Some folks in Colorado are wanting to select an official sport for the state, and the Western Pack Burro Racing Association is pushing for donkey racing. Len Berman, from over at ThatsSports.com, notes: “They don’t ride the donkeys, the humans run along side. The Association’s motto is: ‘Celebrating 62 years of Hauling Ass.’ Colorado doesn’t have an official state food. How about fruit cake?” . . . Goaltender Lucas Gore of Kamloops, who played the last three seasons with the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins, will attend the U of Regina and play for the Cougars this season. . . . Takeru Kobayashi, he of hotdog eating fame, will be in Barrie, Ont., on Aug. 21, at the second annual Pizza PIE eating competition. And he’s vowing to break his own world record. That would be 40 slices — 10 full 14-inch pizzas — in 12 minutes. Uhh, hold the pepperoni. . . .
Centre C.J. Stretch, who holds the Kamloops Blazers’ career games played record, has signed on for a second season with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign. Stretch, who is from Irvine, Calif., had 21 points in 46 games last season. . . . After a dyed-blond A.J. Burnett of the New York Yankees got roughed up by the visiting L.A. Angels the other night, the New York Daily News ran a large photo of the right-hander and his new ’do with the headline: DYE HARD. . . . Have to agree with Wayne Coffey of the New York Daily News who writes that Burnett “is fully capable of pitching like Bob Gibson one inning and like Debbie Gibson the next.” . . .
One of the coaches with the Saskatchewan boys basketball team got a true B.C. welcome to the Western Canada Summer Games on Sunday when a referee shook his hand and said: “Sorry about the ’Riders.” . . . The Saskatchewan Roughriders had lost 24-11 to the host Lions two nights previous. . . . Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “The Patriots picked up Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth? Now Bill Belichick is just showin’ off.” . . . Dan Uggla of the Atlanta Braves goes into the weekend having hit in a franchise-record 32 consecutive games. And he has raised his batting average all the way to .229. So you can imagine how ugly things were before all of this got started. . . . Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: “Okay, who’s got a lousier credit rating, the United States or Frank McCourt?” . . .
As part of its new labour agreement with its players, the NFL is to do random testing for human growth hormone. Here’s Greg Cote, in the Miami Herald: “Why random? I’m no doctor, but wouldn’t it be smart to target the guys whose necks are roughly the width of their shoulders?” . . . Or, as the Left Coast Sports Babe noted: “Know what that means? The players have found something better.” . . . Mark this down in pencil on your calendar: The gang at the National Throws Centre right here in Kamloops is working to put together a Throws Festival for Sept. 24. . . .
In case you missed it, Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., had this to say to Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: “As much as the CHL denies it, there are still instances where money is being paid to the family to lure kids away and de-commit from colleges. It’s off the books, under the table, whatever you want to call it. If your dad is a fisherman, an out-of-work machinist, or a farmer, and a CHL program comes along and offers you $300,000 in cash, it’s tough for these families not to accept that type of proposal.” . . . Gotta think that if CHL teams were handing out that kind of money, there would be a lot more players bailing on their NCAA commitments and heading for major junior teams. . . .
Isn’t it interesting how everyone has come to love Steve Williams these days, especially after all those years when he was carrying Tiger Woods’ bag (and baggage) and was known as the orneriest caddy in the land. . . . When Woods dumped Williams, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette went with his headline: Caddie sacked. . . . Phil Mushnick, in the New York Post: “ESPN last week added Eric Mangini, Hugh Douglas and Damien Woody as NFL studio analysts. ESPN’s studio analysts total has surpassed North America’s bison population.” . . .
Earlier this week, broadcaster Jim Rome tweeted: “Who is Tiger Woods trying to convince when he says he can win this week? Not with that swing, dome, rust and putter. Not here. Not now.” . . . Tiger then went out and shot 77 in the first round of the PGA Championship. . . . Jim Camazzola, who played 95 games with the Kamloops Jr. Oilers back in the day, has signed on as an assistant coach with the Simon Fraser University hockey team. . . . Where was I when Wayne Gretzky was traded? In a souvenir shop in Drumheller, Alta., the proprietor of which refused to believe me. And there was no BlackBerry or iPhone to which to turn in order to prove it. . . . To all of the organizers, volunteers, athletes and anyone else who had anything to do with the 2011 Western Canada Summer Games, thanks for a grand show.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Posts
