With voters in the state of Washington having chosen to legalize marijuana, comedy writer Alex Kaseberg notes: "As a result, the University of Washington has changed its mascot from the Huskies to the Snoop Dogs." . . . “Can we get a movement going to squeeze goalposts closer together?” asks Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I believe the NFL field goal conversion percentage is now higher than the NBA's overall free-throw percentage. We're giving puny kickers too big a voice.” . . . That monkey that was on the loose at a Toronto IKEA the other day? Richmond blogger TC Chong reports that it “assembled a dresser, dining room table and chairs using just a multi-head screwdriver and pliers.” . . .
The odds would have been awfully long on centre Colin Smith of the Kamloops Blazers making Canada’s national junior team, but he deserved the opportunity to give it his best shot. So, too, did goaltender Cole Cheveldave and you have to wonder when scouts will stop looking at his height and check out his statistics. Those are the numbers that count and all he does is stop pucks. . . . Larry Brooks of the New York Post feels the NHL and NHLPA were really, really close to a deal before last week’s implosion. “The owners and (Gary) Bettman walked away from the deal,” he writes, “because they do not want to complete a deal with (Donald) Fehr. They want him removed from the equation. That has become their primary mission, a priority greater than negotiating a CBA and saving the 2012-13 season.” . . .
Ron Judd, in the Seattle Times: “Salt Lake City wants to bid on the 2026 Winter Olympics. Seems like a lot of trouble to go to just to keep Mitt Romney employed, but OK.” . . . One more from Judd: “Every time we start to read a story online about anti-virus guru John McAfee's meltdown in Central America, our computer slows to a sudden crawl. Coincidence? We think not.” . . . The 2013 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule is out and the stock cars will be stopping at Vernon’s Motoplex Speedway on July 13. . . . Would all of you NHL and NHLPA folks please go home for Christmas and just leave us alone for a couple of weeks? Come back on Jan. 2, at the earliest. Thank you. . . .
“The best part about the Yankees’ new payroll constraints,” writes Mike Lupica in the New York Daily News, “is how offended members of the local media seem to be that Hal Steinbrenner won’t spend the way they want him to.” . . . Kind of sounds like the approach some of the talking heads from the east appear to have taken with the NHL lockout, practically begging both parties to end it. . . . Here’s Lupica, again: “It is always worth pointing out that if baseball were run the way college football is, the league championship series would be played when they are in the middle of October, and then they wouldn’t start the World Series until December.” . . . The week’s best news may have been quarterback Anthony Calvillo’s re-signing with the Montreal Alouettes. The CFL just wouldn’t be the same without him. . . .
Skye Buck, the Clearwater teacher and former UCC/TRU basketball player who was killed, with his wife, in a car accident on Sunday, had quite a run at the 1999 AA high school basketball championships. It was the first time the tournaments were held in Kamloops and Buck, a star with the Clearwater Raiders, was named to the all-star team. Tony Parker, the high school numbers guru in these parts, remembers Buck as having a terrific tournament. . . . Outfielder Torii Hunter left the Los Angeles Angels for the Detroit Tigers, who coughed up $26 million over two years. But after Angels owner Arte Moreno signed outfielder Josh Hamilton for $125 million and five years on Thursday, Hunter tweeted: “I was told money was tight but I guess the Arte had money hidden under a mattress. Business is business but don’t lie.” . . .
Where are so many drivers in our city going in such a hurry? Am I missing something? Is there always a big sale on somewhere? . . . Is Toronto the only place in the world where Santa would get fired for telling the truth? If you haven’t heard, a young boy wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs tuque showed up to visit Santa at a store in Toronto. And the old guy told the kid the truth: The Leafs suck. . . . That particular Santa no longer is employed. . . . After an NFL head coach spent some time in hospital this week, The Onion headlined its story: Mike Mularkey Released From Hospital After Suffering From Overexposure To Jacksonville Jaguars. . . .
Don’t be looking for ex-Blazers forward Hnat Domenichelli in the Spengler Cup this season. Domenichelli, who is with Lugano of the Swiss A league, broke the tibia and fibula in his right leg on Oct. 19 in Zurich and had surgery there. He isn’t expected to play again until February. . . . Domenichelli, 36, is in his 10th season in the Swiss A league and had nine points in 14 games when he was injured. . . . The U of Wisconsin lost its head football coach this week when Bret Bielema signed on with Arkansas. So the U of W has chosen to have Barry Alvarez, a former head coach who is its athletic director, serve as interim head coach. He will coach the Badgers through the Rose Bowl. For the extra duties, Alvarez will pocket US$118,500, plus an extra $50,000 for a victory. Talk about coming up smelling like roses.
(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, gdrinnan.blogspot.com and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears Saturdays, except when it doesn’t.)
There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
Posts
