Mount Budmore awaits . . . Did Bo know? . . . Any bowl games left? . . . Hey, it's Mr. Double Cheeseburger

Stars may not always win on the ice, but they always win above it.

(Pic via @unlikelyfanatic) pic.twitter.com/C4KdO5SaQZ

— Allison Currie (@AlleyDalley) January 22, 2017

“I’m not saying Bud Selig doesn’t deserve to be enshrined,” writes Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle. “Just not in the Baseball Hall of Fame, even though he shattered all the commissioner-salary records. Selig should be chiseled into rock on Mount Budmore, along with Bud Abbott, Larry (Bud) Melman, Buddy Holly, Bud Light and Zola Budd.” . . . Ostler, again: “Look, I don’t want to return to the good olde days. I enjoy the crazy celebrations in the NFL, and even some of the taunting. But when did we reach the point where every play concludes with a heated jaw-off? Every play! Every cornerback is Deion Sanders and every guy who catches a pass is Terrell Owens.” . . .

So, in hindsight, adults in the 70s were pretty much just inviting us to all kill ourselves on the playground. pic.twitter.com/GKMnLtaToR

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) January 22, 2017

“NFL bust Johnny Manziel will be signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans in Houston in the week leading up to the Super Bowl, with charges ranging from $50 to $128,” reports Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “No word on whether each signed photo comes with a complimentary sucker.” . . . Here’s Perry, again: “What’s this, a pro athlete with perspective? Two-time MVP Stephen Curry — when ESPN asked if it bothers him being only the fourth-highest-paid Warrior — replied: ‘If I’m complaining about $44 million over four years, then I’ve got other issues in my life.’ We now return you to our usual assortment of miscreants and knuckleheads.” . . . 

I wish @seanspicer would stop texting people in the White House Press Corps that the Packers are winning.

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) January 22, 2017

You may have heard last week where former baseball/football star Bo Jackson said he wouldn’t have played football had he known the potential impact of head injuries. As Jim Barach of WCHS-TV in Charleston, W.Va., pointed out: “So it turns out after all these years that Bo really didn’t know.” . . . I turned on the TV on Saturday afternoon expecting to watch an NHL game or two. After all, there weren’t any football games until Sunday and Canada has a whole bunch of sports channels, so what better time for the NHL to monopolize the airwaves. But there wasn’t even one NHL game to be found. . . . I would like to thank Gary Bettman and the NHL, though, because you are responsible for my watching Adam Hadwin shoot 59, instead. . . . 

When Don Cherry said "The Russian.. whatever his name is.." he was referring to Martin Marincin, who happens to be from Slovakia.

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) January 22, 2017

“The Los Angeles Chargers plan on playing their first two seasons at the 30,000-seat Stub Hub Center in Carson,” notes Bill Littlejohn, our South Lake Tahoe, Calif.-based correspondent. “Won’t they be embarrassed by all those empty seats?” . . . Littlejohn also notes: “The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is closing after 146 years. Fortunately, the genre still has the New York Knicks, the Kardashians, and the San Francisco 49ers front office.” . . . According to Littlejohn: “The Dallas Cowboys say they'll handle the 'Romo problem' with 'kid gloves.’ Right  . . . and the kid's name is Dak Prescott.” . . . Before the inauguration, Littlejohn reported that “President-Elect Trump has named New York Jets owner Woody Johnson as ambassador to the UK. When asked to comment about the Court of St. James, Johnson replied, 'I'm not going to get into it with LeBron.’ ” . . .

Sports should be about kids and their passion, not about parents and their goals. – Mike Matheny

— Coach Quotes (@CoachMotto) January 22, 2017

“Is that it for college football?” asks Torben Rolfsen, who hosts The Rolfsen Report on TSN 1040 Vancouver on Saturday mornings. “I’m worried there is some 7-5 vs. 6-6 bowl lurking.” . . . Rolfsen, again: “The Chargers are moving to L.A. Depending on freeway traffic, they should be there in time for the 2018 season.” . . . According to Rolfsen: “Netflix's new show A Series of Unfortunate Events goes behind the scenes with the Vancouver Canucks at NHL draft lotteries.” . . . Why is the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus shutting down? Because, according to Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe, “it couldn’t possibly compete with the daily circus in Washington.” . . .

“We didn’t only win five games because of the last-place defence that he co-ordinated,’’ Durant said. “I guess it’s all because of my play."

— Regina Leader-Post (@leaderpost) January 20, 2017

The feds have decided to give people free entry into Canada’s national parks in 2017, which is our country’s 150th birthday. That got Les Perreaux of The Globe and Mail to wonder: “Why destroy a provincial park on May long weekend for $8 when you can trash a national park for free?” . . . If you’re not Canadian, you need to understand that what is know up here as “May long” is when we come out of hibernation, set up out tents and, yes, it’s party time. . . . Before leaving office, President Obama pardoned Willie McCovey, the former San Francisco Giants star, for a 1995 tax-evasion conviction. As comedy writer Tim Hunter put it: “In tax terminology, that’s what they call ‘an intentional walk.’ ”

“Experts say Alabama would have beaten Clemson had Tide running back Bo Scarbrough not broken his leg in quarter three,” notes RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “I find the argument about Scarbrough fair.” . . . Currie, again: “A Florida man reportedly was arrested for burning his underwear in a Starbucks washroom. Its always hard to believe a story about pants on fire.” . . . One more from Currie: “Sylvester Stallone’s three daughters made history as the first trio to serve as Miss Golden Globe. The Rocky star has had five offspring in total — 11 if you include sequels.” . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: Report: City of Los Angeles eyeing move to get away from Rams and Chargers. . . . 

“A Red Oak, Iowa, pilot celebrated his 99th birthday by piloting a plane,” Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald writes. “Through force of habit he still calls his co-pilot ‘Orville.’ ” . . . Dickson, again: “A British man has legally changed his name to ‘Bacon Double Cheeseburger.’ The New York Times refers to him as Mr. Double Cheeseburger. His children, the McNuggets, had no comment.” . . . One more from Dickson: “In 2017, NBC will launch a year-round all-Olympic network.   Because it’s NBC, all events will be tape-delayed until 2019.”

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at greggdrinnan@gmail.com and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, 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.

Keeping Score: Bambi thumps runner ... Reaching out to Bartman ... Boss's bike breaks

With news that the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes are likely to get a new arena in Tempe, Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register notes: “Coyotes are abandoning a beautiful arena in Glendale. Wrong side of town? Not if they adopted a new parking plan called ‘winning.’ ” . . . Headline at TheKicker.com: Anthony Davis can’t name anyone else on the Pelicans either. . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: Week 10 TV ratings up after NFL tries new strategy of good games. . . .

A report from Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “English golfer Ian Poulter, in fit of pique, took a club and whacked his bag a few times — shattering not only his cellphone, but his caddie’s, too. That was certainly uncalled for.” . . . One more from Perry: “Giddy Cubs fan Ricky Rainey, to commemorate the curse-busting World Series title, had the Wrigley Field marquee tattooed onto the top of his head. So how does he top that, get ivy implants?” . . . By now, you may have seen the video of the deer that took out cross-country runner Justin DeLuzio in Center Valley, Pa. As Perry put it, it was a case of “a fast-moving Bambi deciding to turn Thumper.” . . .

“The Chicago Cubs have won their first World Series title since 1908 and Donald Trump has won the U.S. presidential election,” writes Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post. “Those logic-defying events can mean only one thing: Congratulations to the 2017 Stanley Cup-champion Toronto Maple Leafs.” . . . Fore Twenty, a marijuana-friendly golf tournament, is scheduled for Oregon City, Ore., in June. Hamilton reports: “Highest score wins.” . . . Hamilton, again: “The Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders are to meet in an NFL game Monday in Mexico City. Raiders fans had better hustle home before Trump’s wall goes up.” . . .

“President Obama inviting the Chicago Cubs to the White House before he leaves office reminds one of a similar situation the last time the Cubs won the World Series,” writes Bill Littlejohn, our South Lake Tahoe, Calif.-based correspondent. “Pharaoh invited the Cubs for a visit just before the Ten Plagues of Egypt.” . . . Littlejohn, again: “Cubs owner Tom Ricketts says he plans to 'reach out' to Steve Bartman. Hope it goes better than when Moises Alou reached out to Bartman.” . . .

“In Freehold, N.J.,” reports Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong, “biker Dan Barkalow stopped to help a stranded rider whose chopper had broken down. It turned out to be Bruce Springsteen. So of all the bikes sold in New Jersey, Springsteen bought one that wasn’t Born to Run.”. . . “Kate Upton aimed a twitter tirade at two Cy Young voters who left her fiancé Justin Verlander off their ballot,” writes RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “I can only imagine what it's like having Kate Upton against me.” . . . One more from Currie: “Game 3 of the World Chess Championship in New York lasted six hours. I caught most of the second half by switching back-and-forth during the final three minutes of an NBA game.” . . . Currie, again: “Metro UK reports a German found a long-lost wedding ring in his garden with a carrot grown through it. He was happy to find the band, even if it was just one-carrot gold.” . . . 

If there was any doubt as to which B.C. community is the province’s Baseball City, it was removed with the news that Victoria will be the site of the next two Canadian senior men’s championships. The 2017 tournament is scheduled for Aug. 23-27, with the 2018 event running Aug. 22-25. Victoria also is home to the HarbourCats, who led the West Coast League in attendance in each of the past two seasons. In 2016, the average crowd was 2,239. . . . Yes, Kamloops remains on the WCL’s radar, but that would be in 2018 at the earliest. . . . 

After the visiting Chicago Bears lost 36-10 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune wrote: “The Bears went down to Tampa to play a football game. Instead, they held televised auditions for clown college.” . . . “Don’t look now, but the Los Angeles Lakers are respectable again,” notes Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe. “So is it Luke Walton coaching or Kobe Bryant leaving?” . . . The Indiana Supreme Court has ruled that Notre Dame’s police department doesn’t have to release crime reports to ESPN. “Well, yes,” writes Hough, “because there is no higher authority than Touchdown Jesus.” . . .

It’s Thursday night and there are five NHL games to choose from on TV — Winnipeg at Philadelphia, Florida at Toronto, Nashville at Ottawa, Edmonton at Los Angeles, and Arizona at Vancouver. . . . Whoops! That’s not quite right. They all are regional telecasts. . . . So we’ll watch one of the two NBA telecasts, the NCAA college football game or the NFL game. While we’re watching, we will be wondering just how it is the NHL thinks it is growing the game. . . . 

Here’s Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald: “SI.com ranked the most memorable moustaches in sports. I believe that six of the top 10 belong to former members of the East German women’s Olympic team.” . . . Long-time Chicago Cubs fan Mabel Ball died on Nov. 8 at the age of 108, just days after her favourite team had ended its championship drought. As comedy writer Jim Barach noted: “Her last words were ‘I’m not going through that again.’ ”

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at greggdrinnan@gmail.com and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, 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.

Game 7? Now that was reality TV . . . Maddon came close to being goat . . . LeBron humble?

The seventh game of the World Series was a perfect example of why sports provides the only real reality TV. Anything else that is advertised as “reality TV” is only pretending. . . . The 2016 World Series also will be remembered as the time when John Smoltz placed himself near the top of the list of the great sports analysts on TV. . . . And if you listened to any of the games on ESPN Radio, it was reaffirmed that there isn’t a better play-by-play man around than Dan Shulman. . . . You realize, of course, that had the Chicago Cubs not won Game 7, manager Joe Maddon would have been wearing the loss. . . . The way Maddon used — abused? — closer Aroldis Chapman over the final three games, you would almost think the Cubs won’t be re-signing him. As Mark Whicker wrote in the Orange County Register: “Maddon is brilliant in so many ways, but he should be giving his ‘luckiest man alive’ speech right now. He almost replaced the goat forever.” . . .

“In the wake of the Cubs' World Series title, scholars say that at least 45 per cent of the prophecies of Nostradamus will have to be researched and re-interpreted,” notes Bill Littlejohn, our correspondent who hangs his hat in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. . . . With the Cubs having become the first team since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates to win the World Series by winning the last two games on the road, Littlejohn points out: “The Pirates song and motto was We Are Family; the Cubs’ should be We Are Finally.” . . . Tony Chong, the Richmond, B.C., blogger writes: “GM Theo Epstein has now guided the Red Sox and Cubs to World Series wins snapping the two longest droughts in baseball championship history. In related news, the Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to hire him.” . . . 

Headline at TheKicker.com: Belichick trades sons to Browns after they ask for more allowance. . . . It was a marvellous Sunday in Kamloops. I went for a walk and timed it so that I would be home by 2 p.m., in time to watch Connor McDavid and his Edmonton Oilers meet the Red Wings in Detroit. Except that, as I discovered, it was another of the NHL’s regional telecasts. So it was back to watching the NFL while I pondered the NHL strategy in attempting to grow the game while keeping McDavid off national TV. . . . Thank you to whomever was responsible for nixing the NHL’s idea of holding an outdoor game on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. That is the last place the NHL should be allowed to take over. Besides, the NHL’s infatuation with outdoor games jumped the shark a winter or two ago. . . .

“The Philadelphia Eagles cut wide receiver Josh Huff after he was stopped by New Jersey police, who say Huff was speeding, drunk, carrying marijuana, driving with illegally tinted windows and packing a handgun with no permit, loaded with illegal hollow-point bullets,” writes Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle. “But his tires were properly inflated.” . . . Ostler, again: “LeBron James says it’s ‘humbling’ to pass Hakeem Olajuwon and move into 10th on the (NBA’s) all-time scoring list. Humble, that’s the word I always associate with King James.” . . . One more from Ostler: “Warning to Ohio voters: If Donald Trump is elected, he plans to deport Chief Wahoo.” . . . 

Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times also noticed the Huff story: “The Eagles released receiver Josh Huff after he was charged with DUI, possession of marijuana and carrying a gun without a permit. Or to put it in football terms, a bad three-and-out.” . . . Janice Hough, aka the Left Coast Sports Babe, chimes in: “Huff was allegedly speeding while in possession of a gun and marijuana. So is that the NFL arrest trifecta?” . . . There’s a study out there that claims climate change could turn Spain into a desert. To which Jim Barach of WCHS-TV in Charleston, W.Va., noted: “Promoters are already organizing the annual Pamplona Running of the Camels.” . . . Bill Cowher hasn’t coached a football game since the NFL’s 2006 season. So isn’t it about time that his pals on CBS stopped calling him Coach Cowher? . . . 

If you think the NHL is really — I mean, really — concerned about player safety, you need only watch the Saturday night hit by Nazem Kadri of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks to realize otherwise. It was a blindside hit that showed zero respect for Sedin. The NHL chose not to discipline Kadri because Sedin’s head wasn’t the principle point of contact. . . . Keep in mind that the NHL world is ruled by a commissioner who has yet to solve the dot-to-dot puzzle that shows the link between concussions, CTE and dead ex-players. 

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at greggdrinnan@gmail.com and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, 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.

Prior to the start of the World Series, federal agents confiscated some counterfeit tickets. According to comedy writer Jim Barach, they were tipped off “when they saw the tickets were for the Cubs vs. the Astros.” . . . Major League Baseball is wanting, again, to speed up its game, so commissioner Bud Selig has struck yet another committee. “In a related story,” reports Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald, “NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell formed a committee to speed up this season and get it over with.” . . .

You have watched the San Francisco 49ers on TV and you know that their head coach, the tightly wound Jim Harbaugh, doesn’t have a sense of humour. Au contraire. On a recent conference call with St. Louis media, Harbaugh was asked about veteran defensive tackle Justin Smith. First, Harbaugh pointed out how well-respected Smith is, then he added: “Chuck Norris calls Justin Smith ‘sir.’ ” . . . The Erie Otters and Niagara IceDogs drew 10,000 fans to a game in Buffalo the other night. As Vancouver comedian Torben Rolfsen noted: “They may become the first city to upgrade from the NHL to the OHL.” . . .

Judging from a Sportsnet commercial that is getting lots of play, Rogers isn’t too aware of the relationship between Vancouver hockey fans and Mark Messier. Here’s Rolfsen: “Mark Messier selling hockey to Vancouver Canucks fans is like Bono selling anti-spam ware to Mac users.” . . . Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe, offered up this following the death of Oscar de la Renta: “Most women are thinking, ‘Sad, it’s the end of an era.’ Most men are thinking, ‘What team did he play for?’ ” . . . Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong knows that de la Renta didn’t play on a team. “I remember clearly when he lost fights to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao,” Chong writes. . . .

There is a report out there claiming that the U of Texas is to begin paying scholarship athletes $10,000 a year. “Why the pay cut?” wonders contributor Bill Littlejohn. . . . By now you have seen the Chevrolet commercial that features Little League baseball star Mo’Ne Davis. It seems that U.S. college footballers Jameis Winston and Todd Gurley messaged the NCAA after seeing that TV spot. The message, according to Littlejohn, was: “Show me the Mo'Ne.” . . .

Montreal Alouettes receiver Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) tweeted the other day: “Meryl Streep changed her phone number . . .” Obviously, the man still has his sense of humour. . . . “California firefighters staged a rooftop rescue to free a woman stuck in the chimney of a home owned by a man she’d just started dating,” reports RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “Where’d they meet? At a shingles bar?” . . .

Outfielder Jarrod Dyson and his Kansas City Royals were dominated by San Francisco left-hander Madison Bumgarner in Game 5 as the Giants took a 3-2 lead in the World Series. “One good thing for us,” Dyson said after the game, “we don’t have to worry about Bumgarner no more.” . . . It didn’t quite work out that way, did it? . . . According to Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post, Bumgarner’s World Series performance “was the most impressive display by a Giant since Andre in Wrestlemania 2.” . . .

“The Cleveland Cavaliers lost at home to the New York Knicks in a major upset on Thursday night,” reports the aforementioned Chong. “LeBron James could only muster 17 points in his much heralded return to the Cavs, and fans were chanting for Bumgarner to replace him during the second half.” . . . One more from Chong: “Consuming three glasses of milk a day has been associated with premature death. That’s especially true when the cow backs up while you’re drinking.” . . .

Things haven’t been going particularly well for the U of Florida Gators this football season. “In the face of mounting criticism,” writes Littlejohn, “Florida football coach Will Muschamp says he’s adopting a bunker mentality. Which one, Archie or Edith?” . . . John Garrett, the Sportsnet hockey analyst who sees the world through Vancouver Canucks-coloured glasses, all but blamed Montreal Canadiens defenceman Alexei Emelin for having a long chin when he got drilled by forward Alex Burrows on Thursday night. It was a predatory-type hit, the kind the NHL should be trying harder to get out of its game. The three-game suspension with which Burrows was hit wasn’t nearly enough, although Garrett likely thinks it was too much. . . .

“Hundreds of Seattle medical-marijuana dispensaries have received letters from the city warning that they might be shut down,” writes Ron Judd of the Seattle Times. “It raises the alarming possibility that city residents might have to resort to buying their pot at a far cheaper price and zero hassle from the same guy in Wallingford who has sold it to them since 1976.” . . . Here’s one from Jack Finarelli, the Sports Curmudgeon: “Rhetorical question of the week. Where else but in intercollegiate athletics could Idaho be in the Sun Belt Conference?” . . .

Over time, for one reason or another, the World Series has lost its mojo. No matter how exciting the series, no matter how much drama there is, it just isn’t what it used to be. “Today, the World Series is like The Ed Sullivan Show, the Miss America pageant, Timex watches, and sitting in your favorite chair surrounded by a stack of daily newspapers,” writes Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe. “It’s like Peanuts. It was once the biggest event in sports. Now it’s a relic of a simpler time before the Worldwide Leader and the World Wide Web. My fantasy baseball world of 1962 has been overthrown by the fantasy baseball (where you can win millions!) of 2014. In 2014, the World Series is your father’s Oldsmobile.”

(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.)

If you’re watching the MLB playoffs, you will have noticed that this autumn’s slogan is ‘Always October.‘ As Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle put it in a tweet: “That's so poetic! Was selected by MLB over ‘Kiss My November.’ ” . . . Greg Cote of The Miami Herald, on baseball commissioner Bud Selig forming a committee to look at speeding up games: “I still like my idea: First run wins.” . . .

The best quote out of this week’s 1984 Edmonton Oilers' reunion came from Mark Messier, who said: "I never finished high school, so this is my first actual reunion.” . . . Quarterback Kerry Joseph emerged from retirement this week and signed with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. Apparently, he walked across Wascana Lake to get to Mosaic Stadium for the official signing. . . .

“Paul Revere, founder of Paul Revere and the Raiders, has passed away at the age of 76,” writes Janice Hough, aka the Left Coast Sports Babe. “Please can someone get a comment from Sarah Palin on his death?” . . .  Hough, again: “So the AL representative in the World Series will be either the Kansas City Royals or the Baltimore Orioles. And Fox executives just threw up.” . . . Having just spent some time on Prairie highways, I am shocked by how many Alberta drivers appear to have purchased vehicles that lack working turn signals. . . .

Michael Phelps, one of the greatest American swimmers of all-time, is facing a second DUI charge after being arrested in Baltimore on Tuesday. “Apparently,” notes comedy writer Jim Barach, “not only does he swim like a fish, he drinks like one, too.” . . . Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post added: “Phelps was released by police after doing a few lengths in the drunk tank.” . . . How are the St. Louis Cardinals doing it this season? Perhaps with a solid mix of older and younger players. As Matt Holliday told CBSsports.com: “It’s a good combination of experience and ignorance.” . . .

Jack Finarelli, aka The Sports Curmudgeon, has this idea involving football telecasts: “There would be no interviews with coaches just before the game or at halftime of the game. The penalty would be caning – probably 50 strokes would do the trick. The coaches clearly do not want to be interrupted from whatever zone they are trying to get themselves into; they never say anything even remotely interesting; the interviewer has to pretend to care about the pabulum answers. Stop this insanity and stop it immediately!” . . . OK! This is a great idea. But it should be extended to baseball, basketball and hockey telecasts, too. . . .

“A person who goes by the name Fake Gainer on Twitter says the No. 1 rivalry in sports in Canada is the Stampeders and Riders,” reports Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Express. “I’m going with Leafs-Habs, Rider fans-Bomber fans and Jennifer Jones-Rachel Homan.” . . . “An ESPN poll of fan satisfaction rates Toronto's NHL club last of 122 professional sports teams,” reports RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “That's the Leafs for ya: when they finally finish first, it’s for being worst.” . . .

So what did I think of Sportsnet’s first night of NHL coverage? Well, it’s early but I was hoping for more new faces and new voices, less of some old faces and old voices, and more of Elliotte Friedman. . . . The new ref cam provides some interesting looks, but I’m thinking the guy wearing it has to be feeling a bit nerdish. . . . Yes, it’s early but these Edmonton Oilers look a lot like those Edmonton Oilers, don’t they? . . . Here’s Gary Player, 78, looking ahead in an interview on SiriusXM: “I’ve always said when I die I just hope that the golf course up in heaven looks like Augusta (National). I want to be the head pro, but I’m not in a hurry to tee off.” . . .

Headline at Fark.com: Tom Brady’s deal with the devil has finally expired. . . . “A friend in Oklahoma City tells me he attends Edmonton Oilers farm team games,” writes Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen. “I thought Edmonton was the farm team.” . . . "What’s this we hear — Johnny Manziel wants to be Jameis Winston’s life coach?" ponders Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. "So what’s next, John Daly taking Tiger Woods under his wing?" . . . One more from Perry: "Scots went to the polls (recently) and voted by a 55-45 margin not to: a) Leave the United Kingdom; b) Join the Big Ten." . . .

"Remember," writes Bob Molinaro of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, “when NFL officials thought the biggest distraction this season would be Michael Sam?” . . . Doug Ferguson of The Associated Press writes: “Jim Furyk earned $5,987,395 this year without winning on the PGA Tour. That’s about $250,000 more than Jack Nicklaus made in his career.” . . . IN HIS CAREER! . . . Think about that for a moment or two. . . . Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James is producing a basketball-related comedy show for the TV network Starz. Asked how many seasons he thought it might run, he replied: “Last time I said, ‘Not one, not two, not three, not four …,’ that didn’t go over too well.”

(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.)

Steve Seibel of Kamloops is in Spain these days. No, he’s not vacationing. A lawyer in real life, he also is an international-calibre basketball referee with an immense amount of experience. Since late August, he has been working at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, the men’s world championship. . . . He was on the floor Tuesday as Lithuania dropped Turkey 73-61 in a quarterfinal matchup and he’ll be back today. Yes, he will work the championship game between Serbia and the United States. . . .

No matter how poorly your week went, it had to be better than the one experienced by Roger Goodell and the NFL. My goodness! Domestic abuse, alleged child abuse and on and on it goes. But all will be forgotten for 10 hours today. . . . In the case of the NFL, you can bet the games can’t get here fast enough. . . . “Two high-school pitchers in Japan went the distance – 50 innings – when it took four days to finally decide a scoreless baseball game,” reports Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “Apparently they don’t believe in pitch counts: One threw 709 pitches, the other 689.” . . .

Please don’t spit out your coffee as you learn that Floyd Mayweather, who is not a nice man, made US$888,889 per minute as he punched his way to victory on Saturday night. . . . “Had to laugh when I saw this headline – ‘Bucs will be best NFL team in Florida’ – at OrlandoSentinel.com on (Sept. 5),” writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. “Isn’t being the best NFL team in Florida sort of like being the best surfer in Kansas?” . . . Michael Garcia, a FIFA ethics investigator, was charged with looking into alleged improprieties with the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids. He has filed his report, so . . . “FIFA officials said they'll read the report,” notes Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen, “just as soon as they return from their month-long vacation at an all-inclusive resort in Qatar.” . . .

Marvin (Bad News) Barnes, who died this week at 62, might be the captain of the He Coulda Been Great team. Barnes died in Providence, R.I., prompting Providence Journal columnist Bill Reynolds to remember the time Barnes asked if cocaine kills brain cells. Reynolds said he provided the experts’ opinion, to which Brnes responded: “Then I must have been a genius when I started out.” . . . RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com wonders: “Is someone who promotes cycling a spokesperson?” . . . A question from Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Express: “Why don’t CFL games start 3.5 hours apart instead of three? We often watch duster time in the first game and miss the start of the other.” . . .

Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe, explains: “More why there is no satire: Hartselle, Alabama, is the largest dry city in the state. And their mayor, Don Hall, has said he opposes the sale of booze within city limits. Last Friday, Hall was arrested, driving back from a neighboring town, for alleged DUI.” . . . One more from Hough: “Apple’s new $349 smart watch acts as a remote control, a mobile payment device and a pulse monitor. But can it tell time?” . . . Hough, again: “So the NFL may soon be looking for a new toady to do the owners’ bidding at all times. ‘I’m available soon,’ said Bud Selig.” . . . Headline at TheOnion.com: NFL announces new zero-tolerance policy on videotaped domestic violence. . . .

Here’s Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald: “A 91-year-old soccer fan left about $636,000 in cash and his house to the Norwegian club FL Fart. I might suggest using $635,000 of that to find a new name.” . . . Wide receiver Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns was suspended for the season due to marijuana use and apparently was planning to work as a car salesman. Notes RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com: “Warning to car buyers: tire and brake questions are fine, but don’t ask him about the suspension.” . . . “Actually,” added Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post, “Gordon’s ban is expected to be reduced when the NFL’s new drug policy is approved. It would appear Gordon – like many of the cars he has been selling – is going to be recalled.” . . .

If you missed it, Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Football, er, Johnny Manziel wants to trademark Johnny Cleveland. Comedy writer Jim Barach says that’s “because a baseball player already has the trademark on the name that reflects where (Manziel) will spend his career, ‘Johnny Bench.’ ” . . . Is there anything on TV that is harder to watch than those TSN promos that feature on-air staff? Especially when they play them over and over and over. . . . Well, OK, the Wendy’s commercials featuring Ms. Ginger are up there, too. . . . And now I notice that the Sportsnet channels are full of staff-filled promos, too. . . . Don’t call me Shirley, but surely the apocalypse must be near. . . .

So, you’re wondering, just how intelligent are baseball players? Here’s Los Angeles Dodgers starter Zack Greinke, in conversation with the Los Angeles Times: “I don’t want to name names, but there were guys I played with that were so stupid that they’re really good because their mind never gets in the way.” . . . Dan Halldorson, a Canadian golfer who had success on the PGA Tour back in the day, lost 20 pounds while instructing for three months in China. As he told Bruce Penton of the Medicine Hat News: “I was using two sticks to eat instead of a shovel.”

(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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