Sunday, July 13, 2014





After that great American sporting event of July 4 -- Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest -- Eric Kolenich of the Richmond, Va., Times-Dispatch scribbled: “Joey (Jaws) Chestnut consumed 61 hot dogs in 10 minutes. The average American eats only 70 per year.” . . . You should know that prior to this year’s event, ESPN renewed its contract with Major League Eating, which isn’t to be confused with Major League Baseball, for the next 10 years. . . . A quiz from Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times -- “The greatest American sports dynasty of the 21st Century is: a) the Spurs; b) the Red Sox; c) Joey Chestnut.” . . . A tweet from David Larkins of the Winnipeg Sun: “Joey Chestnut is coming to Winnipeg. So now's a great chance to grab that hot dog bun you've always wanted autographed.” . . .

The Purdy family in Kansas is headed up by Casey, a New York Yankees fan who has brothers named Roger, Andy and Mickey. Casey’s children are named Jeter, Maris and Yogi. . . . Seriously. . . . As Perry notes: “Luckily for the Purdys, it’s a long way down the Yankees’ all-time roster to the likes of Stubby Overmire, Snuffy Sternweiss and Pee-Wee Wanninger.” . . . Competitors in the Tour de France have been complaining about spectators standing on the road to take selfies with the cyclists headed their way. As Perry noted: “Too bad this fad hasn’t caught on at the Running of the Bulls.” . . .

Of Germany’s 7-1 throttling of Brazil in a World Cup semifinal game, Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post claims “it was the most embarrassing outcome of a high-profile contest since Rob Ford was elected mayor of Toronto.” . . . In case you missed it, running back Jerome Messam’s tour of the CFL is continuing in Regina. He was added to the Roughriders’ roster during the week; he also has worn uniforms belonging to the B.C. Lions, Edmonton Eskimos and Montreal Alouettes. . . . You wonder if the ultra-talented Messam realizes that the Arena league is next. . . .

With LeBron James’ decision to return home to Cleveland, you no doubt were wondering if he also would give the Cavaliers a hometown discount. . . . Yes, and pigs can fly. . . . He will sign a two-year deal for US$42.2 million with the Cavs. In two years, the NBA will get another gazillion dollars in TV money, meaning there will be even more money there for the best players. He will opt out of his contract and here we go again. . . . “LeBron James says his time in Florida was like going to college for him,” reports Vancouver funnyman Torben Rolfsen. “That would make him the first athlete in Miami to last four years in college.” . . . James, it seems, is intent on spending his playing days chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan. What James, who has two NBA championship rings, seems to forget is that Jordan won six rings in eight years and did it all with one team, the Chicago Bulls. . . . One more Cleveland-related note from Rolfsen: “Johnny Manziel spends more time in Las Vegas than Celine Dion.” . . .

Bill Hillmann, the author of How to Survive the Bulls of Pamplona, got bored during this month’s running of the bulls. As Richmond blogger TC Chong put it: “I’m guessing this guy knows how to write, but doesn’t know how to read or run.” . . . According to BBC News, Trixie, a border terrier, had surgery to remove a ball that had been lodged in her stomach for more than two years. RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com notes that “reincarnationists claim Trixie was once a line judge at a Serena Williams match.” . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: Nation eagerly anticipates the release of Johnny Manziel’s 4th of July weekend party photos. . . . Headline at TheOnion.com: BREAKING: LeBron James Leaning Toward Joining Al-Qaeda. . . . Another TheOnion.com headline: Ravens warn rookies to save some extra money for bail. . . .

Planning on visiting Kamloops? Remember that the STOP signs are for decorative purposes only; we don’t stop at them, but we sometimes hang Garage Sale signs on them. . . . Remember, too, that the province has said it will crack down on those who drive in the left-hand lane. But the crackdown doesn’t seem to have started yet. . . . The next time you see that awful Honda commercial that features Indy Car driver James Hinchcliffe, check out the line in the asphalt in front of his car at the beginning and then again when the camera pulls back to show that he is sitting in a parked car. . . . Hard to believe but it seems that commercial took more than one take. . . .

Former major leaguer Jose Canseco apparently went on a recent tour that took him into Canada. “Obviously,” wrote Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald, “America’s revenge on our neighbor to the north for sending us Justin Bieber.” . . . In case you missed it, the host Edmonton GreenGolds beat the Ottawa RedBlacks 27-11 in a Friday night CFL game. . . . When baseball’s All-Star Game hits Target Field in Minneapolis on Monday and Tuesday, fans will be able to use the new automated beer-vending machines, all of which doesn’t really excite Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon. As he noted: “Big deal. My dad had a self-serving beer machine 30 years ago. It was called ‘Jimmy.’ ”

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at gdrinnan.blogspot.ca and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, except when it doesn’t.)

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