- 02:09 PM
- 11/07/09
| Name: | Rod Murray |
|---|---|
| Homepage URL: | http://spitztengle.wordpress.com |
| Location: | Edmonton |
| Gender: | somewhere along the continuum |
| Member since: | January 25, 2006 |
| Last visit: | November 06, 2009 |
Spitztengle has posted 21 links and 285 comments to SportsFilter and 1 link and 273 comments to the Locker Room.
I guess it would only be appropriate to say that my fandom in the sports world is exemplified by my alter-ego "Superfan". It started out as a bit of a gag in high school when I showed up for the season opening pep rally wearing a toga, a fake mustache and sunglasses, and a long, black wig tucked under a modified Trojan/football helmet. A stolen garbage can lid with an "S" spray-painted on it stood for "Superfan". Not a soul in the whole school knew who it really was. Ah, high school ... good times while they lasted. From there, my first road trip to the Grey Cup in 1990 was marked by the purchase of an Edmonton jersey with #1 as the number. No, the name on the back didn't say Moon (as in Warren Moon). The name on the back was (and still is) SUPERFAN. Today, EVERYONE in section U (and a whole bunch of other Double E regulars) know me as Superfan! I do get loud at the games. A proud season ticket holder since Commonwealth Stadium opened, as a sports fan, I identify as a CFL fan first. Of course, I also ref in the neighborhood of 150 basketball games per season. I couldn't do that without being a huge fan of the game. Heck, I'm a huge fan of every game. Some quick highlights and favorite memories (in no particular order): 1. Jimmy Connors in one of his last appearances at the US Open. The guy's grit had me pumpin' my fist in the air so hard I hit my hand on the ceiling! 2. Yes, I have cried witnessing the finishes of several Ironman races on television. So moved by the likes of Paula Newby-Fraser and Mark Allen I took up the darn sport myself. 3. Ben Johnson's win at the '88 Seoul Games. I ran more than a final few metres with my fist raised in the air after that victory! I called the winning time beforehand too! 4. Showtime! The LA Lakers were my favorite team. Magic, Kareem, Worthy, et al ... legends. My fave though? Byron Scott. "Shoot 'em up and sleep in the streets," Pat Riley told him. My motto! 5. Backup QB Cody Ledbetter hits the other Flutie (Darren) with his back to the goalpost in the endzone, right at the final gun, for a win over the Calgary Stampeders in the Labor Day rematch. I yelled so hard at that game I actually passed out on my feet earlier in the game.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 on September 21 - 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 on August 03 - 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 on July 14 - 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 on April 09 - 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 on September 28 - 5 comments
PointSpreads for the week are:
BC -31/2
MON -91/2
SASK -11/2
WIN -31/2
posted by Spitztengle at 01:02 PM on November 05
Schultzie has:
BC by 11
MON by 15
SASK by 5
HAM by 2
posted by Spitztengle at 01:01 PM on November 05
I'll second rocketman. While there is undoubtedly "some profanity", on the whole, SpoFites are a relatively clean bunch who self-police already.
I think of it this way: I attend sporting events (football stadiums, hockey arenas, basketball courts, etc.) on a very regular basis. People talk. Children are present. If someone starts blarin' out filth-flarin'-filth, somebody says, "Hey, not in front of the kids." If somebody slips the odd cuss word into a normal conversation ... c'est la vie. He's (the 11 year-old) gonna hear/read it somewhere. Rather than try to eliminate it entirely, I say we set the example and continue to engage with those who exceed our established norms.
posted by Spitztengle at 12:16 PM on November 05
Before I post his picks, I thought I'd share Schultzie's invite for feedback from CFL fans/TSN audience. Anything we can do to make the game better ...
And also, good luck to j5v and MrFrisby as they duke it out, not unlike the Riders and Stamps (or Lions and Esks for that matter), right to the bitter end of the season.
posted by Spitztengle at 01:41 AM on November 05
I'm trying to find a link for it, but j5v sent me a note yesterday in which the Raiders' GM indicated that Marc Trestman (currently the HC for the Montreal Alouettes, former OC with the Raiders) would be the next head coach.
I'm thinking that puts just that little bit of pressure on him to push the Als to actually win the Grey Cup this year. Couldn't think of a better, more classy replacement for the douchebag presently at the helm.
*please note that I reserve the right to retract the use of "douchebag" (or may substitute with asshat) upon further development of this story.
posted by Spitztengle at 02:56 PM on November 04
That would be hard to do, as he is under contract to the Saskatchewan Roughriders
The 9-game injured list is an unfortunate part of that equation. I'd be happier if he was on the roster, just not taking snaps because the starters are just that much better.
posted by Spitztengle at 04:31 PM on November 02
I don't think the ball's been kicked off yet ... Als by 6
posted by Spitztengle at 01:06 PM on November 01
Perry Lefko says it's likely Calvillo will play, but it still not 100% certain.
posted by Spitztengle at 01:53 PM on October 30
Sportsnet's self-proclaimed "peerless prognosticator" for CFL games talks about the differences between NFL and the CFL injury reports and how that affects betting habits.
While I'm amused at how Lefko serves as yet another conduit for Randall "The Handle"'s betting information, what I'm more interested in (as an informal survey among SpoFites) is who actually plays real money on the CFL? And who plays real money on the NFL? Other sports?
posted by Spitztengle at 01:50 PM on October 30
I can't even begin to express how frightening tonight is for me. No, not because there are likely to be Halloween costumes making an early appearance, but because the Argos have nothing to lose. The Green & Gold, however ... that's a whole different story. My only hope is that if things don't click early, that Maas gets the nod. The EE have GOT to win this one! In the end, I think they will. I think they'll be able to put it all together as they get ready to close this season out on high notes (no, not the way Hec Pothier got high). EE by 13.
This could be a great football game. At the end of the day though, I think that Saskatchewan is the better football club. They are in the Hammer, so it should be close ... and I mean really close: Saskatchewan by 2.
Could there be more riding on this game? If my earlier picks are accurate, wins by Edmonton and Saskatchewan make both teams hungrier. Calgary to stay in the hunt for first, BC to stay alive for playoffs. BC drops this one and it's the game of the year next week versus the EE. While my prognosticating skills, as of late, have not been very good, there is ONE prediction I really really really want to come true: BC to finish last in the west. You won't hear me say this often (and don't call me a hypocrite, j5v), but "Go Stamps Go!" Calgary by 15.
And if others are gonna wait for the Montreal reports on Calvillo (and for PointSpread to publish a line for this game), I'll reserve my prediction as well.
posted by Spitztengle at 12:49 PM on October 30
While most of the SpoFi folks are likely watching game two of the World Series ... I'm glued to a wild 5-5 draw between the Red Wings and Oilers with 6 minutes to go. I ever used to be a hockey fan ... but this game can really grow on you.
posted by Spitztengle at 11:52 PM on October 29
Oh good, I have enough time to blow the Costanza.
Watch what you wish for, YYM ... the way I've been spiraling down the rankings might suggest that the 2006 Costanza winner might be in the hunt for another.
In the meantime, Schultzie picks:
Edmonton by 10
Saskatchewan by 1
BC by 4
Montreal by 7
PointSpreads: EE - 81/2; SK - 1/2; CAL - 11/2; and No line on the WIN-MON game yet.
posted by Spitztengle at 12:15 PM on October 29
Ancient Greek athletes performed in the nude, glazed in olive oil and a light dusting of sand. The earliest observed baggataway/tewaarathon games were contested wearing nothing more than a loin cloth. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that some of you arguing in favour of the more streamlined (read: tight-fitting) or performance-enhancing uniforms are longing for those early times and the aesthetic (read: homoerotic) pleasure derived from observing fit bodies in motion. "Get rid of those baggy shorts and put those boys in some spandex!"
I realize this is more "lockerroom" talk than huddle talk, but don't dismiss the idea entirely. There is an aesthetic to sport ... baggy shorts is just one variation.
More on-topic, however ... what fascinates me most is the way in which clothing is becoming increasingly engineered to "enhance" performance, not simply inhibit less.
posted by Spitztengle at 12:05 PM on October 29
So on the video link to goofy hockey commercials, here are a few worth giving your head a shake over. First, we have Pierre the French-Canadian snowman puppet who reportedly spent some time in the Chicoutimi C League. While I found these commercials mildly amusing, and while I'll admit that I'm not all that familiar with Phoenix hockey fan demographic info, I could never understand the relevance of this character to the Coyote fanbase ... let alone the comedy(?) in a mullet-sporting, French-Canadian hockey-never-was as a US Presidential Candidate???
And related to the "Minnesota Wild Things" ... can the NHL teams not afford good costumes for their ad campaigns? This Boston Bruin might have to spend some time in camp with some Alaskan grizzlies to get in shape.
posted by Spitztengle at 02:28 AM on October 29
CFL Pick 'Em, Week 19
How, after all this time, could I dare to still pick the Double E? 'Cause I'm still pickin' with my heart, not my head. Logically, after bein' burned in both previous meetings against the Lions, the Eskimos are valid underdogs. However, we got burned BAD the first meeting at Commonwealth. We got burned really BAD in the second (that whole Geroy last minute TD thang). But I've seen Ricky win a Grey Cup in the din of the dome in Vancouver. Eventhough they just haven't put it together consistently yet, they aren't that bad of a ball club. Besides, Edmonton went the eastern route to no avail last year. Let the Lions do that this time around. Edmonton by 8.
You know what? I hate to say it, but Andrus is gonna finally convince his squad to go out with some class. The Argo performance in Edmonton last week was embarrassing. They need to do "something" to salvage any sense of dignity. As such, they might just make a contest of this one. BAAA HHHAAAAHAAAHAAAA! Did you think I was serious? Even if they do put their best foot forward, the Alouette machine is too greased to get a grip on. Montreal by 21 ... and that'll be with the foot off the gas for the second half.
Holy coin toss, Batman! Can the Riders rebound from a stinker performance last week? Are the Stamps really peaking at the right time? The Riders are a better ball club than the Lions. And there's that whole tie to resolve from these two teams' last meeting. I mean it might not be that crazy to pick a draw this time around also. In the end, I think there can be only one ... and since they are LONG overdue, I'll have to think that the Riders are primed to actually win the Western Conference ... make the Stamps earn the right to play at home by having to play the semi. Sasquatchewan by 3 even if that FG comes in OT, it's still gonna be three.
Drumroll please .................................................. frankly, a Bomber win would just be wrong ... wrong for the league ... wrong karmically ... the TiCats deserve the home field ... and will surely get the Bomber monkey off their backs to end this season. Hamilton by 10.
oh ... one more thing ... LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GREEN & GOOOOOOOOLD!!!!!!!!