Keeping Score: Head elf arrested . . . How many chances for Gregory? . . . Oh, those TV promos!

A tweet from Thursday night, during the first intermission of an NHL game . . .

Los Angeles now leads St. Louis 2-0.

...both in this game and in professional football teams.

— #LAKings (@LAKings) January 13, 2017

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The Los Angeles Chargers are going to spend a couple of seasons in the 27,000-seat StubHub Center after making the move from San Diego. Why don’t they move to Regina and play out of the new 30,048-seat stadium there? . . . The worst part of the NFL playoffs if you happen to live in Canada? That’s easy. Those interminable CTV promos that hit you in the forehead over and over and over and . . . Headline at TheKicker.com: Chairs voted into WWE Hall of Fame. . . . Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has provided us, again, with his annual skewering of cliches. You should check it out right here because it’s good. Really good. . . . 

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Starbucks barista won over $900,000 in Westgate Las Vegas football handicapping SuperContest. Now he can at least afford his own coffee.

— Janice Hough (@leftcoastbabe) January 3, 2017

There are a lot of Saskatchewan Roughriders fans who are spitting watermelon seeds with quarterback Darian Durant having been traded to the Montreal Alouettes for a sack of deflated footballs. It’s interesting that so many fans didn’t see this coming. From out here near the left coast, it seemed apparent that Chris Jones, who runs the CFL franchise, didn’t want Durant back at any price. . . . “North Pole police have finally cleared Santa’s head elf of charges of careless use of a firearm,” reports RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “Authorities admit mistakes were made after finding a cartridge in a pear tree.” . . . Currie, again: “The B.C. government will increase the minimum wage by 40 cents before October 2017. In related CFL news, the Lions announced a major increase in playoff bonuses.” . . . One more from Currie: “A Florida octogenarian pleaded no contest to battery and assault with a weapon in a shuffleboard fight after charges were reduced to misdemeanours. His gums weren’t loaded.”

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Seahawks average ticket price for playoff game: $497. You've got to be joking.

— Ron Judd (@roncjudd) January 6, 2017

Following the announcement that owner Dean Spanos was moving his San Diego Chargers to Los Angeles, Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post noted: “The Chargers once brought us Air Coryell. Now the Err Spanos label is most appropriate.” . . . Jack Todd, in the Montreal Gazette: “I’ve become a real fan of a special series of NHL games available on either Sportsnet or TSN almost every night of the week. They’re called ‘Game Not Available In Your Region’ and some of them have been truly unforgettable. Seriously. This is what we get in exchange for the $5.2 billion Rogers is shovelling into the NHL. The league gets richer while the most passionate hockey fans in the world get stiffed, night after night. Thanks, Gary.”

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Thank you @SnoopDogg for the Christmas Sweater pic.twitter.com/jzaw7pkQEe

— Willie Nelson (@willienelson) January 4, 2017

Bill Littlejohn, our South Lake Tahoe, Calif.-based correspondent, reports: “New York Giants defensive backs call their unit ‘NYPD’ — that's New York Pass Defense. So in a case of blown coverage on someone's part, do we call them 'NYPD Blew’?” . . . I guess we witnessed NYPD Blew when Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed that Hail Mary pass against the Giants just before halftime last weekend. . . . Littlejohn, again: “Jim Harbaugh, Michigan’s head football coach, recently welcomed their seventh child. Nike is busy designing a shoe for his wife and children to move into.” . . . Going into this weekend, the WHL’s Regina Pats were 27-4-7. The midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians were 26-2-1. The junior B Regina Capitals were 26-3-1. Does that mean Regina is Hockeytown?

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Earlier today Russia Today suddenly replaced the regular C-SPAN programming. I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

— Janice Hough (@leftcoastbabe) January 13, 2017

The New York Jets finished 5-11 this season. So, Brandon Marshall, what kind of a season was it? “The best way I can describe it,” the receiver told Showtime’s Inside the NFL, “is having a diaper on and never changing it. And just sitting in that diaper the whole year.” . . . “Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has been suspended a year for another violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, his third suspension of the season,” notes Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe. “He will be eligible for the 2017 postseason. It’s all part of the league’s ’12 strikes and you’re out’ policy.” . . . 

(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.

Are we really disgusted with Alex Rodriguez? Do we really despise other cheaters in sports? “We as a culture don’t hate cheating,” writes Ray Ratto of CSNbayarea.com. “In fact, we not only don’t hate it, we like it -– love it, in fact. Can’t get enough. In fact, based on the talking points from the last World Series and the Jackie Robinson West scandalette, we need far more cheating than we are currently getting. It has always worked for wrestling, Roller Derby and politics, and there’s no reason now that we’ve had so much fun with this last NFL season that we can’t ask for more. We’ll take all the cheating and despicable behaviour you’ve got.” . . . If you’re not aware, the recent India-Pakistan ICC World Cup match — that would be cricket, of course — drew a TV audience of about one billion people. That is about eight times larger than the Super Bowl’s viewing audience. . . .

“If recent pictures out of Florida are any indication, new Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval turned up at spring training slightly out of shape,” writes Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post. “The Kung Fu Panda looks more like the Kung Pao Panda.” . . . “Bill Murray hasn’t been funny on a golf course since Caddyshack in 1980,” writes Phil Mushnick of the New York Post. “Nevertheless, throughout every Pebble Beach Pro-Am, CBS finds him inescapably hilarious.” . . . A Sunday tweet from Golf.com: “When Pebble Beach opened on Feb. 22, 1919, greens fees were $2 for gentlemen and $1.50 for ladies. Today: $495.” . . .

Headline at Fark.com: When the star hits the road in a salary unload, that’s Amar’e. . . . The New York Knicks bought out what was left on Amar’e Stoudemire’s five-year, US$99 million contract, resulting in his saying that he was leaving with “a heavy heart.” Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer pointed out that “is probably an indication he carries his wallet in his breast pocket.” . . . “Amar’e Stoudemire wrote a goodbye poem to New York,” reports contributor Bill Littlejohn. “He was a little disappointed that he couldn't find something that rhymes with 'fire extinguisher’ “ . . . Here’s Littlejohn, again: “Danny Almonte has come to the defence of the Jackie Robinson West Little League Team. Isn't that like Kim Jong Un coming to the defence of Kanye West?” . . .

A woman in a Manhattan diner got a fish hook in her mouth as she bit into her dinner. CBS-TV’s David Letterman summed it up this way: “I hate when you go into a restaurant and you’re the catch of the day.” . . . “Let me just clear something up,” writes Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald. “If you live in Colorado and your neighbor invites you over for a ‘pot roast,’ it doesn't mean the same thing as it does elsewhere.” . . . Dickson, again: “On Presidents Day, a lot of people don't work and instead sit around taking it easy. Sounds more like Vice Presidents Day. Presidents Day is when we honor the greatest leaders in American history with 30 per cent off on products that are mostly made in China.” . . .

In autographing a poster for Barack Obama, Michael Jordan misspelled the U.S. president’s name. As NBC-TV’s Jimmy Fallon pointed out, “The president made sure Jordan’s name was spelled right when he had him audited by the IRS.” . . . Brian Burke, the president of hockey operations with the Calgary Flames, isn’t much of a golf fan. As he told Calgary radio station Jack FM the other day: "I hate golf because it's slow and there's no fighting."

“An ESPN survey of NHL agents reveals the top three cities that players don’t want to go to are: 1. Edmonton; 2. Winnipeg; 3. Buffalo,” writes Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong. “Congratulations to Evander Kane, who is attempting to complete the trifecta.” . . . After Miss P, a beagle from Enderby, B.C., was named Best In Show at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club show in New York, Chong reported that residents of Enderby “now are planning to change the road greeting sign to Welcome to EnderBeagle.” . . . Here’s Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe: “The beagle that won Best In Show at the Westminster Dog Show, and thus became ‘America’s Dog’, is actually Canadian. Another immigrant taking something away from Americans. I blame Obama.”

(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.)

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.

If cornerback Richard Sherman’s shoulder holds up, the Seattle Seahawks will win the Super Bowl. If not, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are winners. . . . With the NFL mounting an investigation into Deflategate, Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee tweeted: “If New England was to be DQ’d . . . We’d be their replacements, right?? . . . I should probably lay off these strawberry margs.” . . . “Due to irregularities in the earth’s rotation, an extra second will be added to clocks on June 30,” reports Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong. “I hope they don’t add this time onto the end of NBA games.” . . .

Dan Carcillo of the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the NHL’s few remaining slugs, drew a six-game suspension for a brutal cross-check from behind on Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault, who had scored four goals in a recent game. Carcillo has been suspended nine times and fined on three other occasions for this kind of stuff. And there, on Monday night, was Sportsnet analyst Brad May telling the world that he didn’t mind the play on which Perreault was injured. Hey, Sportsnet, it’s OK for you to suspend May. He would be missed about as much as the NHL would miss Carcillo. . . .

If you didn’t notice, the Vancouver Canucks’ bandwagon is beginning to fill up again. If you hurry, though, you may be able to get a seat near the back. . . . “Man,” wonders Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, “why can't we give Bill Belichick credit for finding a way to deal with runaway inflation?” . . . “Good thing,” Ostler adds, “that Belichick isn’t in charge of the Macy’s Parade.” . . . Seattle Times reader Bill Littlejohn has a suggestion for the Super Bowl halftime show: “How about Air Supply?” . . .

On Monday night, as the host Toronto Maple Leafs were losing 4-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes, three fans threw their replica sweaters onto the ACC ice surface. Toronto police charged two of those fans with public mischief; the Leafs were then charged with impersonating an NHL team. . . .

@mirtle @MapleLeafs this is why people are LOSING it. Pay this kind of money to watch these despicable clowns! pic.twitter.com/mHGn9pVODV
— Marko Bernuchi (@MBernuch) January 20, 2015

You may not have been aware that New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon now heads up Major League Baseball’s finance committee. You also may not be aware that Wilpon was taken to the cleaners by Bernie Madoff as part of perhaps the biggest scam of our time. . . . Headline from TheOnion.com: “NFL investigating whether Patriots played game with properly inflated Vince Wilfork.” . . .

Urban Meyer, the head coach of the national champion Ohio State football Buckeyes, appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and, as usual, refused to say ‘Michigan.’ . . . Not speaking the name of his No. 1 rival is an old act for Meyer. As Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel wrote: “Meyer used to do the same thing (during his Florida tenure) when asked about the Gators’ biggest rival — the Gainesville Police Department.” . . .

Here is Seattle Seahawks punter Jon Ryan, on the 19-yard TD pass he threw out of field goal formation last Sunday: “It was a moment I won’t forget, even though I don’t remember it all right now.” . . . Ryan, who is from Regina, was a goaltender in his hockey-playing days. In fact, he says he was cut by three different WHL teams — the Brandon Wheat Kings, Medicine Hat Tigers and Regina Pats. . . . Larry Walker, who had a terrific baseball career, also was a goaltender back in the day. He was cut by the Regina Pats before deciding to focus on baseball. . . .

During the week, Ryan’s fiancee, Sarah Colonna, sent a tweet in the direct of supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who is married to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady: “My fiancé throws touchdown passes too, so if you wanna hang at the Super Bowl just let me know #twinsies.” . . . “It’s hard to adequately describe just how lurid Victoria Azarenka’s neon-yellow outfit is at the Aussie Open,” writes RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “I’ll put it this way: it’s almost as loud as her grunts.” . . . One more from Currie: “I wasn’t surprised to hear ESPN analysts saying Kobe Bryant might pass up the rest of the season. I was surprised to hear ‘Kobe’ and ‘pass’ in the same sentence.” . . .

“(The Twelves) might be a fitting nickname for the collective IQ of the legal team for the Seahawks, who seek trademark protections for various uses of the number 12 and the word ‘boom,’ ” writes Ron Judd of the Seattle Times. “Who do you people think you are, the U.S. Olympic Committee?” . . . One more from Judd, who sums things up nicely: “Deflategate has a touch of evil genius to it, inspired by the very corporate ethic that rules the land. Everyone involved in the Patriots’ blatant cheating scam has built-in, plausible deniability — except the poor, bottom-feeding sap who actually deflated the footballs, who at some point will get canned. God Bless America.”

(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.)

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.

Central Scouting releases rankings . . . Hoflin, Ice beat Giants . . . Silvertips roll over Cougars

F Malte Strömwall (Tri-City, 2011-13) has been assigned by Lulea (Sweden, SHL) to Asplöven Haparanda (Sweden, Allsvenskan). The length of the loan period isn’t known. This season, with Växjö (Sweden, SHL), he had two goals in 21 games. In 12 games with Luleå, he had a goal and an assist. He scored on Tuesday in his first game with Asplöven.
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It’s a story that seems to be as old as hockey itself — minor hockey parents abusing officials. And now there is talk of a parent-free weekend in a league on Vancouver Island. One 17-year-old referee thinks that’s not a bad idea. . . . There’s more right here and right here.
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NHL Central Scouting issued its mid-season rankings on Tuesday and, yes, F Connor McDavid of the OHL’s Erie Otters is No. 1 among North American skaters. Coming in at No. 9, F Mathew Barzal of the Seattle Thunderbirds is the top-ranked WHL skater. . . . If you haven’t seen the rankings yet, there is a sortable version right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

In Cranbrook, G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 39 shots to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Ice took a 3-1 lead into the third period and were up 4-2 when Vancouver F Dalton Sward scored his ninth goal at 19:54 of the third period. . . . F Luke Philp scored his 21st goal for the Ice, which got two assists from F Sam Reinhart and a goal and an assist from F Zak Zborosky. He’s got 13 goals. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson scored his 11th goal 15 seconds into the second period for a 1-1 tie. . . . Philp scored at 5:15 and F River Beattie gave the Ice a 3-1 lead at 10:20 with his fourth goal. . . . D Mason Geertsen scored his ninth goal and added an assist for Vancouver. . . . Giants G Payton Lee stopped 25 shots. . . . The Giants opened a six-game Central Division swing with this game. . . . They are scheduled to play in Medicine Hat tonight. . . . Vancouver was without F Thomas Foster, who sat out Game 2 of a three-game suspension for a kneeing major and game misconduct he incurred on Friday night. He went knee-to-knee with Tri-City F Brian Williams. . . . According to Tri-City’s injury report, Williams, who didn’t play Saturday against the visiting Spokane Chiefs, will be out for up to three weeks. . . . The Ice is 23-22-1. . . . The Giants (19-24-2) have lost four in a row. . . .

In Prince George, the Everett Silvertips scored the game’s first five goals and went on to beat the Cougars, 6-1. . . . The Cougars lost D Sam Ruopp, their captain, to a kneeing major and game misconduct at 10:19 of the first period. . . . Everett F Ivan Nikolishin scored his 11th goal on the ensuing PP and the Silvertips were off to the races. . . . Everett F Kohl Bauml scored twice, giving him 21 goals. . . . Everett F Remi Laurencelle scored his 10th goal and added an assist for the visitors, who got two assists from D Cole MacDonald. . . . F Chase Witala scored his 25th goal for the Cougars, at 13:45 of the third period. . . . Everett was 3-for-7 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-for-3. . . . The Cougars are without F Jansen Harkins, their leading scorer. He is in St. Catharines, Ont., for the Top Prospects Game. . . . Earlier in the day, the NHL’s San Jose Sharks sent D Mirco Mueller to the AHL’s Worcester Sharks on a conditioning assignment. Mueller’s WHL rights belong to the Silvertips and there has been speculation that he might yet end up back with them. . . . The Silvertips (29-12-4) have won five in a row. . . . The Cougars (20-25-2) have lost six straight (0-4-2). . . . The teams meet in Prince George again tonight.
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Rinat Valiev and Sam Reinhart were presented with framed World Junior prints prior to the start of tonight's game. pic.twitter.com/knNuC8zKxw
— Kootenay ICE (@WHLKootenayICE) January 21, 2015

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.

The gang at SportsPickle.com keeps track of preseason predictions and has recalled three of the best (worst?) that are related to this NFL season. 1. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers would win the Super Bowl (ESPN’s Herman Edwards). 2. Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler would be league MVP (NFL Network’s Brian Billick). 3. The Dallas Cowboys would finish 3-13 (USA Today’s Nate Davis). . . . Now that’s throwing mud against the wall and hoping something sticks. . . . “This isn’t whining,” says analyst John Garrett on a Vancouver Canucks telecast, and then he proceeds to do just that.. . . It’s enough to make a viewer turn against the Canucks. . . .

If you were watching Green Bay and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, you had to feel that the football gods would make the Packers pay for the two early field goals. Football is a physical game and when a team gets the opportunity to impose its will on the other side, especially early in the game, shouldn’t it be trying to stuff the ball into the end zone, especially when the line of scrimmage is the one? . . . And, yes, the NFL needs to rework its overtime rule. Each team should get at least one possession, because a game shouldn’t be decided at least in part by a coin flip. . . . Of course, this is the NFL where a catch isn’t always a catch. . . .

“It's minus-7 in Cooperstown,” Mark Whicker of the L.A Daily News reported on Tuesday night. “The Vaseline on Gaylord Perry's plaque froze.” . . . At the risk of repeating myself, how is it that so much unpenalized cross-checking has been allowed to creep back into hockey? . . . Here’s Richmond, B.C. blogger TC Chong, who claims to know a thing or two about shopping: “Target Canada went to throw in the towel, but when it went to the towel section, the shelves were empty.” . . .

“L.A. Police have recovered a duplicate statue of O.J. Simpson’s Heisman Trophy that was stolen from USC’s Heritage Hall 20 years ago,” reports Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “But O.J. says that won’t deter his quest to find the real trophy.” . . . Pro rassler Abdullah the Butcher turned 74 on Sunday. As Perry notes: “Just a guess here, but no one gets in his way when he goes to cut the cake.” . . . One more from Perry: “Scientists can gauge the slightest slowing of Earth’s rotation enough to know that we need to add an extra second in 2015, but what is and what isn’t a completed NFL pass still can’t pass the eyeball test?” . . .

Jay Cutler is a bodybuilder who is a four-time Mr. Olympia. Yes, he sometimes is given a tough time because of his name. “It’s been a little tough for me sometimes on Twitter,” he told DNAinfo.com, “especially on Mondays.” . . . If Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames is Johnny Hockey and Johnny Manziel of the Cleveland Browns is Johnny Football, it must mean that John Morris is Johnny Curling. . . .

You will recall that Florida State, with Jameis Winston at quarterback, got pounded 39 points by Oregon in a national semifinal. After the game, Winston was quoted as saying the game “could have went either way.” Responded RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com: “Sounds like Winston went the other way heading to math class.” . . . Might have missed the odd English class, too. . . . All six of the ‘experts’ on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown panel picked the Denver Broncos to eliminate the visiting Indianapolis Colts last weekend. After the game, Indy punter Pat McAfee tweeted: “Oh, OK . . . Wrong horse, fellas #Colts.” . . .

ICYMI, NASCAR driver Kurt Busch is involved in a messy court case in which he has claimed his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, is a CIA-trained assassin. As Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel wrote: “Gentlemen, start your cuckoo clocks.” . . . The aforementioned Currie chimed in with: “A friend of mine said the same thing of his ex-wife, but only about her cooking.” . . . Here’s Currie, again: “N.Y. Jets RB Chris Johnson was arrested after he ran a stop sign and police found an open firearm in his car. Is that a run-and-shoot offence?” . . .

After Washington State hire Alex Grinch as its new defensive co-ordinator, Seattle Times desk editor Scott Hanson offered: “So I’m guessing he’ll make his players practise on Christmas.” . . . After ESPN’s Ray Lewis made the statement that the ‘Tuck Rule’ is the only reason football fans know who New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is, Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen pointed out: “The only reason we know who Ray Lewis is? Witness tampering and plea bargaining.” . . . How long until Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh arrive in Cleveland to bail out LeBron and the Cavaliers?

(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.)

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.

If it looks like a catch, talks like a catch, walks like a catch and 100 football fans in a bar say it’s a catch, then it’s a catch. Except in the NFL. . . . Look, by the letter of the NFL law, Dez Bryant’s catch wasn’t a catch. But if I hear one more person talk about “the process,” I am going to be ill. . . . The rule needs changing. . . . One other thing: The NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball need to watch where they are going with video review. Yes, it’s admirable to want to get every call correct. But I’m thinking the games may have been better with more human error and less huddling by officials. . . .

“The Winter Classic has become a lot like baseball’s all-star game,” writes Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun. “It matters in the city it’s being played in. It matters in the cities of the teams involved. It doesn’t matter much anywhere else.” . . . Here’s Simmons, again: “Weird place, Toronto. We’ll buy overpriced Leafs tickets and world junior tickets. But give us reasonably priced tickets for the Argos or the Pan-Am Games and suddenly we’re not so interested.” . . . 

If you missed Rich Sutter as a Sportsnet analyst during the Thursday game between the host Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers, you missed a lot. He threw former Vancouver goaltender Richard Brodeur under the bus and how many other talking heads have done that? . . . They were picking the top three goaltenders in Canucks history and Sutter put Brodeur third, accusing him of having quit on the team at times. Sutter, who was with the Canucks at the time, said there were problems in the dressing room back then and that some of that, he claimed, was attributable to Brodeur’s attitude. . . . Hey, Sportsnet, more Rich Sutter, please. . . .

Ron Judd of the Seattle Times writes that he “enjoys the diversion of the NFL playoffs, too. But please spare us the annual torrent of media hype about monitoring of fan-caused ‘earthquake’ symptoms at the local football stadium. There’s probably some value in this hypefest’s main goal — ‘testing’ the impact of large numbers of people simultaneously clicking, in Pavlovian style, on an earthquake-info website. But claiming grand scientific value in the exercise sits between questionable and ludicrous.” . . . Here’s Judd, again: “Baseball pitching great Curt Schilling, ticked at not being inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame alongside truly deserving honorees such as former Mariner Randy Johnson, whines that being a Republican costs him votes. Now he knows how Mitt Romney feels.” . . .

“Kim Kardashian claims she doesn’t smile often because it causes wrinkles,” writes Janice Hough, aka The West Coast Sports Babe. “Got news for Kim, people aren’t looking at her face.” . . . “Boston beat out San Francisco as the U.S representative amongst bids to play host to the 2024 Olympic Games,” notes Hough. “So they have the Olympic bid and Pablo Sandoval. Wonder which one will give Boston buyer’s remorse first?” . . .

Veteran receiver Steve Smith of the Baltimore Ravens has admitted to The Associated Press that he loves playing in prime time. Why? “Family members get to see you play,” he explained, “ex-girlfriends that wished they wouldn’t have dumped you, they’re questioning themselves right now.” . . . Here‘s Smith after the Ravens lost to the host Houston Texans late in the regular season: "We expect and understand and anticipate all of the negative feedback and all of the fat, lazy, sorry couch quarterbacks are going to come out. We expect that and understand that. We're not going to pay attention to it." . . .

After Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was given 18 months probation on a DUI charge, Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen noted: “A judge denied his request to be sentenced to Sea World.” . . . Jim Mora, the head football coach at UCLA, has told The Associated Press that he isn’t in any hurry to return to the NFL. As he explained: “I don’t mind the recruiting. I’m at the point in my life where I would rather deal with moms and dads rather than wives and agents.” . . .

ICYMI, some Michigan-based rocketeers launched an outdoor iffy into the wild blue yonder the other day. As Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald put it: “If the Redneck Games had a space program, this is what it’d look like.” . . . There is something wrong with an intermission interview in which the two participants refer to each other as Sweens and Beersy. But that was the case on a recent night when Bob Beers, an analyst on Boston Bruins’ broadcasts, interviewed Bruins assistant general manager Don Sweeney. . . . Rob Vanstone, in the Regina Leader-Post: “Pet peeve: Any interview that ends with ‘thanks for this.’ ” . . .

“A time capsule from 1795 was opened in Boston,” reports Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong. “Among the articles inside were some petrified baked beans, a bloodied sock once worn by Paul Revere and a loud Minuteman jacket that once belonged to Don Cherry.” . . . Comedy writer Jerry Perisho noted that the most surprising thing found in the time capsule, at least part of which was put there by Revere, was “a Steve Nash rookie card.” . . . “I just hacked into Sony Pictures’ computers,” Chong claims, “and found a movie to be released this week. It’s about NFL coaching brothers Rex and Rob called ‘Saving Ryan’s Privates’.” . . .
 
“British tabloids report David Beckham has approached U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard about joining his Miami MLS team,” wrote Greg Cote of the Miami Herald last month. “Which would be exciting if Beckham actually, you know, had a Miami MLS team.” . . . One more from Cote: “A Memphis man was charged with stealing 7,500 pair of new LeBron James shoes valued at $1.5 million. That’s galling! I don’t mean the thief thinking he’d get away with it. I mean Nike charging $200 for a pair of sneakers.” . . .

RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com wonders: “If Santa's helpers snap photos of themselves, are they taking elfies?” . . . “Holly Sonders of Fox Sports is one of golf.com’s Most Beautiful Women in Golf 2015,” notes Currie. “So many male admirers voted for her in December, one could deck the halls with beaus of Holly.” . . . The NFL off-season is off to a fast start for the Chicago Bears. Cornerback Tim Jennings was arrested for speeding on a Georgia interstate (he was doing 99 mph in a 65 zone), reckless driving and DUI. Uhh, it was noon. Uhh, he was en route to a parent-teacher conference. His excuse? He said he was late. Perhaps he’ll be late for the next NFL season.

(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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“There’s a new reality show called Dating Naked,” notes Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe. “For all those who find The Bachelor and Bachelorette franchises too intellectual.” . . . If Orlando Bloom really did take a swing -- or try to take a swing -- at Justin Bieber, shouldn’t he be nominated as someone’s athlete of the year? . . . “The People’s Choice Awards just announced they will add a special achievement award next year, just for Orlando Bloom,” reports Hough. . . . And then there’s Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News, who writes: “Wouldn’t you like to see that twit Justin Bieber go just one round with Floyd Mayweather?” . . . It seems The Biebs isn’t doing us proud, and who saw that coming? . . .

“A company in India has come up with a ‘smart shoe’ that tracks your footsteps with the help of Google Maps,” claims Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “Which means we just might witness the first traveling call in NBA history.” . . . One more from Perry: “ESPN punished First Take talking head Stephen A. Smith for his off-base comments about domestic violence by: a) Suspending him for a week; b) Making him watch all his pre-Super Bowl comments, insinuating that anyone who thought the Seahawks could beat the Broncos is a moron.” . . .

“Dustin Johnson fighting problems like we all do,” tweeted Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register, “but it does cool that arrogant PGA contention that their players are morally superior.” . . . Should we be surprised that there is at least some illicit drug use, and maybe even some sowing of wild oats, on the PGA Tour, which is populated with young men with money? . . . The ironic thing about Johnson’s predicament, which apparently comes after a third positive drug test, is that this is everything his future father-in-law, Wayne Gretzky, was able to avoid throughout his hockey career. . . .

The San Francisco 49ers are preparing to move into the brand new Levis Stadium. And it’s a fancy one. “As a nod to the team’s 49er roots,” writes Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, “each restroom will feature a gold-panning sluice. Nuggets can be exchanged for concession items.” . . . “Heartwarming headline of the week: ‘Tyson, Holyfield patch it up’,” notes Ostler. “With what, Super Glue?” . . . In Gary Bettman’s NHL, the Montreal Canadiens and defenceman P.K. Subban go to arbitration, the team offering US$5.25 million on a one-year deal and the player asking for $8.5 million, and the next day they agree on an eight-year deal worth $72 million. Go ahead and try to figure out how that works. . . .

“The Baltimore Ravens have had five arrests in the off-season,” reports comedy writer Alex Kaseberg. “It is so bad, Netflix is making a series about the Ravens called Orange is the New Purple and Black.” . . . Headline at TheOnion.com: Fan at Indians game upset to find someone else In his section. . . . Another one from the gang at TheOnion.com: New study finds running for 20 minutes each day could add years of soreness to life. . . . ICYMI, Manchester United beat Real Madrid 3-1 in a soccer game played before 109,318 fans in the Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday afternoon. Who said soccer would never sell in the Excited States? . . .

Hey, it’s a long weekend. Which means the price of gas in Kamloops went up about six cents a litre on Wednesday. Of course it did. . . . By Saturday afternoon, it had dropped a couple of pennies, leaving us to think about what a good deal it now was. . . . Congrats to the government of Manitoba on its decision to introduce a bill during the fall session of the legislature to name the August civic holiday in honour of the late Terry Fox. A real Canadian hero, Fox was 22 when he died in 1981 during his Marathon of Hope. Yes, 1981. You are entitled to ask what has taken so long and why hasn’t all of Canada jumped all over this? . . .

“Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga have finished recording an album set for release in September,” writes blogger TC Chong. “She wore her meat dress to the recording studio and he brought along his personal chef.” . . . According to Fox-TV’s Jay Glazer, cornerback Terence Newman of the Cincinnati Bengals invited a homeless man to lunch the other day. But then Newman ate some of his guest’s French fries. Of course, the way Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal sees it: “At least that’s progress. Ten years ago, a Bengals player would have robbed and shot the homeless guy.” . . .

I finally got around to watching 20 Feet from Stardom, the Oscar-winning documentary that features the great Darlene Love and a number of other veteran backup singers. In a word? Awesome. . . . Want another word? Incredible. . . . Don’t miss it. . . . “The most striking thing about LeBron James's decision to ‘go home’ to Cleveland?” writes RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “It's not the Heat, it's the humility.” . . . Currie again: “Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota’s studies this fall include yoga and golf. A yoga class seems like a stretch, but I can see there being a golf course.” . . .

“I have had a like-dislike relationship with Kent Austin over the years,” confesses Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Express, in reference to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ head coach. “I am in a dislike mode now. Gosh I enjoy watching him lose and lose it.” . . . Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon has claimed that he has passed at least 70 drug tests. “Problem is,” says contributor Bill Littlejohn, “he’s take more than 1,000.” . . .

The Colorado Rockies held Troy Tulowitzki Night recently and saluted their all-star shortstop by handing out 15,000 uniform tops on which his surname was spelled Tulowizki. “A spokesperson for the team said they would fix it by honouring him with an upcoming bubblehead giveaway,” reports Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen. . . . Adds Littlejohn: “Tulowitzki wasn’t upset his name was spelled incorrectly. But I’m guessing he wishes Rockies had been spelled Y-a-n-k-e-e-s.”

(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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After the NBA draft, someone asked Steve Martin about the Three Amigos-style suit worn by No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins. Martin replied via Twitter: “You gotta have the hat.” . . . Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press with a quiz: “Why is Eastern Michigan putting in a gray football field? a) It wanted a neutral field. b) So it can bid to host the Grey Cup. c) You can easily touch it up with Just for Men.” . . . The other day, a Qantas flight from L.A. to Melbourne, Australia, turned back after a pipe burst, meaning there was water everywhere. “United would have kept going,” noted Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe, “and charged a swimming-pool fee.” . . .

After LeBron James opted out of his contract with the NBA’s Miami Heat, Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen quipped: “Further details will be revealed on an upcoming TV special, The Revision.” . . . Forward Jason Spezza has said the pressure of playing in Ottawa didn’t have anything to do with his demanding a trade from the Senators. Rolfsen figures that “sounds legit. It's not like it’s ever affected the performance of our MPs.” . . . In case you missed it, the Winnipeg BlueGolds beat the Ottawa RedBlacks 36-28 in a Thursday night CFL game. . . .

Headline on the first sports page of the Daily Star after Luis Suarez apologized to Giorgio Chiellini: Finally . . . Luis Tells The Tooth. . . . After a recent World Cup game, Hough wrote: “With Nigerians focused on their game against Argentina, did that mean Americans were seeing a lot fewer opportunities to get rich in their email in-boxes?” . . . Here’s Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: “If Ghana had knocked America out of the Cup for the third straight time, we would have had to invade 'em. Or at least send 300 advisers down there to slap 'em around.” . . .

One more from the aforementioned Ostler: “No reason was given for the sacking of (San Jose) Sharks broadcaster Drew Remenda, nor for the firing of (Golden State) Warriors' color man Jim Barnett (who was subsequently un-fired). Thus leading to speculation that their bosses felt the men were too critical. What many management/ownership types don't get: Fans want honesty from broadcasters, not sugar-coated bullsnort.” . . . Ostler, again: “Great scene, Michelle Wie wins the U.S. Women's Open and gets a Champagne shower on the 18th green from some of her competitors. At men's tourneys, for some reason, the TV producers never show us that part, when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson run onto the green and squirt Champagne on Rory McIlroy or Bubba Watson.” . . . Ostler, finally: “Hey, Tiger. If you wash those shirts in cold water, they won't shrink like crazy.” . . .

After Wie won the U.S. Open, she got flowers from actor Adam Sandler. “I feel like that’s the biggest prize in golf,” she said, “getting flowers from Happy Gilmore.” . . . You may not be aware that the Coquihalla Highway, which runs through the heart of the B.C. Interior, has had its speed limit increased to 120 km-h in parts. I know, you thought the speed limit was whatever that guy screaming past you in the Mercedes wants it to be. . . . Can’t, or don’t, enforce the laws that are on the books? Make new ones. . . . Headline at theglobeandmail.com: Higher speed limits in B.C. could put more animals at risks, study warns. . . . “One sign the free-agent speculation surrounding NBA forward Carmelo Anthony has gotten out of hand?” suggests RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “I just heard he signed with the Vancouver Canucks.” . . .

The cast of the movie Field of Dreams is holding a 25-year reunion at the facility in Iowa. “In the modern-day version,” says comedy writer Jerry Perisho, “the little girl chokes on the hot dog and then hires an attorney who sues everyone present.” . . . No one enjoys Canada more than Bobby Bonilla and he’s not even Canadian. On July 1, for the fourth year in a row, the New York Mets paid the former major leaguer US$1,193,248.20. The Mets will make that annual payment through 2035 before his contract is paid out. . . .

“Authorities suspect alcohol was involved after Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux was arrested for repeatedly grabbing the buttocks of a male police officer in Ottawa,” writes Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “Puck purists immediately derided it as the worst example of clutch-and-grab hockey.” . . . “In a statement released by the Flyers,” wrote Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post, “Giroux called the incident ‘a misguided attempt at humour’ – kind of like most of the things Ron MacLean says on Coach’s Corner.” . . . One more from Hamilton: “An unmanned aerial vehicle was spotted above Pittsburgh’s PNC Park during a game between the Pirates and New York Mets. In Toronto, the only drone at Rogers Centre is Buck Martinez.” . . .

A Tuesday tweet from Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register: “Tim Howard goaltends and gets worldwide congrats. Dwight Howard goaltends and gets ridiculed. He's right, everybody's against him.” . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: Triumphant Jurgen Klinsmann rips critics: ‘I told you idiots we weren’t good enough.’ . . . Home-plate umpire Quinn Wolcott tossed Boston Red Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski from a recent game. What, wondered Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, did Pierzynski say to warrant the ejection? Pierzynski replied: “Give me a new ball. One you can see.”

(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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Let’s start with a Friday tweet from Ray Ratto of Comcast SportsNet: “(FIFA president Sepp) Blatter says World Cup in Qatar was a mistake, but in fairness, Qatar had a better bid than the surface of the sun.” . . . After ex-New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who is being held on a murder charge, was indicted Thursday on new double-murder charges, The Fake ESPN tweeted: “Aaron Hernandez passes Rae Carruth and Ray Lewis for the NFL’s all-time record in homicides” . . . Here’s Ian Hamilton, in the Regina Leader-Post: “General Motors has announced it is recalling three million vehicles in North America, increasing its total this year to more than 11 million. It’s the worst performance by a GM in Detroit since Matt Millen.” . . .

“Roger Goodell mentioned on NFL Network (last) week that the league is thinking of expanding next year’s draft to four days,” writes Bob Molinaro of the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot, in reference to the NFL commissioner. “A move perfectly in keeping with the league’s ‘too much is never enough’ philosophy.” . . . One more from Molinaro: “Even the NHL has had a rule for 25 years prohibiting players from coming off the bench to escalate a fight, but baseball continues to do nothing to discourage bench-clearing brawls. Must be another one of those unwritten rules that’s preventing Bud Selig from acting.” . . .

The other night at the Cannes Film Festival, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian got to see Grace of Monaco, the new movie that features Nicole Kidman. And what did he think? Well, he started by calling it “a breathtaking catastrophe.” He continued: “It is a film so awe-inspiringly wooden that it is basically a fire-risk. The cringe-factor is ionospherically high. . . . A fleet of ambulances may have to be stationed outside the Palais to take tuxed audiences to hospital afterwards to have their toes uncurled under general anaesthetic.” . . . To think that sporting teams often get upset with a little bit of criticism. . . .

“Russia's president played in a celebrity hockey game in Sochi,” reports RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “He recorded a Vladimir Putin hat-trick, with six goals, five assists and three foreign invasions.” . . . One more from Currie: “The San Jose Sharks have already announced forward Marty Havlat and blueliner Dan Boyle won't be back. Havlat has been cut while Boyle was lanced.” . . . Currie, again: “Saskatoon police say 70 per cent of local vehicles stolen in 2014 had the keys in them. I admit I've forgotten the keys many times in my 1990 Volkswagen; still no luck.” . . .

"Can a drone strike be far behind?" wondered comedy writer Tim Hunter after Oregon State fired Craig Robinson, the men's basketball coach, the other day. Robinson just happens to have connections -- his brother-in-law is U.S. President Barack Obama. . . . Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun points out: “The top six OPS hitters in the American League are two Venezuelans, three Dominicans and a Cuban. Seventh is a Korean.” . . . Sheesh! Wonder what Grapes thinks of that? . . . “California Chrome has shown all athletes that you can have a lot of success without Tweeting about it,” tweets Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register. . . .

Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, ripped the referees after losing Game 5 of a second-round playoff series to the host Oklahoma City Thunder. The NBA then fined him $25,000. . . . “On the plus side,” noted Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times, “the league gave him back $50,000 for ripping his team’s owner.” . . . “It’s 81 and cloudy,” said CBS-TV's David Letterman, referring to the weather in New York City the other day, “just like Donald Sterling.” . . . “The Los Angeles District Attorney is now investigating Donald Sterling’s mistress after she allegedly threatened to release more audio recordings in order to blackmail him,” NBC-TV’s Late Night host Seth Meyers offered. “Sterling is very upset because he prefers to be whitemailed.”

Who is the last Canadian to hold a belt as a world heavyweight boxing champion? That would be Haitian-born, Montreal-raised Bermane Stiverne, who knocked out Chris Arreola in the sixth round last Saturday to win the WBC title that had been vacated by Vitali Klitschko, who has bigger things on his plate in Ukraine. . . . Two other Canadians have held the WBC belt -- Tommy Burns and Trevor Berbick. . . . After firing head coach Mark Jackson, who went 51-31 this season, Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob said the deposed coach “probably could do a little better job of managing up and sideways.” . . . To which Perry wrote: "Coincidence? Jackson’s reaction to that comment probably included the words 'up' and 'sideways,' too." . . .

“Set to earn many millions of dollars playing football, (Aaron) Hernandez had to be, when he was playing, the first active serial killer in NFL history,” writes Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times. “No O.J. Simpson mentions, please.” . . . “Oscar Pistorius’s defence team now is arguing that the former Olympic star has ‘anxiety issues.’ ” Janice Hough (aka The Left Coast Sports Babe) wrote earlier this week. “Right, like Pistorius is anxious now that he may spend the rest of his life in jail.”

(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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Jim Brown, the Hall of Famer who is in the argument as the greatest running back of all time, has been quoted as saying: “The NCAA is the most reprehensible organization God ever created.” According to Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe, “God responded: ‘Don’t blame me, I didn’t do it.’ ” . . . One more from Hough: “Tiger Woods said that missing the Masters wasn’t that bad. ‘Speak for yourself,’ said CBS.” . . .

TSN with three new channels? The mind boggles at the thought of what might end up on those channels. . . . We could always use more darts and poker on TV, couldn’t we? . . . Here’s Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Express: “TSN is adding three more networks. They will aptly be named TSN3, TSN4 and TSN5. So we now will get five times the Toronto coverage.” . . . One more from Hutchinson: “If the NDP is elected in Ontario, it promises to raise the minimum wage to $12. I’m wondering how CFL teams in other provinces would cope with this salary increase.” . . .

Kamloops basketball fans are in for a treat later this year. I’m not certain of the date but the Gonzaga Bullodgs, most seasons a top-20 NCAA men’s basketball team, will be in Kamloops to play an exhibition game against the TRU WolfPack. . . . Headline from TheOnion.com -- Poll: 56% Of Voters Say Country Better Off Than It Was 4 Eons Ago. . . . Despite being unable to speak after taking a puck to the throat on Sunday, defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson of the Chicago Blackhawks was back in the lineup two days later. “Man,” noted Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post, “the guy’s a hoarse.” . . .

“Oprah Winfrey is among the celebrities interested in buying the Los Angeles Clippers,” writes Brad Rock of the Deseret News. “Sources say she plans to interview players about expressing their feelings in non-confrontational ways and slimming down for their high school reunions.” . . . Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda is friends with Donald Sterling, the owner of the NBA’s Clippers who has been banned for life because of racist comments that were recorded and made public by gal pal V. Stiviano. When Lasorda was asked by WPBF-TV in Florida about Stiviano, he replied: “I don’t wish that girl any bad luck, but I hope she gets hit with a car.” . . .

“Alberta skip Kevin Martin announced his retirement,” writes RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “He leaves a curling career where he has owned 18 slam titles, four Brier crowns and Glenn Howard.” . . . Here’s Currie, again: “Roger Federer, holder of 17 Slam singles titles, is a proud papa of twins again: two boys to go with his twin daughters. Who knew he was a doubles specialist?” . . .

Is that Carey Price or a freshman named Ken Dryden in goal for the Montreal Canadiens these days? . . . Whoever it is, he is redefining “cool.” . . . BTW, Hockey Night in Canada, in its death throes, is proving that three voices on a play-by-play crew is one too many. Here’s hoping that Sportsnet is paying attention. . . . An old joke reworked by Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong: “A guy walks into a Vancouver bar and asks for 10 ounces of flat beer served in a plastic cup, and wants to be charged $9 for it. The bartender says: ‘Are you crazy?’ The guy replies, ‘No, I just miss going to Canucks games.’ ” . . .

In case you missed it, the CFL’s board of governors has approved the use of video review on pass interference calls. Having watched the early days of video review in baseball, we can only imagine what this will be like in the CFL. . . . At the end of the day, and even in slomo, pass interference is a judgment call and video review won’t change that. . . . Air Serbia has named an airplane in honour of former NBAer Vlade Divac. As Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald wrote: “Instead of landing, it flops onto the tarmac.” . . .

A gem from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: “No Toronto team in the NBA, NHL or MLB has won a playoff series since April of 2004. By comparison, in that same period of time in Boston, the Red Sox have won the World Series three times, the Patriots have won two Super Bowls, the Bruins and Celtics have been champions and the same teams have lost in four other championship series or games. . . . No other city with NBA, NHL and MLB ties has gone this long without winning a single playoff round.” . . . Of course, no other city has the Ford brothers, either. . . .

If you were watching on Thursday night, you saw three players from Texas A&M selected in the first round of the NFL draft. As contributor Bill Littlejohn noted: “So Aggie recruiters should have plenty of salary cap room for the next class.” . . . Jack Finarelli, aka the Sports Curmudgeon, wants the NFL to take its draft back to a two-day format, and here’s why: “The current draft format creates a situation whereby there can be mock drafts for both the first and the second rounds. That borders on a human rights violation.”

(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.)


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.