Jenny's back on the block

How bad are the mosquitoes in Edmonton these days? “You have to be careful when coaching third base at our ball park that you don’t put on the hit and run at the wrong time because you were slapping a mosquito on the indicator sign,” Edmonton Capitals manager Orv Franchuk told Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun. . . . “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Eskimos GM Eric Tillman told Jones. “The next thing that’s going to pop up on our injury report is malaria. It’s like we’re practising in a jungle!” . . . The skeeters were so bad on Thursday that the Eskimos moved their practice inside. . . . Those mosquitoes likely have more bite than the 0-2 B.C. Lions, who are in Edmonton tonight. . . .
Here’s one from blogger R.J. Currie: “The Daily Mail reports the Seattle Mariners are one of the teams planning to have nut-free games this year. I thought they did that when they released Milton Bradley.” . . . With the Dodgers having filed for bankruptcy protection, ABC-TV’s Jimmy Kimmel offered: “I don’t know how an organization that sells a beer for $12 runs out of money, but they did.” . . . Comedy writer Jim Barach noted: “Who knew that the old Dodgers mantra of ‘Wait ’til next year!’ would have to do with trying to meet payroll?” . . . Iowa Speedway, the site of a recent IndyCar race, is known for its really bumpy corners. When the Des Moines Register asked driver Danica Patrick about her propensity for taking those corners at full throttle, she replied: “That took some ovaries to do.” . . .
A Tuesday tweet from the PGA of B.C., during a tournament in Pemberton: “Bear on the 4th hole just ripped apart a players bag at Big Sky in Assistants Championship.” . . . Which goes to prove the golf adage that some days you eat the bear and other days the bear eats your bag. . . . Having baseball’s all-star game decide home-field advantage in the World Series, notes Len Berman of thatssports.com, “makes as much sense as moving the Super Bowl to the home city of one of the teams based on the Pro Bowl! They’ve gotta change this.” . . . The man has a point. . . .
It’s almost as if the rats are deserting a sinking ship. First, it was Jeff Marek leaving Hockey Night in Canada for Sportsnet and now Pierre LeBrun has bailed for TSN. Marek used to be on HNIC’s iDesk, while LeBrun, who will continue to work for ESPN.com, was part of the After 40 Minutes gang. . . . And, if you missed it, Rogers Sportsnet cut ties with hockey play-caller Peter Loubardias on Wednesday. No explanation given. . . . Loubardias was the TV voice of the Calgary Flames and also handled the Memorial Cup for Sportsnet. . . . Say it ain’t so, J-Lo! Say it ain’t so! . . . It’s a wonder that the Internet didn’t implode from all the bad jokes after J-Lo and her third husband, ol’ what’s his name, announced they had visited Splitsville. . . .
Ty Davidson and the Golden Rockets are hoping the DeFrias brothers from Kamloops will burn up the KIJHL in the fall. Brett, a defenceman, had 32 points in 43 games with the Rockets last season. The other day, Davidson acquired Colten, a forward, from the Kelowna Chiefs. He had 36 points, including 22 goals, in 34 games last season. . . . In Saskatchewan, where it’s all Roughriders all the time, they have unveiled Darian’s Darios, a cereal named after QB Darian Durant. . . . “To boost first-week sales for the cereal,” writes Dave Deibert of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, “grocery stores around the province were offering a Roughriders special: 13 boxes for the price of 12.” . . .
Our man Dylan Armstrong got some publicity in Toronto on Tuesday, before winning the National Track League shot putting title there the next evening. “Press has been crazy,” he said via text on Tuesday evening. “Did Canada AM on CTV at studio. Was really good.” . . . Armstrong was in Victoria on July 2 to honour old friend Gary Reed, Canada’s best-ever 800-metre man and an Olympian. A lot of Reed’s friends gathered for a retirement dinner; they also named the Victoria Track Classic’s main event The Gary Reed 800m. . . . Mike Bianchi, in the Orlando Sentinel: “Did you see where Greg Anderson, Barry Bonds’ personal trainer, has been barred from coaching a youth league baseball team in the San Francisco area? Too bad because he would have given a whole new meaning to the term ‘juice boxes.’ ” . . .
Catharine Pendrel, the reigning World Cup champion who trains in Kamloops, is in Canmore today for the Canadian cross-country mountain bike championships. She will be working to keep rival Marie-Hélène Prémont from her seventh Canadian elite title, which would tie Alison Sydor’s record. . . . Ron Judd, in the Seattle Times: “Weather records indicate Seattle has been getting wetter and warmer, which at least ought to provide some new material for people who gripe that it’s only been getting richer and ruder.” . . . Jeff Speedy, a former interim athletic director and women’s basketball coach at TRU, will be back on campus later this year. He is bringing his U of New Brunswick Varsity Reds to the annual BDO Canada preseason tournament. . . .
In case you missed it, the legendary Joey Chestnut won the Nathan’s hot dog-eating contest on July 4. The inaugural women’s title went to Sonya (The Black Widow) Thomas. He downed 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes; she handled 40. . . . The Left Coast Sports Babe would like to see a division for super models. “The winner would be the first to finish a cocktail weiner,” she scribbled. . . . Pat Hickey, in the Montreal Gazette: “It’s comical to see Matthew Hulsizer pop up as the possible owner of the St. Louis Blues. Here’s a guy who was only willing to put up $70 million of his own money to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and now he’s going to pony up $165 million for the Blues?” . . .
You may not be interested in hearing this but quarterback Brett Favre is said to be thinking about playing some more football. Here’s Greg Couch of FanHouse.com: “Brett Favre is like a piece of gum you’ve chewed too long and can’t find a place to spit out. Once you finally do — thank God! — you accidentally step in it and can’t get it off your shoe.” . . . During the second round of last week’s John Deere Classic, John Daly came up with a 13 on the par-3 fourth hole. “Two-putted,” he explained. “(I missed a) 20-footer for 12.” . . . Hey, golfers, have you heard about the Rupert Murdoch Invitational? Comedy writer Alan Ray explains it: “Not a lot of good golfers involved. Mostly a bunch of hackers.”

Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, twitter.com/gdrinnan, and gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Scoreappears sporadically over the summer months.