reason for not bringing the sport to Ontario was,

“It’s just not a priority for us at this point,”…“We have higher priorities when it comes to developing … jobs and strengthening the economy.”

Basically he is saying “I’d love to sign a piece of paper saying they can come but I’ve got so many more important things to do”. Acording to the article,

Ontario remains one of the last jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S. to outlaw mixed martial events, despite repeated urging from UFC officials to open up the potentially lucrative market.

In a televised interview before Christmas, McGuinty said he would consider their pleas but it now seems clear he has put the issue on to the back burner again.

UFC officials say Ontarians are their biggest fans and predict a crowd of 35,000-40,000 would attend an event in Toronto.

Fans now flock to Quebec or other jurisdictions to get their UFC fix.

The Criminal Code of Canada prohibits prizefighting but individual provinces can choose to exempt sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts.

Ontario would need to amend its Athletics Control Act to permit the activity.

This would bring a few things to Ontario. Jobs (you have to hire staff for the events) and money (people pay. lots of people pay).

I’m sure eventually you will hear the usual “watching fighting promotes violence” and stuff like that but we all know that is rubbish. That whole idea is stupid, watching violence does not encourage violence. People will be violent whether they watch something like UFC or not.

Raptors Mascot Eats a Cheerleader

Being from Toronto I found this very funny.