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Tag: Jack Matheson
Let's talk about the aging of the Winnipeg Jets…to Tokyo in denim…Aaron Rodgers' sticky notes…MLB grappling with lack of sizzle…old friend Big Jim takes a paddywhacking…Canadian Football Hall of Fame gets it right…what about Tricky Dick Thornton?…nightmare on TSN…and other things on my mind
Another Sunday smorgas-bored…and still no word on the if and when of a CFL season, but here's something else that's real iffy…
Stop me if you've heard this before:
"I believe we're close to having a team that has a chance to challenge for the Stanley Cup, and I'm really looking forward to that…we're a lot closer than some people will give us credit for…I look forward to these next five years."
Sound familiar? It should.
Blake Wheeler said much the same as Adam Lowry scant seconds after scratching his John Hancock on a six-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets.
"I believe in people like (owner) Mark Chipman and Chevy, what everyone stands for and especially in my teammates. I have believed since I got here that we have what it takes to get to the next level, so this is just a part of that process. I truly believe that great things are in store for this group," the then-future captain told news snoops.
Wheels was 26 at the time. There will be 35 candles on his birthday cake in August.
Lend an ear to Rink Rat Scheifele who, upon agreeing to an eight-year contract in 2016, expressed a robust belief in "the organization, in the players on the team, in the future prospects."
The Rink Rat was 23. He's now 28.
Connor Hellebuyck, the Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender, locked in for six years and said, "The tools are in this locker room to be a championship team. I love it here and I want to be here and I really believe this team has what it takes."
Hellebuyck was 25. He turns 28 next month.
Adam Lowry
And now we have another long-hauler, Lowry, parroting his teammates' faith in a process that began in 2011 and has delivered the grand sum of two post-season series victories, both in the spring of 2018.
Lowry is 28. The freshly minted contract he signed on Friday will take him to 33.
So what's my point? Just this: Unless your name is Evander Kane, Jacob Trouba, Dustin Byfuglien, Patrik Laine or Jack Roslovic, the Jets have all gulped down the Kool-Aid in a cultish-like obedience. They believe. And that's the reason what went down at last week's National Hockey League shop-and-swap deadline rankles.
We know Kevin Cheveldayoff kicked some tires on top-four defencemen, and we know the sticker price sent the Jets general manager running like a guy trying to stay two steps ahead of a loan shark.
We can assume his contemporaries were eager to fleece him and take Ville Heinola, Cole Perfetti and other shiny objects off his hands in exchange for their lame, halting and hard of seeing, but that was never going to happen because Chevy places premium value on his young studs. You might have a better chance of prying his bride, Janet, and their two kids away from him.
So it was no sale. Chevy allowed the NHL trade window to close with a whimper, and the Jets are no closer to the Stanley Cup today than a week ago, unless you consider a bottom-end, plug-in blueliner (hello, Jordie Benn) a shiny object.
Oddly enough, many among the rabble, also some news snoops, have given Chevy a tip of the chapeau and a slap on the back for his do-little day, because he "protected assets," meaning he clung to young wannabes Heinola, Perfetti and others like gum to the bottom of a shoe.
Well let me tell you something about assets: They don't stay forever young.
Chevy is protecting the future when most of the parts are in place for today's Jets team. Add the right top-four defender and we might be talking about a parade route. But the Jets GM chose to stand still, even as time refuses to stand still for his significant core workers.
Wheeler's prime years have been wasted. Scheifele and Hellebuyck are into prime time. Same with Lowry, Andrew Copp and Dylan DeMelo. And don't look now, but Josh Morrissey is 26.
Which begs this question: If the Jets GM was unwilling to go all-in now, when?
This was the time for derring-do, an opportunity for Chevy to orchestrate what could have become his signature moment, lifting the Jets to that "next level" Wheeler spoke of all those years ago.
Well, here's something else the captain said, when he re-upped in September 2018: "It kind of looks like that (Stanley Cup) window is opening up."
Apparently Chevy missed the memo.
I don't know if the GM will reflect on this crusade five years from now and view it as the one that got away, but Blake Wheeler might. Rink Rat Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck and others like Lowry who've committed long term might, as well.
Chevy should be kicking himself. Right in the assets.
Something Bryan Little said when the Jets' playoff aspirations had been dashed in March 2017 is haunting: "It's another year of your career that you can't get back. Some of the best players in this room are the youngest. There's definitely a bright future, but some guys are older and want to do something right now. That's the thinking going into next year." Little was 29. He's now 33, wounded beyond repair, and there is no next year. Not for him. But why must it always be "next year" for Scheifele, Hellebuyck, Lowry et al?
As I was saying last week, I don't buy into the Jack Campbell hype that news snoops in the Republic of Tranna have been spreading like thick, gooey peanut butter. He's been a career backup goaltender for a reason, and Maple Leafs loyalists are beginning to see why. For all their talent, the Leafs are vulnerable in the blue paint, whereas Hellebuyck gives the Jets the best puck stopping in the Hoser Division (yes, including Carey Price). And we all know what that means when the boys begin to play for keeps, which is the very reason Chevy shouldn't have dithered last week.
I don't know about you, but I'm digging the threads our Canadian athletes will be wearing for the closing ceremonies at the Tokyo Olympics this summer, if there is a Tokyo Olympics, that is. Ya, sure, you can say the denim jacket looks like a teenage graffiti artist had a moment of madness, but I look at it more as a stroke of genius. There's a youth-cool vibe to the kit, something you might wear on a pub crawl, or wherever it is that our young people go these days. It's totally boffo compared to the get-ups that noted needle-and-thread guy Ralph Lauren designed for our American friends. I can't tell if he's dressed the U.S. team for the next space shuttle mission or an expedition to the South Pole.
I'll take nose-pickers for $2,000, Alex. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has completed his gig as guest host on Jeopardy!, and he let us in on a little secret about the sticky notes he used to aid his performance. One of them read: "Don't pick your butt/nose." Seriously. He needs a sticky note to remind himself not to pick his nose on camera? And the Packers trust Rodgers to call audibles in the red zone?
Curt, Terry, Howie, Michael and Jimmy.
Apparently, producers of Fox NFL Sunday were so impressed with Rodgers' work on Jeopardy! that they plan to equip Terry Bradshaw with sticky notes to improve his work:
1. "Remember, this ain't Hee Haw."
2. "Powder shiny head during every commercial break."
3. "Do not mention gap in Michael's teeth."
4. "Do not laugh at Howie's 1950s haircut because at least he has hair."
5. "Resist all urges to muss up Jimmy's hair."
6. "Do not tell Rob Riggle he isn't as funny as Frank Caliendo."
7. "Remember, guy sitting beside you is Curt, not James."
8. "Jay Glazer is human, he just looks like a garden gnome."
9. "Mention four Super Bowl rings whenever Jimmy mentions two Super Bowl rings."
10. "When in doubt, always refer to sticky note No. 1."
Favorite headline of the week was delivered by the New York Post: "How Yankees can address their crappiness." Anything that combines New York Yankees and "crappiness" is right by me, although I'm sure George Steinbrenner's son Hal wouldn't agree.
If your product needs to add some sizzle and pizzazz, who you gonna call? Well, Major League Baseball has called Brian Stedman, now responsible for strategy and development. That would be the same Brian Stedman who, for the past seven years, carried the sizzle-and-pizzazz portfolio for Vince McMahon's cast of characters in World Wrestling Entertainment. That will be quite an adjustment for Stedman. I mean, the play actors in wrestling are allowed to hit each other with everything including the kitchen sink, but the Yankees can't hit anything.
Old friend Big Jim Bender took a bit of a paddywhacking on Twitter last week, after he made a flippant remark about the Brendan Bottcher foursome failing to win a trinket at the world curling championship but securing an Olympic berth for Canada. "Was the very least they could do," Big Jim wrote. The Pebble People pounced. Darren Moulding, third on the Bottcher team, called the former Winnipeg Sun scribe "a joke," adding, "You're a stain on our country, not me." Harsh. Olympian and TSN talking head Cheryl Bernard weighed in, describing Bender's comment as "crap." Oh my. Who knew the delightful Cheryl could be so undelightful? Anyway, not that he plans to call me to the stand as a character witness, but let the record show that Big Jim is a friend of curler's everywhere. He's spent more time in chilly two-sheeters than most people I know, so, as Strother Martin told Cool Hand Luke, "What we've got here is failure to communicate."
Rachel Homan
Speaking of Pebble People, Rachel Homan played in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts title match on the final day of February while eight months pregnant. She then went home to bring daughter Bowyn into the world, and now the former Canadian/world champ has returned to the fray, skipping her team in the Humpty's Champions Cup just three weeks after giving birth. Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard won't be available to the L.A. Clippers today because he needs a rest—after sitting the last four games. I swear, if men could get pregnant and give birth, there would be no male sports.
Nobody asked me, but I'd say the selection committee for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame got it right when they chose Marv Levy, Nik Lewis, Will Johnson, Mike Walker, Orlondo Steinauer, Don Wilson and Doug Mitchell as this year's inductees. These things are always ripe for debate, of course, and we usually hear some squawking whenever a sports body salutes the best of the best, but I don't hear any arguments about the class of 2021, nor should there be.
And that's not to ignore broadcasters Bernie Pascall and Bob Hooper, who got the nod from the Football Reporters of Canada and will go into the CFHF media wing. Hooper was a long-time Hamilton Tabbies play-by-play voice, and Pascall's career chatting about Rouge Football on radio and TV spans decades. Unfortunately, Bob's not around to enjoy the honor, but Bernie's still with us, so he has something fresh to talk about with the neighbors on beautiful Vancouver Island.
The CFHF media wing is the ultimate boys' club. By my scorecard, there are now 101 members, all men. Yup, 101-0. I realize there haven't been a lot of women on the beat, but in my 19 years covering the Canadian Football League in three cities (Winnipeg, Calgary, Republic of Tranna), I can recall sharing a press box at Grey Cup games with Ashley Prest of the Drab Slab and Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal. Ashley also knew her way around the University of Manitoba campus to cover coach Brian Dobie's Bisons, and there might be some high school grid in her resumé, too, because that's what most of us did back in the day. We started at the bottom and worked our way up. So it seems to me that the boys on the beat should find room for trailblazers like Ashley or Joanne.
Steve Simmons of Postmedia Tranna has made his annual plea for Dick Thornton's induction to the CFHF, and I can't disagree with Sy. Tricky Dick certainly has the bona fides, including two Grey Cup victories with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and multiple all-star salutes, and he also happens to be one of the more colorful characters in CFL lore. Legendary Bombers coach Bud Grant once said this of his defensive back/wannabe quarterback/kick returner/kicker: "When most players arrive in a new town, the first thing they do is phone a girl. When Dick Thornton arrives, he phones a sports writer."
Tricky Dick had an ego the size of a football field, and here's how the great columnist Jack Matheson once described him in the Winnipeg Tribune: "The writers and broadcasters treat No. 14 with considerable respect because he's hot copy, in or out of uniform. His eccentricities are always guaranteed to liven a dull scene and for conversation Thornton holds all records for Blue Bombers of the modern era. The conversation always seems to revolve around Dick Thornton, but he has a magnetism and I've never seen anybody walk away from Dick Thornton when his mouth was open." Another time, Matty wrote this of Thornton: "An incurable extrovert who played harder with his larynx than his limbs."
Final note on Dick Thornton: The Bombers traded him to the Toronto Argos the same day the Maple Leafs cleared the track and sent Eddie Shack to the Boston Bruins. I guess the Republic of Tranna just wasn't big enough for two clown acts.
Gino Button and James McKenzie, or is it Craig Reda and Bob Duthie? Either way, it's scary, kids.
Still getting creepy vibes from those face mashups TSN featured on its NHL trade deadline coverage. It's clever work by Matty Go Sens, but morphing the faces of Gino Reda and Craig Button into one is the kind of stuff that will keep kids awake at night. Ditto the James Duthie/Bob McKenzie blending. I haven't been so frightened since Alfred Hitchcock had all those nasty birds attack Tippi Hedren.
This from Steve Simmons: "The top four goaltenders in all-time wins are Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Roberto Luongo and now Marc-Andre Fleury. All of them Quebecois. And there's not a single Quebec goalie of consequence (apologies to Jonathan Bernier) playing in today's NHL." Hmmm. Last time I checked, Marc-Andre Fleury was still a Quebecois and leading the NHL in shutouts.
Patrick Marleau will lace 'em up for his 1,768th NHL skirmish on Monday night, moving past Gordie Howe for most games played. It's a terrific achievement. Worth noting, however, are their birth certificates. Howe was 52 when he finally shut down, Marleau is 41. And, at 52, Howe was a significant contributor for the Hartford Whalers, scoring 15 goals and 41 points in 80 games, plus another two points in three playoff jousts. Marleau is 4-4-8 in what looks to be another lost season for the San Jose Sharks.
And, finally, on the subject of legendary performers, I discovered a DVD of Tony Bennett: An American Classic at a local video story the other day, and I snapped it up immediately. Fan-freaking-tastic. Tony's duets with Barbra Streisand and our Canadian songbird k.d. lang brought on the water works (sheer brilliance renders me very emotional), and there was only one sour note struck—the November 2006 TV special was far too short, just 42 minutes. I wanted at least an hour more.
Author pattidawnswanssonPosted on April 18, 2021 April 18, 2021 Categories SportsTags Aaron Rodgers, Adam Lowry, Alfred Hitchcock, Andrew Copp, Ashley Prest, Barbra Streisand, Bernie Pascall, Blake Wheeler, Bob Hooper, Bob McKenzie, Brendan Bottcher, Brian Dobie, Brian Stedman, Bryan Little, Bud Grant, Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Carey Price, Cheryl Bernard, Cole Perfetti, Connor Hellebuyck, Cool Hand Luke, Craig Button, Curt Menefee, Darren Moulding, Dick Thornton, Don Wilson, Doug Mitchell, Dustin Byfuglien, Dylan DeMelo, Eddie Shack, Edmonton Journal, Evander Kane, Football Reporters of Canada, Fox NFL Sunday, Frank Caliendo, George Steinbrenner, Gino Reda, Gordie Howe, Green Bay Packers, Grey Cup, Hal Steinbrenner, Hartford Whalers, Howie Long, Humpty's Champions Cup, Jack Campbell, Jack Matheson, Jack Roslovic, Jacob Trouba, James Duthie, Jay Glazer, Jim Bender, Jimmy Johnson, Joanne Ireland, Jonathan Bernier, Jordie Benn, Josh Morrissey, k.d. lang, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Cheveldayoff, L.A. Clippers, Major League Baseball, Marc-Andre Fleury, Mark Chipman, Mark Scheifele, Martin Brodeur, Marv Levy, Michael Strahan, Mike Walker, National Hockey League, New York Post, New York Yankees, Nik Lewis, Orlondo Steinauer, Patrick Marleau, Patrick Roy, Patrik Laine, Quebec, Rachel Homan, Ralph Lauren, Rob Riggle, Roberto Luongo, San Jose Sharks, Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Stanley Cup, Steve Simmons, Strother Martin, Super Bowl, Terry Bradshaw, The Birds, Tippi Hedren, Tokyo Olympics, Tony Bennett, Tony Bennett: An American Classic, Toronto Maple Leafs, TSN, University of Manitoba Bisons, Vezina Trophy, Ville Heinola, Vince McMahon, Will Johnson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Jets, Winnipeg Sun, Winnipeg Tribune, world curling championships, WWE2 Comments on Let's talk about the aging of the Winnipeg Jets…to Tokyo in denim…Aaron Rodgers' sticky notes…MLB grappling with lack of sizzle…old friend Big Jim takes a paddywhacking…Canadian Football Hall of Fame gets it right…what about Tricky Dick Thornton?…nightmare on TSN…and other things on my mind
Let's talk about "Delicious Debbie's" gams and how the boys on the beat saw them
In another century that today seems so distant, the use of sexist language and stereotyping in sports was not uncommon, and that included the writing game.
I recall, for example, the great Jack Matheson using what now would be considered sexist terms when mentioning female athletes or politicians in his Winnipeg Tribune column. One might be "a doll" and another might be "a cutey." When Pierre Trudeau introduced Iona Campagnolo as his Minister of Sport in 1976, she became "Elegant Iona" to Matty, and it was true. She was elegant.
Other women were "beautiful" or "sweet" or "glamorous or "a dame" or "a broad."
Debbie Brill
High jumper Debbie Brill became "Darling Debbie" and "Delicious Debbie," and Matty made note of her long, shapely legs more than once.
"Indoor track fans always enjoy watching girls jump high," he wrote, "especially girls with legs like Debbie's."
Legendary sports scribe Trent Frayne similarly gazed upon the Brill gams with unreserved admiration, writing, "There she is, maybe 20 yards from the crossbar, calmly eyeing it, one foot slightly ahead of the other, teetering slowly, back and forth, back and forth, long legs bare and smooth and tanned, twin cynosures."
Seriously. Twin cynosures? I had to cozy up to my good friend Merriam-Webster to clue in. Means Debbie Brill's underpinnings were "the centre of attention or attraction."
So where am I going with this?
Trent Frayne
Well, it certainly isn't to discredit Matty, my first sports editor and the best jock essayist during my time in Good Ol' Hometown, or Trent, with whom I had the considerable good fortune of sharing a work space at the Toronto Sun. They weren't guilty of some heinous crime punishable by public flogging or prison time.
Those old boys wrote in the fashion of the 20th century, which allowed for descriptors not meant to be viewed through the judgmental lens of 2020. (Actually, reading it today, one might find humor in its antiquity. Like, they actually got away with writing that stuff?)
I don't suppose Matty or Trent would use many, if any, of those terms were they around today to crank out their cheeky, witty, sassy essays, because the Politically Correct Police would be knocking on their doors and it wouldn't be a social call. (Mind you, chances are Matty would tell them to shove it, but their visit might put him off his dinner, nonetheless.)
And it's not like they'd gone rogue in their scribblings.
Jocelyne Bourassa
As we learn from Maclean's magazine and The Girl and the Game: A History of Women's Sports in Canada by Margaret Ann Hall, it was commonplace for scribes, almost exclusively male, to wax poetically about the different "cynosures" of various female athletes, and it wasn't always flattering.
This, for example, is the way Jack Batten of Maclean's described the women on the LPGA Tour in 1973: "Tousle-haired, sunshiny, more muscular and perhaps more 'masculine' than most women, like a gang of phys-ed teachers, but fresh and appealing in an Anne Murray kind of way."
Of Canadian Jocelyne Bourassa, he wrote: "She's a husky woman, a little broad in the beam. Her face can't make up its mind whether it belongs to the cute kid next door or to a determined pug, someone with a tough style. It lets you know, anyway, that it is the face of someone independent, aggressive, a woman who can—what the hell—play touch football or baseball with the men." He added that, at a formal function, Bourassa "radiated an approachable tomboy charm."
Which is sort of like saying she wasn't full-on butch, but butch nonetheless.
Meanwhile, here's how journalist/author Paul Grescoe described members of the Vancouver Chimos volleyball team: "They are not the big, butch girls the male chauvenist might expect. Under their loose sweaters—'Up Your Volleyball,' the back of one reads—their baggy sweatpants and shorts, the protective pads on their knees, lurk some women who'd be whistled at in their civvies. Only thick thighs and the occasional masculine-muscled arm reflect their training."
Hmmm. Whistled at in their civvies. No doubt what every elite female athlete strives for—not!
An even more-blatant example of sexism in sports writing would be an Associated Press dispatch from the U.S. Women's National Open golf tournament in 1967. It mentioned that former champion Mrs. Murle Lindstrom was "a pretty divorcee of 28," but not as pretty as Sharron Moran, declared the "prettiest golfer" in America by Golf Digest. Marlene Bauer wasn't pretty, but she was "little and cute."
The article included this comment from tour director Leonard Wirtz: "A few paint on their shorts. If their figures are good, we don't say anything to them. But if some of the plumper girls do it, we give them a gentle hint. We figure it's good for them and the tour." So Jennifer Aniston would be permitted to "paint on" her shorts, but Amy Schumer would receive a verbal undressing (pun intended) if she teed off in anything more form-fitting than a hoop skirt.
When the U.S. Women's Open tees off later this week in Houston, I don't expect we'll be reading or hearing a discussion about butchness, hemlines, pretty divorcees and plump girls. The focus will be on their golf, not their gams.
Times change. Language changes. What's tolerable changes. What's acceptable changes.
I mean, it's one thing to mention that our Brooke Henderson has a fabulous smile and girl-next-door appeal, because it's true. She seems like an absolute delight. But her "babe" factor ought not come into play. Go ahead and describe her outfit, just don't tell us she'd look a whole lot "hotter" golfing in short skirts. Not unless a higher hemline would help her get the ball into the hole.
Female athletes have made strides in how they're perceived, but most still struggle to be taken seriously, just as female sports scribes and broadcasters do.
If only they didn't have those damn "twin cynosures" for the boys on the beat to gawk at.
Author pattidawnswanssonPosted on December 7, 2020 December 7, 2020 Categories Sports, sports and society, sports mediaTags Ann Hall, Anne Murray, Associated Press, Brooke Henderson, Debbie Brill, Golf Digest, Iona Campagnolo, Jack Batten, Jack Matheson, Jocelyne Bourassa, LPGA Tour, Maclean's, Paul Grescoe, Pierre Trudeau, The Girl and the Game: A History of Women's Sports in Canada, Toronto Sun, Trent Frayne, U.S. Women's Open, Vancouver Chimos, Winnipeg TribuneLeave a comment on Let's talk about "Delicious Debbie's" gams and how the boys on the beat saw them
Let's talk about Black Wednesday at the Trib…the toy department roll call…dead soldiers at dawn…hitting dingers off Nolan Ryan…the dog ate Eddie Dearden's golf copy…the dreaded Green Monsters…Sals cheese nips and fries with Jeems Coleman…what's in a (nick)name?…and a "damn good job"
A special Saturday morning smorgas-bored…and a trip down memory lane only hurts if you trip…
I cried. Then got drunk. And cried some more.
I don't recall who bent elbows with me that day. It might have been Ketch. Maybe Swampdog. Could have been the Caveman, Davey Boy, Shakey and Ringo. I can't say for certain.
What I do know is this: Aug. 27, 1980, was the bleakest 24 hours of my first 30 years on the third rock from the sun. That's why we called it Black Wednesday. Some of us still do. I've experienced darker days since, to be sure, but when Southam pushed the stop button on the Winnipeg Tribune presses for the final time 40 years ago, it also put the brakes on something inside me.
I loved working at the Trib. I loved the people.
My plan was to stay for 50 years, just like Uncle Vince Leah had done, then retire. That would have taken me to 2019. As it turned out, I made it through 11 years, less 14 days, before Southam mucky-muck Gordon Fisher clambered atop a desk in the fifth-floor newsroom and informed those assembled that they were now among the great unemployed. Oh, and we could pick up your parting gifts on the way out.
I wasn't there when Fisher did us the dirty on Black Wednesday, but I arrived in a funereal newsroom scant minutes later to find Jack Matheson in our sports bunker. His eyes were red, if not damp.
"It was a helluva run," he said unconvincingly, head bowed and shaking.
I glanced at the final front page, and fidgeted with one corner of the broadsheet.
"It's been 90 great years!" the headline blared.
"Ya," I muttered, "maybe the first 89 years were great, but this 90th year isn't so shit hot."
Matty and his bride Peggy, the LGIW.
Matty managed a weak smile, but my first sports editor was gutted. Totally. I'm not sure I've ever seen a man so deflated, and I immediately hurt a hell of a lot more for him than I did myself.
Matty was Trib sports, you see. The rest of us? We were the backup singers to his Sinatra, and we all knew it. His coattails stretched from one coast to the other, and we were happy to go along for the ride.
It wasn't a sports department that Matty put together, it was an assembly line. It produced six sports editors, eight columnists, one newspaper owner/publisher (Jack Gibson), one radio program director (Vic Grant), one hockey play-by-play voice (Lester Lazaruk), and one happily married couple (Shakey Johnson and Rita Mingo).
Matty had no business hiring me, fresh scrubbed and not a lick of experience other than my time running copy in the newsroom and doing rewrites for Gus Collins, but he did. He also didn't have to sweet-talk me into staying at the Trib after Maurice Smith had offered me more money and better opportunity for advancement at the Winnipeg Free Press. But he did.
Smith, the Freep SE, had wanted me to back up the fabulous Reyn Davis on the Winnipeg Jets beat, and write feature articles. It was very appealing, also tempting.
"We'd love to have you join us," Smith told me, "and this chance won't come again."
Matty caught wind of our tete-a-tete and invited me to a fireside chat. It was very brief. I stayed strictly because of him.
Have I ever regretted not defecting to the other side? No. But I have thought about it many times, knowing my life would have been so much different had I made the move.
Like I said, though, I loved working at the Trib and I loved the people.
The roll call during my tour of duty included Matty, Eddie Dearden, Uncle Vince, Gus Collins, Vic Grant, Larry Tucker, Dave Komosky, John Cherneski, Gregg Drinnan, Jack Gibson, Ian Dutton, Glen Dawkins, Dave Senick, Murray Rauw, Jim Ketcheson, George Johnson, Bob Holliday, Les Lazaruk and Gordon Sinclair Jr. Those were the boys. Our rays of sunshine were Peggy Stewart and the delightful Rita Mingo, who harbored an unreasonable fanaticism for Italian fitba and the Montreal Canadiens. I always thought of photog Jon Thordarson as one of us, too, because he was a great guy and he and Hughie Allan took the best sports pics. And we had regular freelancers like Harold Loster and Ronnie Meyers, a lawyer back then who went on to become a His Honor.
Harold Loster worked for Labatt brewery and, every so often in the swelter of summer, he would stroll into the sports department to drop off his horse racing or bowling copy (yes, bowling copy), and there'd be a large paper bag tucked under one arm. It contained bottles of brown pop, which we would empty after putting the section to bed sometime in the small hours of the morning.
Matty didn't object to our occasional beer swilling, but he cautioned us to keep the volume down "and don't leave any dead soldiers lying around."
We always tried to be gone by the time Matty arrived to proof the sports pages at the crack of dawn, but we weren't always successful. He'd smile, tell us we were "crazy" or "nuts," but I doubt he appreciated walking into a work space that smelled like a beer vat. We'd bug out faster than mice when the lights go on, and we'd be gone by the time he returned from the sixth-floor comp room with the page proofs.
Dave Komosky
Our late-night natters in Matty's bunker were unremarkable in depth, but Dave Komosky had a knack for livening up the banter with outrageous claims.
"You know something," he said one night without prompting, "I could hit a home run off Nolan Ryan."
The rest of us guffawed, of course, and informed him that no sluggo sports scribe could walk off the street and swat a dinger off baseball's foremost flame-throwing righthander.
"Okay," he replied, "maybe not a home run, but I could definitely hit a single. For sure I'd get a base hit. Give me enough practice swings and I'd hit .300 against Ryan."
Another night, Davey boy gazed down at the concrete alley five stories below Matty's bunker and asked: "What do you think would happen if I jumped out this window right now?"
We told him he would be dead.
"No way," he yelped. "At worst I'd break my ankles."
"Not if you landed on your head," someone said.
One thing that did fly out the window was Eddie Dearden's copy.
Early on, we wrote on Underwood typewriters and were required to hand in two copies of our work, one for us to edit and send upstairs for typesetting in the comp room, the other to keep for the desker's reference.
On this occasion, Dave Komosky was laying out the section and he put Eddie's copy aside, placing it in a metal basket on a ledge behind him. It was also next to an open window. Oops.
A couple of hours later, Davey reached back for Eddie's copy, only to discover it missing. We searched for those three pieces of paper like they were the Dead Sea Scrolls. I think one of us actually went down to the alley below to hopefully retrieve the scattered pieces of paper. We'd have had better luck finding Jimmy Hoffa. An uneasiness enveloped us, knowing Eddie would not be amused.
That copy (I believe it was a piece on a golf tournament) became the Amelia Earhart/D.B. Cooper of our operation—never found. And Eddie never believed our "the doge ate your homework" story. He was convinced we had pulled a nasty prank.
Computers were introduced to the Trib newsroom in the latter half of the 1970s, and Eddie and Matty warmed to the "green monsters" like sheep to timber wolves. They insisted on filing hard copy, meaning one of us slugs was required to transfer their stuff into the computer, so it served Eddie right that his copy blew out the window. I mean, no wind ever blew a computer out a window. Mind you, I have seen at least one fly out of a press box.
Nicknames were big in the Trib toy department: Ed Dearden was Steady Eddie; Murray Rauw was Swampdog; Ian Dutton was Caveman; George Johnson was Shakey; Glen Dawkins was Otis; Bob Holliday was Doc; Rita Mingo was Ringo; Les Lazaruk was Ronnie (because of his striking resemblance to Ronald McDonald); Dave Komosky was Komo; Gregg Drinnan was Greaser; Dave Senick was Sinch; and Jim Ketcheson, affectionately known as Ketch, decided all newcomers were Snippets. "I'm up to my chin whiskers in Snippets!" he wailed one night, then punctuated his thoughts with a series of crow calls. "Caw! Caw! Caw!" Ketch often would cry into the dark night, although I never understood the reason why, except he knew it made me laugh.
The esteemed Jeems Coleman
Every so often, legendary Southam columnist Jim Coleman would make a pilgrimage from his home base in the Republic of Tranna to the colonies and grace us with his attendance on the fifth floor. Such a nice man. And always impeccably attired. Between puffs and chomps on his stinky cigar, the esteemed Jeems would use part of his expense account to put us on the feed bag, ordering cheese nips and fries from the Salisbury House across the parking lot from our building at Smith and Graham. Eight months after the Trib folded, we worked the World Hockey Championship together in Sweden for the Toronto Sun. I was disappointed there were no Sals restaurants in Stockholm for late-night takeout. Jim wasn't.
There were some fine scribes on those Trib staffs. Matty and Shakey Johnson were the best. Matty was sassy and cheeky and witty and irreverent and clever and in your face, and he mentioned Sinatra quite often. Shakey was smooth and painted pictures that usually included a reference to a movie or Broadway play in the lede.
And, finally, to all with whom I worked at the Tribune, my thanks for making it the most enjoyable 11 years of my newspaper career. As Matty would tell us when he approved of our work, "damn good job."
Author pattidawnswanssonPosted on August 29, 2020 September 3, 2020 Categories sports mediaTags Amelia Earhart, Bob Holliday, cheese nips, D.B. Cooper, Dave Komosky, Dave Senick, Eddie Dearden, George Johnson, Gordon Fisher, Gordon Sinclair Jr., Gregg Drinnan, Gus Collins, Harold Loster, Hugh Allan, Ian Dutton, Jack Gibson, Jack Matheson, Jim Coleman, Jim Ketcheson, Jimmy Hoffa, John Cherneski, Jon Thordarson, Labatt, Larry Tucker, Les Lazaruk, Maurice Smith, Montreal Canadiens, Murray Rauw, Peggy Matheson, Peggy Stewart, Reyn Davis, Rita Mingo, Ron Meyers, Salisbury House, Southam Inc, Stockholm, Sweden, Toronto Sun, Vic Grant, Vince Leah, Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Jets, Winnipeg Tribune, World Hockey Championships4 Comments on Let's talk about Black Wednesday at the Trib…the toy department roll call…dead soldiers at dawn…hitting dingers off Nolan Ryan…the dog ate Eddie Dearden's golf copy…the dreaded Green Monsters…Sals cheese nips and fries with Jeems Coleman…what's in a (nick)name?…and a "damn good job"
Let's talk about little green men in River City…greybeard boxing…baseball orphans shuffle off to Buffalo…Jeremy Roenick's ungay legal gambit…a 1964 prophecy…jock journos whinge and whinge…the Big M was "unfit to practice"…and many other things on my mind
Another Sunday morning smorgas-bored…and today's post is dedicated to my lovely friend Beverley, who died earlier this month and always appreciated my quirky sense of humor…
According to those who like to track the whereabouts of little green men, UFO sightings were up in Manitoba last year, with folks in Winnipeg observing the third most in the entire country.
Says local Ufology researcher Chris Rutkowski: "People are seeing things for the first time that they may not have noticed before."
Ya, it's called the Grey Cup.
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister dug into his slush fund and came up with $2.5 million in support of Good Ol' Hometown as the Canadian Football League's official hub city should there be a 2020 season. Hmmm. That ought to take care of Chris Walby's bar tab, but it won't leave much for COVID-19 testing.
Greybeard Mike Tyson
Greybeard boxers Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. have signed to go dukes up sometime in September, and they've agreed to wear head protection. So let's see if I've got this straight: Two fiftysomething guys with a combined 133 fights behind them think it's a swell idea to exchange punches for another eight rounds. Seems to me it's a little too late to be thinking about head protection.
So, the orphaned Tranna Blue Jays have finally found a home for their 2020 Major League Baseball crusade. They had hoped to play in the Republic of Tranna, of course, but when that notion was nixed by Trudeau the Younger, the Tranna Nine sought Pittsburgh as a playground, then Baltimore, before landing in Buffalo. That's kind of like trying to book John Lennon or Paul McCartney or George Harrison to play your birthday gig, but settling for Ringo.
Big league ball players are kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner. Hoops stars are kneeling. Fitba's best are kneeling. NFL players have vowed to kneel. I feel a Donald Trump Twitter rant coming down in 3, 2, 1.
Seriously. Why are they even playing the national anthem at fan-free sporting events? Come to think of it, why do they play it when patrons are in the pews?
Dr. Fauci—D'oh!
Nice ceremonial first pitch by America's favorite doc, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the other night at the Washington Nationals-New York Yankees opener in DC. Flame-Thrower Fauci he ain't. The ball never made it halfway to home plate and dribbled into foul territory on the first base side of the field. It was the worst. You know, like Donald Trump's COVID strategy.
Former NBC gab guy Jeremy Roenick is suing the Peacock Network for wrongful dismissal, claiming his lewd comments about lusting after a co-worker's "ass and boobs" and having sex with a male co-worker had nothing to do with his ouster. He was punted because he's an ungay guy, don't you know. It's an interesting gambit. I don't know if Roenick's "I'm a straight man" case will ever get to court, but I have a pretty good idea what Judge Judy would tell him to do with it.
Roenick also claims his removal was due, in part, to his support of Donald Trump. Again, more about an ass and a boob.
Fanless, TV-only sports has arrived, which makes the following comment eerily prophetic: "I'm fully prepared to hear not more than 10 years from now that a hockey game, for instance, will be played behind the locked doors of an arena. The only people in the place will be the players, two cameramen, a floor director, a script assistant, a sound technician, a play-by-play man, a color man and two guards on the door. The guards will have a simple duty. They'll intercept loiterers and old-fashioned hockey fans and put them to flight. The vagrants will be advised they have exactly 15 minutes to get to the nearest television set." That, girls and boys, is a passage from a column written by the great Jack Matheson for the Winnipeg Tribune on Nov. 14, 1964. Today it's so very real.
Gary Bettman
Kevin McGran has a gripe. The Toronto Star shinny scribe is miffed because Commish Gary Bettman has ruled mainstream news snoops persona non grata in the National Hockey League's two playoff hub bubbles, Edmonton and the Republic of Tranna. Only in-house scribes need apply. In a lengthy grumble, McGran grouses that there will be "no colour from inside the room." Right, we're all going to miss those emotional renderings from players reminding each other to "keep our feet moving." McGran closes with this: "Don't get me wrong. This access isn't about us. It's about you. The reader. We do this for our readers. We want to do it the best we can, and now the NHL is not letting. They are shortchanging you, the fans." If McGran listens closely enough, he'll hear the sound of readers not giving a damn.
Some of us saw this day coming quite some time ago, it's just that the COVID-19 pandemic hastened its arrival. This is what I wrote in January 2017: "Pro sports franchises will find fresh ways to increase the disconnect between press row and their inner sanctums, thus making it more difficult for news scavengers to perform their duties. What must newspapers do to combat this? Well, bitching won't help. They can caterwaul about lack of access as much as Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice whinges about the National Hockey League schedule, but that doesn't solve anything. They have to be innovative. Newspapers must stop choking on their indignation and feeling sorry for themselves. It isn't up to pro sports franchises to revert to the old ways of doing business, it's up to the newspapers to discover new and better ways of doing business." So there.
It's rather ironic, don't you think, that news snoops have their boxers in a bunch because the NHL will control the message during its Stanley Cup runoff when, in fact, no enterprise this side of Vlad (The Bad) Putin controls the message more than media?
The Big M
I am an unfamous person, therefore there is no interest in my health chart.
If I catch the sniffles or develop a mild case of fanny fungus, it's my business. If my kidneys go kaput, you could squeeze the number of people who'd actually give a damn into a phone booth, and there'd still be enough room for a couple of circus clowns.
But pro athletes are not unfamous. Well, okay, some are. But, in general, the faithful like to know everything about their sports heroes, from their fave brand of toothpaste to whether or not they hoarded toilet paper at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rabble is keen on knowing about owies, too, especially if it impacts their fantasy leagues or office pools. But usually they're satisfied to learn how long Sidney Crosby or David Pastrnak will be on the shelf.
Jock journos, meanwhile, demand to know the details, as if it's a birthright.
Crosby and Pastrnak are "unfit to practice?" Sports scribes demand to know if it's cancer, a canker sore or COVID-19. Except the NHL is shy on health specifics these days, a policy that continues to put so many knickers into so many knots. Numerous news snoops like Steve Simmons of Postmedia Tranna and Mad Mike McIntyre of the Drab Slab have flailed at Commish Bettman for his don't-ask, don't-tell directive on absenteeism during the attempted reboot of the paused 2020 crusade. Basically, they'd like him to take his hush-hush dictate and shove it where you won't find any daylight.
The thing is, the NHL and its member clubs are under no obligation to make jock journos, or the rabble, privy to the personal health information of workers. It's no different today than in the 1960s, when Frank Mahovlich went from the hockey rink to the hospital.
The Big M's disappearance from the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup on Nov. 12, 1964, was sudden and mysterious. Officially, he was in sick bay for "constant fatigue," which, in today's parlance, translates to "unfit to practice."
"If you want any information on my condition you will have to talk to Dr. Smythe," he told news snoops.
So that's what they did, only to discover that Dr. Hugh Smythe was no more forthcoming when prodded by the pen-and-paper pack.
"Without discussing the diagnosis, I can say there'll be no embarrassment to Mr. Mahovlich or myself when the nature of it is known," he explained.
The specifics of what ailed Mahovlich remained shrouded in secrecy by the time he returned to the fray on Dec. 9, yet somehow the media mob managed to file their daily copy. If privy to the particulars, they kept it on the QT.
Similarly, in the small hours of the morning on Nov. 2, 1967, the Big M walked off a sleeper car at Union Station in the Republic of Tranna and went directly to hospital, while his teammates departed for Detroit.
"I realize this is a difficult thing to request, but the less said by the press, radio and TV people about the reason he is in hospital, the better it would be for Frank," Dr. Smythe informed news snoops.
Turns out Mahovlich had suffered a nervous breakdown, and the boys on the beat were informed that he might be hors de combat for two weeks, two months or for the duration of the season. He was "unfit to practice." Case closed. Nothing more to see.
Fast forward to the present, and we have had many mysterious disappearances. Or mysterious no-shows. All explained as "unfit to practice."
Well, that's all anyone need know until such time as the athlete and/or team choose to come clean. What part of that do news snoops not understand?
Simmons' pout on the NHL's posture re players deemed "unfit to practice" was truly silly, and I had to laugh at Mad Mike's take. In a 1,000-word whinge, he suggests that the cone of silence is ill-conceived because it leads to "speculation." Oh, the horror! Stop the presses! Sports scribes forced to speculate! That, my friends, is a wholly bogus take. What does Mad Mike think he and the rest of them have been doing for the past four months? They've speculated about hub cities. They've speculated about playoff formats. They've speculated about life in a bubble. They've speculated about a Canadian Football League season. They've speculated about Trudeau the Younger tossing CFL Commish Randy Ambrosie some spare change. They've speculated about a roost for the orphaned Blue Jays. They've speculated about Donald Trump's head exploding if one more athlete takes a knee. Sports is, if nothing else, speculation, and so is sports scribbling. It's a large, and fun, part of the gig. Get a grip, man.
Geez, that last item included my third mention of Donald Trump this morning. This makes it four. I promise that the remainder of this post will be a Trump-free (five) zone.
To all the sports scribes who insist there's no stigma attached to a positive COVID-19 test, tell that to Hutterites in Manitoba.
Say, those Seattle Kraken unis are spiffy. Love the logo, love the design, love the colors, love the name. Now we wait for some self-interest group like PETA to bellyache about cruelty to sea monsters and demand a name change.
On the subject of fashion, who's responsible for dressing the women on Sportsnet Central, which returned to air last week? I swear, Carly Agro looked like a giant, upholstered chocolate bar, while Martine Gaillard and Danielle Michaud wore outfits that someone must have dug out of the freebe box at a thrift store. Either that or they've hired Don Cherry's former tailor.
A tip of the bonnet to Scott Oake of Hockey Night in Canada and old friend and colleague Bob (Doc) Holliday. Scotty's one of the truly good guys among jock journos, so it's no surprise that he's included in this year's inductees to the Order of Manitoba, while Doc, one of my all-time favorite people, has had a street in St. Vital named in his honor—Bob Holliday Way. I'm not sure where you'd find Bob Holliday Way in St. Vital, but it's probably the first stop on a Streetcar Named Retire, just past the Red Top Drive-In.
Both Bob and Scotty, by the way, are also members of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, so their trophy rooms are getting cluttered.
I once dreamed of being in the MHHofF, but my dad ran off with my hockey equipment one day and I never played another game.
Nice to see the Winnipeg Sun back to publishing on Mondays, and I must say that the Winnipeg Free Press package on Saturdays is first rate. I'm not just talking about sports in the Drab Slab. It's the entire Saturday sheet, from front to back. Terrific stuff.
Alyssa Nakken
Kudos to Alyssa Nakken, who became the first female to coach on-field in a Major League Baseball game. Alyssa worked first base for the San Francisco Giants v. the Oakland A's last week, and I think that's fantastic.
Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun is convinced that Connor Hellebuyck was snubbed in Hart Trophy balloting for the NHL's most valuable performer. Scotty submits that being a goaltender worked against the Winnipeg Jets keeper, opining, "if your name isn't Dominik Hasek, it's not an easy code to crack." Wrong. Carey Price cracked the code in 2015.
And, finally, as we approach the back end of July and I look out my window to gaze upon the Olympic Mountains in the United States, I note that there's still snow on the peaks. What's up with that? Is it something I should be telling Greta Thunberg about?
Author pattidawnswanssonPosted on July 26, 2020 July 27, 2020 Categories SportsTags Alyssa Nakken, Bob (Doc) Holliday, Bob Holliday Way, boxing, Brian Pallister, Canadian Football League, Carey Price, Carly Agro, Chris Rutkowski, Chris Walby, Connor Hellebuyck, COVID-19, Danielle Michaud, David Pastrnak, Dominik Hasek, Don Cherry, Donald Trump, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Hugh Smythe, Frank Mahovlich, Gary Bettman, gay, George Harrison, Greta Thunberg, Grey Cup, Hart Trophy, Hockey Night in Canada, Hutterites, Jack Matheson, Jeremy Roenick, John Lennon, Judge Judy, Kevin McGran, Major League Baseball, Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, Martine Gaillard, Mike McIntyre, Mike Tyson, National Hockey League, NBC, New York Yankees, Oakland A's, Olympic Mountains, Order of Manitoba, Paul Maurice, Paul McCartney, PETA, Postmedia, Randy Ambrosie, Red Top Drive-In, Ringo Starr, Roy Jones Jr., San Francisco Giants, Scott Billeck, Scott Oake, Seattle Kraken, Sidney Crosby, Sportsnet, Stanley Cup, Star-Spangled Banner, Steve Simmons, The Beatles, the Big M, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Star, Twitter, UFO, Vladimir Putin, Washington Nationals, Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Jets, Winnipeg Sun, Winnipeg Tribune4 Comments on Let's talk about little green men in River City…greybeard boxing…baseball orphans shuffle off to Buffalo…Jeremy Roenick's ungay legal gambit…a 1964 prophecy…jock journos whinge and whinge…the Big M was "unfit to practice"…and many other things on my mind
Let's talk about Dayna Spiring, role model and feel-good Grey Cup story…a ring for young Eddie?…Chris Steveler doing the Ovi and flashing flesh…the Drab Slab wins the front page war…the J-Boys and Beastmo…the Suitor Swoon…root, root, rooting for the home team…jock journo under attack…and hockey is not for everyone
A hump day smorgas-bored…and let's clean out one final notebook before I find a nice, warm corner to sit in…
As the Winnipeg Blue Bombers passed the Grey Grail around like a joint at a love-in on Sunday, no doubt there were lumps on bar stools and dudes in man caves across the land who noticed a smallish, raven-haired woman hoisting the goblet.
"Who's the chick with the Grey Cup?" they likely wondered aloud.
Dayna Spiring
That would be Dayna Spiring, first and only female chair of the Bombers board of directors and, once the engraver is done with his handiwork, the first woman to have her name etched on the ultimate prize in Rouge Football.
And, yes, now that you mention it, I do find it mildly amusing that after 28 Canadian Football League seasons of Winnipeg FC never failing to fail, Dayna showed the boys how it's done her first time out of the chute. You go, girl.
I suppose there are some among the rabble who might pooh-pooh Dayna's contribution to the Bombers' success, because they reckon she doesn't really do much except sit at a big table in a big boardroom and make life difficult for Wade Miller, a real football guy and CEO of our community-run franchise.
Well, look, I don't pretend to know the inner-workings of the Bombers board, nor am I privy to her private chit-chats with Miller, who, I'm told, has a head as hard as a bowling ball and whose mug shot appears beside the word 'mulish' in the dictionary. And I can't tell you what goes on when CFL governors gather behind closed doors. But I'll assume that Dayna is more than just a pretty face in an old boys club, and if David Braley of the B.C. Lions barks at her she'll bark right back if it's in the best interest of Winnipeg FC.
So, no, she has no sway in who starts at quarterback, but she might have something to say about what kind of QB the football club can afford, not to mention the quality of character the large lads stuffed inside those blue-and-gold uniforms possess.
The point is, the Bombers' 33-12 victory over the Hamilton Tabbies in the 107th Grey Cup skirmish on Sunday wasn't just about football.
Young women and girls across the land also saw Dayna hoist the Grey Grail during the post-game hooraw at McMahon Stadium in the Alberta Foothills, and that tells them they can do it, too. Since we all have mothers, daughters, sisters and nieces, isn't that something we should all want for them? The belief in self? The belief in can do?
You bet it is.
I've never met Dayna Spiring, and I doubt I ever will, but, for me, she's the real feel-good story of the Bombers' first Grey Cup victory in 29 years, and a true role model for all women.
Young Eddie
Say, does this Winnipeg FC win mean my dear friend yound Eddie Tait gets a championship ring? I hope so. Once upon a time, of course, Young Eddie was the best football beat writer in all the land, first at the Winnipeg Sun then the Drab Slab, but he escaped the rag trade a couple years back to join the football club and crank out all that quality scribbling for bluebombers.com. I don't know how far down the food chain he is, but it seems to me that someone should be sizing one of Young Eddie's digits for a Grey Cup ring. If so, he'll be the second former Sun scribe to earn one. Mike Petrie went over the wall more than a dozen years ago and eventually became John Hufnagel's right-hand man with the Calgary Stampeders.
For the record, I have zero championship rings, but I seem to recall legendary coach Cal Murphy once letting me kiss his ring finger. It sure beat the other part of his anatomy that some news snoops were kissing.
Just wondering, has Chris Streveler put his clothes on yet? The Bombers backup QB has been half naked since the local football heroes whupped the Tabbies, and he's definitely the most likely candidate to do the Ovie and take a dip in a fountain with the Coupe Grey.
Also wondering, can the CFL not find a welder capable of fixing the Grey Cup so it doesn't fall apart every time one of the large lads takes a swig of beer from the thing? Apparently the binder twine and denture adhesive aren't working.
The Sun clobbered the Drab Slab in playoff and Grey Cup coverage, but the broadsheet scored a big win with its front page on Monday. Brilliant. Probably a collector's item. I don't know who made the call on the Sun front, but it was a bigger flop than the Hamilton offence. I mean, a pic of Andrew Harris running the ball squeezed between a key and an ad? Lame, lame, lame.
Modesty does not prevent me from tooting my own horn at times, and this is one of those times. Here's what I wrote last February, the day after Bombers GM Kyle Walters convinced Willie Jefferson to come on board: "Winnipeg FC might only require Justin Medlock's left leg to get the job done in 2019. I mean, who's going to score on the Bombers? D-coordinator Richie Hall can simply dial up 1-800-GET-SACK and if Jefferson isn't in the QB's kitchen, Jackson Jeffcoat will be. Should the J-Boys falter, Beastmo Bighill will be right behind to tidy things up." And how did it unfold v. the Tabbies? Well, Jefferson had three sacks and two forced fumbles, Jeffcoat had two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, while Bighill scooped up a loose ball. Meantime, Medlock hoofed six three-pointers and a rouge for 19 points, more than enough to win the day. I call that Blind Squirrel Syndrome. Sometimes I get it right.
Chris Cuthbert, Keith Urban and groupie Glen Suitor.
Still can't get over groupie Glen Suitor swooning like a tennybopper when Keith Urban joined him and Chris Cuthbert in the TSN booth late in the third quarter of Sunday's skirmish. The gooey gushing and impromptu lesson in the workings of three-down football were just…so…creepy, and I think Doug Brown of the Drab Slab put it best about the Suitor Swoon with this tweet: "How about we teach Keith Urban Canadian football in a game that isn't the Grey Cup?" Right on, Doug.
Almost as bad as Suitor's orgasmic carry-on was that ridiculous split screen, featuring a blurry vision of Urban on the left, like he was the Pope on his Vatican balcony, and the actual game shown in ant-size. My eyes and ears bled.
Found this post-Grey Cup take from Mad Mike McIntyre of the Drab Slab interesting: "Full disclosure. I had no rooting interest in this game." I call BS on that. I refuse to believe that a guy working and writing in Good Ol' Hometown for more than two decades didn't want the Bombers to beat the Tabbies. You can't permit bias to creep into your copy, but you sure as hell hope the good guys win.
Mad Mike's piece reminded me of something my first sports editor, the great Jack Matheson, wrote when readers suggested he was soft on the Bombers due to a perceived friendship with then-coach Ray Jauch. "All right, I'll come clean, Ray Jauch is a friend of mine, but I didn't know they had enacted some sort of legislation making it a crime for sports writers to have friends. I don't see anything wrong with being friendly with a man you work with every day of the week. Where does it say a football writer and a football coach have to have an adversary relationship? Yes, we're friends. I don't know about 'good' friends, but that doesn't sound like such a bad idea, either, because we have something in common. We're thrown together into the football jungle, and Ray Jauch wants to win because it's his job and I want to win because I live here and I like to be proud of the athletes who represent us." Exactly. And if that was good enough for Matty, it's good enough for me, and it should be good enough for today's scribes.
Mad Mike also reported that there was a nasty and heated verbal exchange post-match between the Bombers faithful and Postmedia Tranna scribe Steve Simmons, who had scribbled a piece suggesting Andrew Harris had no business playing in the Grey Cup game due to his PED bust during the regular season. Let me just say this about that: Simmons is more a hit man than he is a writer. His column has become mean-spirited, slanderous, deliberately incendiary, fraught with factual inaccuracies, and quite witless. He has made a career of assailing and insulting athletes, coaches, managers, etc. of every stripe, so he was simply getting some of his own. As long as it isn't physical, it's part of the gig.
The Simmons incident reminds me of the day I was walking home from the Toad In The Hole in Osborne Village one spring. I have no idea what I had written, but a large chap on the sidewalk opposite me suddenly shouted, "You're a complete piece of shit!" I wasn't eager to cross River Avenue and discuss the raw sewage seeping from his mouth, but I did hasten my pace and made it home safely.
The surprise isn't that Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters once (allegedly) dropped N-bombs in a changing room, the surprise is that so many people are surprised that this sort of racist language and behavior occurs in hockey.
During the tar-and-feathering of Don Cherry after his commentary on immigrants and poppies a few weeks back, numerous opinionists used the occasion to remind us that "hockey is for everyone," as if white ice and a black puck make it so. But the Peters-Akim Aliu incident is a disturbing reminder that hockey is not for everyone. If hockey was for everyone, there would be more faces of color on the ice. If hockey was for everyone, there would have been an openly gay man in the National Hockey League by now. Hockey is a lot closer to being "for everyone" on the women's side, where we've seen lesbians on Olympic and national teams around the globe, and transgender players in the National Women's Hockey League. The men? It's still a horse-and-buggy sport.
And, finally, until we meet again, it's been a slice.
Author pattidawnswanssonPosted on November 27, 2019 November 30, 2019 Categories Sports, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Winnipeg sportsTags Adam Bighill, Akim Aliu, B.C. Lions, BillPeters, Cal Murphy, Calgary Stampeders, Canadian Football League, Chris Cuthbert, Chris Streveler, David Braley, Dayna Spiring, Don Cherry, Doug Brown, Ed Tait, Glen Suitor, Grey Cup, Grey Cup ring, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Jack Matheson, Jackson Jeffcoat, John Hufnagel, Justin Medlock, Keith Urban, Kyle Walters, McMahon Stadium, Mike McIntyre, Mike Petrie, National Hockey League, National Women's Hockey League, PED, Postmedia, Ray Jauch, Steve Simmons, TSN, Wade Miller, Willie Jefferson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg SunLeave a comment on Let's talk about Dayna Spiring, role model and feel-good Grey Cup story…a ring for young Eddie?…Chris Steveler doing the Ovi and flashing flesh…the Drab Slab wins the front page war…the J-Boys and Beastmo…the Suitor Swoon…root, root, rooting for the home team…jock journo under attack…and hockey is not for everyone


If you have read my recent review of my daughter's Stun floral dress, then you may have already seen her proudly showing off her pink and purple ribbon barrette that I created for her using the My Ribbon Barrette Maker (from the creators of the My Friendship Bracelet Maker and the new My Friendship Bracelet Maker Traveler). This well-designed award-winning product is recommended for children ages 6 and older, so I was the one who had the privilege of testing it out, while our 5 year old daughter reaped the benefits. Although she would have understood the simple steps involved in making a ribbon barrette, it does take more care and patience than a 5 year old would have. For example, much care must be taken to make sure the ribbon is not twisted and that there are no gaps in the weave.
The My Ribbon Barrette Maker is designed to store all your supplies, as well as be the extra pairs of hands you need to create a beautiful barrette. To get you started, it comes stocked with 16 ribbons, 128 beads, and 8 barrettes. The work area doubles as a lid that slides into place to cover your supplies, making this kit very portable for your child's next long car trip or rainy vacation day.
Making a ribbon barrette is as easy as following these simple steps . . .
1. Place an open barrette in the holder.
2. Select 2 different colors of ribbon and tie it to the top of the barrette, knotting it on the underside, while making sure the length of the ribbons on each side are similar.
3. Slide the 4 strands of ribbon into the clearly marked slots, the first color into slots 1L and 1R and the second color into slots 2L and 2R.
4. Feed the ribbon from slot 1L downward through the center of the barrette, pulling it taut and sliding it into slot 3R. Do the same with the ribbon in slot 1R, then slide it into slot 3L. Repeat this with the second color of ribbon from slots 2L and 2R, inserting those into slots 4R and 4L. If you have done this correctly, you should see an alternating pattern of color.
5. Move the ribbon from slot 3L to 1L, the ribbon from slot 3R to 1R, the ribbon from slot 4L to 2L, and the ribbon from slot 4R to 2R.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until your barrette is completely covered. Then double-knot the ribbon to secure the weave in place.
7. Select which beads you would like to tie onto the ends of the four strands of ribbon. (Remember that too many beads might make the barrette heavy and cumbersome.) Then trim the end of each ribbon at a slant to make it easier to feed them through the beads.
8. When deciding on the length of the ribbons, the longest one should be no longer than the child's hair. The rest of the ribbon lengths should be staggered. Once the desired lengths have been determined, simply tie a single knot in the ribbon to keep the beads from sliding off and trim the ribbon about 1/8" from the knots.
I made this barrette to match my daughter's Easter dress. I look forward to making more where she can choose the colors. I think these would also be fun for her to give to some of her friends at school just like giving friendship bracelets.
In keeping with the theme of friendship, the Choose Friendship Company launched an anti-bullying campaign earlier this year with this music video of the song "Inside Out" (sung by Marisa Nahas) promoting friendship and how one person can start a chain reaction to stop bullying.
To learn more about the Choose Friendship Company, visit ChooseFriendship.co. For more information about the My Friendship Bracelet Maker, the My Friendship Bracelet Maker Traveler, or the My Ribbon Barrette Maker, visit MyFBM.com and Friendship Bracelet Maker on Facebook.


The textile industry employs about 105 million people directly and indirectly. India's overall textile exports during FY 2017-18 stood at US$ 37.74 billion. The Indian textiles industry is extremely varied, right from fiber to fashion. The Indian textiles industry, currently estimated at around US$ 150 billion, is expected to reach US$ 230 billion by 2020. The Indian Textile Industry contributes approximately 2% to India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 10% of manufacturing production and 14% to overall Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The industry (including dyed and printed) attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) worth US$ 2.82 billion during April 2000 to December 2017. Indian Textile Industry is performing very well although there is huge competitiveness of Indian Textile Industry.
The projected export values to the world by India showing that we will have a positive growth in our export of garments. So this is a good sign for this industry.
Industry Competitiveness of Indian Textile Industry is very high because, there is a high threat of substitutes, higher bargaining power of buyers, high competitive rivalry, and high threat of new entrants. All of these situations are creating a negative impact on the textile industry. Only positive things are there is low bargaining power of suppliers.
There are six major challenges for the Indian textile industry. To remain competitive an industry will need to deal with these challenges.
The Technical Textile Industry in India has witnessed one of the fastest growing rates in the recent years and is expected to reach USD 32 billion by 2023, representing CAGR of 9.6% during 2014-2023.
The global apparel market size is expected to reach $2.6 trillion in 2025 growing by a projected rate of 4%. By 2025, India will be the second most attractive apparel market adding around $121 bn in the world.
According to the report of Textile Ministry of India till the year 2012-13 the production of textile machinery was Rs5280 Cr. Indian Market has a lot much potential to be in the machine manufacturing field and has a great future in it.
The growth of Indian E-Commerce companies provides opportunities for the Indian textile industry in the domestic as well as international market. Amazon, Flipkart, Jabong, and Myntra are some of the examples of E-commerce.
Indian Textile Industry has great competition in Spinning, Weaving and Processing Sectors.
To stand out unique in the textile market industries has to do something innovative than the current competitors.
Before entering into a business one must do a market survey and take feedback from people, from the same he or she must make a conclusion to start the business.
Industries must focus on their serviceability and must work according to the customer's demand in the market.
In order to be a good competitor industry must have a customer focus, good working culture, good promotion strategies with the following ways industries can make a good market as well as profit in the textile market.
Various types of machine use in the apparel industry from Warehouse to finishing. In this article, you will get a list of machinery and their functions of apparel industry. Hopefully, this list of all the machinery of the apparel industry with their uses will help you to understand the different machine functions. This list contains all types of Garments machinery.
Normally we use the word 'washing' to mean cleaning. But in case of garments, washing is not limited to this function. For garments, washing is not only required for cleaning but also required for improving fabric quality, increase softness of fabric, reduce shrinkage, removing of dirt and for creating color effects. In other sense washing is a technique which used to remove impurities dirt, dust, oil etc. from the surface of garments, softness feeling of cloths, outlook fashion of the apparel and increasing color fastness.
According to the process of washing, garments washing is basically of two types; one is wet process and other is dry process.
Though garments washing is done to meet several objectives, but among those followings are the most common.
Several chemicals are used for garments washing. Here is the list of chemicals use in garments washing.
Washing plant can be automated, semi-automated. An engineer is responsible for all process to control such as Garments, m/c, H2O, Chemicals, PH etc.
Industrial Engineer at Radisson Garments Ltd.
A good financing decision works as a driving force for an organization to build a strong financial position. Financing decision varies from industry to industry, organization to organization according to their financing requirement, financial strength and risk-taking behavior of that particular parties. Here in this article, you will have basic ideas of Financing for Textile and Garments business and how you can take a financial decision.
Basically, the objective of financing is to collect money from the least cost sources and then invest in profitable sectors. Here the challenge is to minimize the cost and maximize the profit of the investment. Financing is required for different stages of business, like an initial startup of the business, or for maintaining the operational expenditures or for expansion of a business. The mechanism of these financing need varies from business to business.
If you are going to finance for the manufacturing industry then you will be required a large amount of fund for a startup or for expansion of your business, and for operating expenditure you will be required working capital which is much less than the initial investment. On the other hand in the service industry, you have to invest a large amount of capital in the initial year and the operation cost is not that much high.
Now come to the point of financing for textile and garments industries, as this one is manufacturing industry which requires to buy different types of equipment (power and electricity generator, spinning machine, knitting machine, dyeing machine, printing machine, sewing machine, cutting machine and many more) we have to spend lots of money and our huge amount of capital will be invested for this purpose. In addition to this thousand of garments, the worker will be working here, for payment of salary and wages you will be required a larger amount of working capital. On the other hand for importing raw materials you will also be required a huge amount of money.
If you want to expand your business to increase production capacity you have to invest a huge amount of money on a long-term basis.
The question is how you can manage this required money and from where you can source this money. At the time of sourcing of money/ fund, you always have to be careful about the cost of that fund, the least costing source will be preferable.
Initial startup of a business.
Expansion of Business/ Production Capacity.
Long-term bank loan (Debt Financing).
Selling share (Equity Financing); in case of a public limited company.
Or you can choose both debt financing and equity financing (the ratio of debt to equity will depend on the financial strength and the business risk of that company).
From the above alternatives, my personal suggestion is to choose the third one because you cannot usefully debt financing because you have to bear a fixed cost (interest) for a certain interval of time for a period.
Fixed cost financing may increase your financial risk, so try to avoid fully debt financing.
On the other hand, equity financing is more costly as you have to share all of your profit proportionately according to the contribution of equity capital.
The right choice is to use debt and equity to minimize the weighted average cost of capital. And you have to form your optimal capital structure by considering two major factors (business risk & financial strength). Taking a loan for a new business is not that much easy, that's why initially we have to depend upon our own capital first. With the passes of time, for a successful business, it will be better to increase the debt percent so that taxable income can be reduced.
Hedging Policy of Working Capital Management: Hedging policy is one of the popular policy of managing funds where a matching principle is used. Financing for a current obligation is done from the current assets (current sources) and on the other hand financing for a long-term obligation is done for the long-term assets (long-term sources). That means for a short-term requirement of funds you need to collect from short-term sources and for long-term requirements you have to collect from long-term sources.
Conservative Policy of Working Capital Management: In the case of conservative policy company has the intention of taking a low risk for financing the current asset. Additional fund required for fixed assets company keeps the extra fund for using as a current asset. Here company financing (collecting) more funds from the long-term sources for both the current asset and fixed/long-term assets. The main intention is to lower the risk of financing for current asset.
Aggressive Policy of Working Capital Management: the Aggressive policy of working capital management is a risky policy in a sense that most of the required funds for current and long-term assets is to be financed from the short term sources, a lower amount of funds will be collected from the long-term sources. Basically, the money will be kept less than the required amount for working capital that why risk is higher.
Before taking a policy form all these above-mentioned policies you must evaluate your ability to liquid your asset and liquid (cash) required for your business. Another thing is your risk-taking behavior towards working capital management.
Lowering the collection period of accounts receivables.
Delaying the payment of accounts payable.
Delaying the payment of salaries and wages.
Taking a short-term bank loan.
Purchasing raw materials on credit.
As you already know that for the business of textile and garments you will be required a lot of money. Expansion of business or expansion of production capacity requires a larger investment for purchase machinery and equipment, land, construct a building, etc. This is more or less similar to the initial investment for your business. In addition to acquiring capital assets, you have to hire workers and employees for supporting your business expansion. The thing is you have to pay wages and salaries, purchase of additional raw materials or any other operating expenditures. So you can manage this extra money from both long-term sources and from short-term sources. Whether you choose long term or short term source, is mainly depends on your financial strength and adequacy of money for your existing business. Normally a profitable textile and garments company has the intention to expand when they find that the business is profitable and they can manage their extra required fund from their own profit.
After these discussions, I think that it is clear how you can finance your textile and garments and which sources are available for financing. Careful analysis is to be done before any larger investment because large investment risk is higher and involve cost also.
If you have any confusion then you can comment here. I will try to give you a suggestion about financing and different problematic situations.


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Engine News
Sonoma Raceway President Set to Retire
By Engine Builder
After nearly three decades at the helm of one of Northern California's premier motorsports facilities, Sonoma Raceway President and GM Steve Page announced that he will retire at the end of 2020.
- Edelbrock's Smitty Smith Dies at Age 70
- PerTronix Performance Brands Promotes Jeff Stacy
- NASCAR Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Induction
Page's 29-year tenure at the road course and drag strip, which began in 1991 at then-Sears Point Raceway, spanned two owners and the evolution from an underdeveloped facility to a modern professional sports venue and performance automotive center. Page promoted and supervised events with a variety of the top racing series, including NASCAR, NHRA, INDYCAR and more.
"I have been so fortunate to work all these years with an amazing team and to have the support of a company in Speedway Motorsports that is committed to operating the top facilities in our industry," said Page, who resides in Sonoma with his wife, Judy. "This decision did not come easily, but I ultimately decided it was time to begin a new chapter and find other ways to be active in this wonderful community where we are so fortunate to live."
In addition to ushering the 1,600-acre property through a $100 million modernization from 1999-2002, Page is a member of the Sonoma County business and non-profit community. Under his leadership, the Sonoma chapter of Speedway Children's Charities has distributed more than $6.8 million to Sonoma County nonprofit youth organizations since 2001.
Page is also a board member of Speedway Children's Charities and the Road Racing Industry Council, and serves on advisory boards for 10,000 Degrees Sonoma County and Social Advocates for Youth. He is also a former chair of the Sonoma County Tourism Council.
Speedway Motorsports, the raceway's parent company, will launch a national search to recruit candidates for the position.
For more information: sonomaraceway.com.
Tags: racing, Sonoma Raceway
NASCAR Names New Sr. VP of Competition, Promotions
Midwest Pro Stock Association Set for Rebirth with 7 Races in 2023
Vance & Hines Shakes Up NHRA PSM Team
Hot Rod Power Tour 2023 Dates and Locations
Dayco Recruits Craig Frohock as its New Aftermarket/Belt CEO
Dayco, a leading engine product and drive systems manufacturer for the automotive, heavy-duty and industrial market segments, is delighted to announce that Craig Frohock accepted the opportunity to join Dayco Aftermarket and Belts as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 16, 2023. Reporting directly to the Board of Dayco, Craig is responsible for the business
Dayco, a leading engine product and drive systems manufacturer for the automotive, heavy-duty and industrial market segments, is delighted to announce that Craig Frohock accepted the opportunity to join Dayco Aftermarket and Belts as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 16, 2023. Reporting directly to the Board of Dayco, Craig is responsible for the business unit's global operational performance and strategic direction.
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WyoTech to Unveil New Campus Expansion
WyoTech, a leading U.S. automotive, diesel, and collision trade school, announces it will host an open house on Nov. 19 to unveil the 90,000-square-foot expansion to its Laramie, Wyoming campus. The $16 million expansion will allow the school to increase its capacity to 1,200 students to accommodate a rapidly growing enrollment. Related Articles – Holley
By Engine Builder Jan 19, 2023
Holley Announces 2023 Event Dates
Holley Performance Parts has revealed the dates for its popular high-performance race events, including an all-new gathering for LS enthusiasts in Texas. Related Articles – Nominations Open for SEMA Hall of Fame – Shelby American to Build 750hp Mustang for Carroll Shelby's 100th Birthday – The 2023 Engine Performance EXPO Starts Today! Holley is again
2023 Drive for Diversity Driver Development Class Announced
NASCAR and Rev Racing have announced the next generation of drivers participating in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program. Following a national and international search, eight talented drivers were selected for the newest class after participating in the Advance Auto Parts Drive for Diversity Combine. Related Articles – Lucas Oil Welcomes 15th Year
Joe Morrison Teams With Herzhauser for Switch From Top Fuel to Funny Car in 2023
Joe Morrison, who gained a loyal following over his first three seasons in Top Fuel, will switch to the nitro Funny Car class in 2023, driving for East Coast-based owner Mark Herzhauser. Related Articles – Jesel Valvetrain Founder Dan Jesel Has Passed Away – Josh Steinmetz Named Hot Shot's Secret Brand Manager – Hoonigan Co-Founder
Reid Machine's 392 Intake Roller Rocker Arms
These rocker arms come ready to handle just about any racing application.
NGK Spark Plugs Adds Jeffrey Schlenker as GM of Purchasing
NGK Spark Plugs (U.S.A.)—the Wixom, Michigan-based manufacturer of ignition parts and sensors—has announced Jeffrey Schlenker has joined the company as general manager of Purchasing. Related Articles – Ralph Sheheen Among Inductees for 2023 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame – SEMA Statement on the Status of the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act –
By Engine Builder Dec 22, 2022
Ralph Sheheen Among Inductees for 2023 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame
The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame has announced its 2023 inductees, who will be honored on Saturday, June 3, for the 33rd induction ceremonies in Knoxville, Iowa. Among the names is SPEED SPORT's Ralph Sheheen, who also serves as the host of PRI's Grand Opening Breakfast. Related Articles – Introducing Screen to Speed Powered
SEMA Statement on the Status of the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act
SEMA and PRI must share that despite strong Congressional backing and extraordinary support from the racing community, the 2021-2022 Congressional session is ending without passage of the RPM Act. Related Articles – Hot Shot's Secret Signs Two Year ODSS Title Sponsorship – Chris Douglas Named President, CEO of Edelbrock Group – Kyle Fickler Joins ProCharger

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Pseudomuscari chalusicum, the Chalus grape hyacinth, is a species of flowering plant in the squill subfamily Scilloideae of the asparagus  family Asparagaceae, native to Iran. Chalus is a county in northern Iran. Growing to about  in height, it is a bulbous perennial with floppy, curved leaves sitting close to the ground, and small clusters of bell-shaped flowers on erect stems, appearing in mid-spring. The flower colour is pale blue at the tip, shading downwards to a darker blue. Unlike some other Muscari species, it does not spread rapidly.

It is still known under its synonym Muscari pseudomuscari. In cultivation in the United Kingdom it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It requires a sunny position in well-drained soil, and is hardy in most places in the UK - down to about .

References

Flora of Iran
Scilloideae

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Should I mention to Jim that I will be using this guitar pretty much for fingerstyle play to set up the action accordingly? I'm going for the bone saddle and nut. Is setup included in the install? Sorry if this is a stupid question.
Not a stupid question at all, Frank. Yes, I think you should tell him when you order saddle & nut.
Now, I guess we have to get together & order tuners. Tuffy put a set of Grover Sta-tites on his F-III ($37 + bushings?)& said they would look fine. LMII has Goth open-gear tuners made just for them (think all metal, no plastic bushings). They go for $43-$55 (approx.), plus bushings, which will be needed if mini tuners are stock.
Besides the Waverlys that Joyce wants, which Jim probably carries, which are the ones most would want? My impression was most wanted open-gear ones, but any thoughts? If Jim orders more than 3 from Stew-Mac (Grovers) or the Gotohs (LMII), a discount will be applied. Just most of us have to get on the same boat? My new LMII catalog should be here this week, as I prefer to read magazines. Can you guess which room?
Any thoughts? I want to see what they come with & how the guitar sounds before I put Waverlys on. My F-III would definitely get them, just haven't done it yet or found the need.
Grovers, shows one. Gotoh, shows 2.
Another reason for building them in Vancouver versus Oxnard might be employee pay scale...I would assume that cost of living is less in western Canada than southern California, so it stands to reason that labor costs would be less up north as well. Therefore, the lower price, lower profit margin models are made there. The more expensive models are made in CA.
Now we know what we already knew - Larrivee IS building our guitars.
Sorry, just had to pipe in on this comment. Vancouver has the most expensive real estate in our country. Not a cheap place to live.
Jim, very sorry to hear that you were ill and viruses managed to take your computer out. Just know that Karma does have a way of coming around and smacking people in the head that do stuff like send out viruses. Their time will come.
Besides the Waverlys that Joyce wants, which Jim probably carries, which are the ones most would want? My impression was most wanted open-gear ones, but any thoughts?
For my FIV, I'd like open gear tuners. At the moment, I'm leaning toward Sta-tites, but I could easily be convinced to go for Waverlys.
Waverlys...can we get them in gold?
Definitely an open tuner for me!!!!!!
P.S. lyric girl, thanks for the clarification on western Canada's real estate market and cost of living...who knew!
It's the Martin Style. I think they will put it in the case if I remember right. That's what I asked for in the beginning ie. don't install it. John Jr. did surprise us on the F-III though and offered the clear guards as well. Maybe it will happen again.
E-mail Jim about your choice.
Not to side track your options discussion but I found this info interesting, a little excerpt from Acoustic Guitar on alternative woods.
"Many alternative woods for backs and sides have already proven themselves in the marketplace. "Take sapele and ovangkol, for example, which are mahogany and rosewood alternatives," says Taylor Guitar's Bob Taylor. "They're both widely used in guitar building now, though 15 years ago you never saw them in a guitar. We make 80 guitars a day with sapele and ovangkol, and people accept them readily." "
Kind of puts into perspective the difference in guitar production between Larrivee and Taylor. If Larrivee was putting out 80 guitars a day you would be playing your F-IV's right now.
From the looks of it these open gear tuners come with a chrome tuning knob that looks permanent, so you would have to like the knob, correct?
I can wait for tuners. I haven't swapped out the LS-03's yet and it hasn't been a problem so far. Not a priority for me.
Prefer quality over marketing and Quantity tho. I will take the Larrivee anyday. Not that Taylors are bad they are great guitars tho more duds and much more expensive. Gotta pay for the Celeb endorsement somehow I guess. Just NOT ME!!!!!
Same here. I actually took the open gear tuners off my OM and put the original (Schallers) back on...might do the same on my D-03 (pretty sure the originals are Pings). Of course, now I have extra holes in the headstocks of both.
So I'm not in any hurry to mod the Forum IV with tuners that will require extra holes. I might go with a replacement tuner that lines up with the stock holes. Would that be one of the Gotoh minis?
I think the regular Gotoh, not 510s, line up...not sure. I'm not sure about the 510...they might? Don't Schallers line up OK too? If I change them, it won't be a set of open gear or anything fancy. Whatever fits basically.
The discussion earlier had been about ordering a number of open-geared tuners to get a price break. I, too, haven't touched my F-III mini Pings, but open ones sure would look nice. I haven't had any tuning problems with the Pings. Considering the cost Larrivee gets them for, which on a massive order would be pretty cheap, they are just fine. A little more accuracy would be a trade-off, the Grovers being 18:1 ratio. The Gotohs are 15:1, I'm pretty sure, so not much of a difference (mini Pings, 14:1). They would add a nice vintage look, but to some looks aren't everything. Shouldn't be, but it's fun to get your guitar looking like you want it to?
I was going to go with the clear pick guard, but after seeing the Santa Cruz "1929" & some Martin -15 & -17 series, am digging the TS one. Have a clear on my F-III, which is perfect. Personal preference. Normally like a clear one on all Larrivees, Traditional series being the exception. Have a choice, so just let Jim know?


Tonight's Big Story: Is It Newswordy?
WASHINGTON, Any Minute Now -- Federal and state party officials struggled today to contain the damage from the latest spill by Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele.
Steele's recent comments about President Obama and the war in Afghanistan -- captured on camera and quickly posted on the Internet -- threatened to cause both short- and long-term damage to what most observers have considered a strongly pro-Republican political environment. Coming just months before the 2010 midterm elections, the comments risked becoming especially toxic to Republican prospects of recapturing the House or the Senate.
"The Cheneys: Undermining American Values Since -- "
It's hard to put a start date on it, isn't it? The former vice president and his mud-slinger of a daughter have been plying their dark arts for so long, it can feel like there's never been a time when they weren't altogether too much with us. When we didn't find ourselves turning away from the TV with a sudden need for a barf bag and a disinfectant.
Not true, though. Not true at all.
Sorry. I just made up those last bits. About Liz Cheney and the Taliban, I mean. About Liz Cheney and al-Qaeda. Those things never happened.


Fastnet Rock posted his 15th Australian stakes-winner this season when the Gai Waterhouse trained mare Upon This Rock (4m Fastnet Rock x Joleur, by Bite the Bullet) scored a surprise win in the Listed Dark Jewel Classic at Scone on Saturday.
An easy winner at Warwick Farm on April 4, Upon This Rock was sent across to Adelaide last start for the Group II SAJC Queen of the South Stakes in which she finished fifth, but she bounced back from that effort with a career best performance.
Upon This Rock upstaged her more fancied stablemate More Strawberries, surging home from back in the field to score a stylish win in the 1400 metre event over Lonhro's sister Shannara, who won this race last year.
Upon This Rock was bought by James Bester Bloodstock for $225,000 from the Willow Park draft at the 2009 Magic Millions Yearling Sale and is raced by Laurie Macri, who shares in the ownership of that other star Fastnet Rock filly Atlantic Jewel.
She has the overall record of five wins and 10 placings from 24 starts with prizemoney of $337,940.
Upon This Rock is a half-sister to stakes-winners Gaze On and Bhutane Dane, so is the third stakes-winner for outstanding producer Joleur.
A daughter of prolific sire of winners Bite the Bullet (USA), Joleur is a sister to Group III winner Mica's Pride, the dam of Group II winner Varenna Miss and stakes-winner Silently.
Joleur is also a half-sister to stakes-winning Fastnet Rock three year-old Amah Rock, who raced on Saturday finishing a game second to Mental in the Group III BRC BTC Classic at Doomben.
The current yearling from Joleur, a colt by Choisir made $160,000 when snapped up by Brad Spicer at Magic Millions earlier this year.
Upon This Rock is the 31st stakes-winner for Fastnet Rock, who is leading the Australian General Sires List by earnings and stakes-winners.


text:
1989 Miami Hurricanes Sugar Bowl Nati...
1989 Miami Hurricanes Sugar Bowl National Championship Ring
1989 Miami Hurricanes Won 1990 Sugar Bowl 33-25 Over Alabama Crimson Tide. 1990 Sugar Bowl was the 56th edition of the college football bowl game for the 1989–90 bowl game season. 1989 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. Miami Hurricanes finished 1989–90 with a record 11 wins and 2 losses, finished 2nd and Rank 1st in the Final AP poll.
1989 Miami Hurricanes Sugar Bowl National Championship Ring Features:


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Picturing the Yukon: Yukon Films in Vancouver
Andrew Connors
Andrew directed and co-wrote Shipyards Lament, for CBC Newsworld's 'Roughcuts' in 2002. It won the best film 'Made in the Yukon' award at the 2002 Dawson City International Short Film Festival. His first film, Hands, Head, Heart (1998) and more recently Facing Miles Canyon (2004) can be seen on Bravo! Television in Canada. Currently, he and Yukon singer-songwriter, Kim Barlow have been presenting luckyburden: songs & film, a live music and film performance about 20th century life in the silver mining towns of Keno City and Elsa, in cities across Canada. He is in post-production on his first short drama, Artifacts, a mystery film set in Keno City. Andrew lives in Whitehorse, Yukon.
An On Edge/ Video In/ Yukon Film Society presentation.
Postcard design: Guiniveve Lalena
Poster design: Paul Wong
PROGRAM ONE
PROGRAM TWO
Funded by The Canada Council, BC Arts Council, Govt of Yukon Cultural Services, Lotteries Yukon, BC Gaming and the City of Vancouver.


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The critical importance of the Supreme Court to Donald Trump's victory
Hats off to Hotair.com's "Allahpundit" for a fascinating analysis posted late last night. It is an endlessly intriguing look at data points in the exit polls that I had missed entirely.
How many times did NRL News Today write about how the next President would nominee as many as three justices to the Supreme Court? And the critical importance of voting for pro-life Donald Trump for this reason?
It turns out that one of the exit poll question asked how important the Supreme Court was in people's vote. The graph below is startlingly revealing.
56% of those who voted for Trump said it was the most important factor, compared to 41% for Hillary Clinton. Allahpundit notes, of course, we can't know how many of those people would have voted for their respective candidates anyway.
But you could say that about any issue. So it is important that we not dismiss a 15 point differential on the issue of the Supreme Court. That is huge.
And, as Allahpundit immediately adds, that advantage could well have been critical in Midwestern states where Trump won very narrowly. (See below for more on that.)
Clearly, pro-life people listened to pro-life organizations such as National Right to Life and zeroed in on the High Court. And, as I have argued over and over, the significance of Donald Trump's opposition to late term abortion, expressed in the third debate, cannot be overstated.
When he outlined in vivid detail what Hillary Clinton supports, you could almost sense a collective gasp among all those many, many tens of millions of Americans who know very little about the hideous reality of abortion.
As we have observed more than once, there were pro-lifers who had their doubts about Donald Trump. But reassured by what we wrote and (far more importantly) by what the now President-elect said, they "came home."
But that was also true for Republicans.
How many times were we told that unless almost all Republicans voted for Trump he couldn't win? That was true. What wasn't true were all the stories that flatly stated that could not possibly happen.
In fact 90% of self-identified Republicans said they voted for Trump, compared to 89% of self-identified Democrats who voted for Clinton. But less than two weeks before, a poll found that not even a majority of Republicans thought the party would come together!
In all three of the Rust Belt trifecta states, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, Trump's support among Republicans was slightly better than Clinton's was with Democrats. In Pennsylvania the GOP split for him 89/9 (+80) versus Democrats splitting 87/11 for Clinton (+76).
In Michigan Republicans broke 90/7 for Trump (+83) compared to Democrats breaking 88/9 for Hillary (+79). And in Wisconsin, which was supposed to be Clinton's strongest state, they were dead even at +84 in net party support with Republicans dividing 90/6 for Trump and Democrats dividing 91/7 for Clinton. Any degree of underperformance with his own base might have cost him the election, but in the end they were rock solid.
Alas, the state exit polls didn't ask specifically about the Supreme Court, but given how tight those three races were and how remarkable Trump's support was among what was supposed to be a divided Republican Party, is it likely that the Scalia vacancy made the difference? I think it's surely possible.
Categories icon Donald Trump, Supreme Court
Tags icon Donald Trump, Polls, Supreme Court
Republicans unanimously support Ryan for Speaker, Democrats postpone decision on Nancy Pelosi
Iowa pro-lifers enjoyed huge electoral successes at federal and state levels