Happy New Year
As we say good-bye to 2007 tonight, I’m taking a look back at the highlights and the lowlights of the year:
HIGHLIGHT – Dave Parkes resigns. He may have been good early in his career, but he was, in my opinion, a cancer for all of curling in the latter years.
LOWLIGHT -- He leaves the CCA almost $1.5 million in debt.
HIGHLIGHT – The Brier comes to Southern Ontario to Copps Coliseum to receive the Golden Touch.
LOWLIGHT – The crowds at the Brier in Hamilton were dismal, administering another body blow to championship curling in Southwestern Ontario.
HIGHLIGHT – Prime Minister Stephen Harper shows up to watch a draw in Hamilton, which is one more draw than Parkes did.
LOWLIGHT – Harper is one of the most uncomfortable, awkward human beings I’ve ever met (I went to high school with him and he was the same back then).
HIGHLIGHT – Casino Rama steps in to revive the TSN Skins Game in Orillia, Ont.
LOWLIGHT – The Continental Cup is held in Medicine Hat.
HIGHLIGHT – I co-authored a curling book with Russ Howard.
LOWLIGHT – The same year, books on or by the Ferbey Four, Colleen Jones, Brad Gushue and Vera Pezer are released, making for a crowded curling shelf at the local Chapters.
HIGHLIGHT – Capital One steps up to sponsor the Grand Slam of Curling, signing on for $5.2 million over five years.
LOWLIGHT – The purses for the Grand Slam stay at $100,000.
HIGHLIGHT – Dallas Bittle and Gerry Geurts release another edition of the Black Book of Curling.
LOWLIGHT – I’m not ranked anywhere.
HIGHLIGHT – Kelly Scott wins the Scott Tournament of Hearts.
LOWLIGHT – Reporters everywhere wince.
HIGHLIGHT – The Strauss Canada Cup of Curling is Held.
LOWLIGHT – Strauss hasn’t increased its budget for television ads.
All the best for 2008.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
One more day
Oops. You won't find my column on Kevin Martin in Monday's Globe, and that's because I'm a big boob. Normally, I try to write my column on Sunday morning and then file it by noon. I'm supposed to have it in by 2 p.m. This week I was a little ahead of schedule. With nothing much to do last night, I wrote the column and saved it. I woke up Sunday morning and made a few minor changes then sent it in. Or thought I did.
Actually I did send it but I sent it to the wrong address, put a .ca on the end instead of the .com. thinking everything was hunky-dory, I went out with my son, did a little shopping and then went to see the new National Treasure movie. Being a good guy, I left my Blackberry in the car. When I returned, there was a flurry of voice mails and e-mails wondering where my column was. Oops.
So you'll find it in Tuesday's paper and probably on the web site sometime Tuesday afternoon.
By the way, in the 19 years that I've written my Globe column, this is the first time I've done this.
Actually I did send it but I sent it to the wrong address, put a .ca on the end instead of the .com. thinking everything was hunky-dory, I went out with my son, did a little shopping and then went to see the new National Treasure movie. Being a good guy, I left my Blackberry in the car. When I returned, there was a flurry of voice mails and e-mails wondering where my column was. Oops.
So you'll find it in Tuesday's paper and probably on the web site sometime Tuesday afternoon.
By the way, in the 19 years that I've written my Globe column, this is the first time I've done this.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Martin and Interviewing Curlers
Today I interviewed Kevin Martin for my Globe column on Monday. I called his cel phone and was surprised when he told me he was in Florida on a little family vacation. I guess going back to my previous post, this is one of the few times of the year a competitive curler can get away from the balmy temperatures of Edmonton.
I won’t scoop myself, but the column will deal with Martin’s streak of five consecutive Grand Slam wins.
Over the years, I’ve really found that Martin has really become a very good interview. In his early days, he was somewhat reticent to talk in anything other than clichés or top-line comments. But over the years he’s better, more open and not afraid to speak the truth as blunt as that may be. He does, however, always do it in a positive way.
Most curlers are decent interviews. I’d say my Best Interview List would be made up of Ed Werenich, Wayne Middaugh, Glenn Howard, Martin, Randy Ferbey, Heather Houston and Marilyn Bodogh. I’m probably forgetting a few, but these folks always give you genuine answers that aren’t stock crap. Sometimes they give you something outrageous that just makes a writer’s day so easy. Other times it’s really just an honest answer.
In general most curlers are decent to interview and only a few that I’ve dealt with are really tough to get anything out of or are just plain boring or flat. I’m sure they’re not that way intentionally but it can make a writer’s job that tough.
I won’t scoop myself, but the column will deal with Martin’s streak of five consecutive Grand Slam wins.
Over the years, I’ve really found that Martin has really become a very good interview. In his early days, he was somewhat reticent to talk in anything other than clichés or top-line comments. But over the years he’s better, more open and not afraid to speak the truth as blunt as that may be. He does, however, always do it in a positive way.
Most curlers are decent interviews. I’d say my Best Interview List would be made up of Ed Werenich, Wayne Middaugh, Glenn Howard, Martin, Randy Ferbey, Heather Houston and Marilyn Bodogh. I’m probably forgetting a few, but these folks always give you genuine answers that aren’t stock crap. Sometimes they give you something outrageous that just makes a writer’s day so easy. Other times it’s really just an honest answer.
In general most curlers are decent to interview and only a few that I’ve dealt with are really tough to get anything out of or are just plain boring or flat. I’m sure they’re not that way intentionally but it can make a writer’s job that tough.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
The Dead Week
The period between Christmas and New Year’s used to be a vibrant one for curling. As a junior curler, I used to revel in the old CFRB bonspiel held at Thornhill Country Club. It was always a good chance to have a great party. And the party was really why we were all there.
There was also a family bonspiel held at my curling club, Weston. It used to be on Boxing Day, but that’s long since changed to allow staff a little longer well-deserved break.
But more recently, there was a televised Skins Game during this time, usually featuring a West-versus-East format with four top teams on each side playing down. It actually started as more of a local event in Toronto, or Oshawa to be exact. It was known at the GM Goodwrench Skins and was a battle of top GTA rinks. That morphed into the M+M Skins Game and it was aired on Sportsnet. While the event was popular, it never really worked from a business standpoint and the plug was pulled a few years ago.
It’s a bit strange to me that there aren’t any events during this week between Christmas and New Years. The calendar is certainly jammed all the rest of the year and you wonder why someone hasn’t tried to start something – maybe an outdoor event like the hockey game that’s happening in Buffalo on New Year’s Day. They did have an outdoor exhibition at Rockefeller Centre a while back, but why not a one game exhibition between Ferbey and Martin or Howard and Middaugh or Russ Howard and Brad Gushue? It would be fun.
For now, I’m left to find my curling fix elsewhere.
There was also a family bonspiel held at my curling club, Weston. It used to be on Boxing Day, but that’s long since changed to allow staff a little longer well-deserved break.
But more recently, there was a televised Skins Game during this time, usually featuring a West-versus-East format with four top teams on each side playing down. It actually started as more of a local event in Toronto, or Oshawa to be exact. It was known at the GM Goodwrench Skins and was a battle of top GTA rinks. That morphed into the M+M Skins Game and it was aired on Sportsnet. While the event was popular, it never really worked from a business standpoint and the plug was pulled a few years ago.
It’s a bit strange to me that there aren’t any events during this week between Christmas and New Years. The calendar is certainly jammed all the rest of the year and you wonder why someone hasn’t tried to start something – maybe an outdoor event like the hockey game that’s happening in Buffalo on New Year’s Day. They did have an outdoor exhibition at Rockefeller Centre a while back, but why not a one game exhibition between Ferbey and Martin or Howard and Middaugh or Russ Howard and Brad Gushue? It would be fun.
For now, I’m left to find my curling fix elsewhere.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Martin's fifth
Kevin Martin is quite amazing, isn’t he? He wins his fifth consecutive Grand Slam (oops, sorry, Capital One Grand Slam) event which to me is remarkable. I mean, what are the odds of this happening? It’s not quite up there with winning the Grand Slam in golf (in my opinion), but more should be made of this streak.
Also, it should be noted that it was a big finale for Wild Rows Pump & Compression which sponsored both teams in the final. I'm sure there's a big celebration going on back at the Pump & Compression store. Sorry, I digress again.
In some ways, I think this is more of an achievement than winning four Briers. Granted he did play fewer games, and every game was on good ice, which you don’t always get in a playdown run, but Martin faced significantly more difficult competition to get the job done. Think about it – he’s defeated the best teams in the game five consecutive times. That’s a pretty tough job.
Unfortunately, it won’t get the coverage it deserves or even the recognition among curlers who have yet to fully embrace the Grand Slams for what they are (that time will come, but I digress). But these events are as good as curling gets and for Martin to win five straight just boggles my mind.
+++
I think the Players’ Association is smart to enact a new rule that prevents teams from picking up players from teams that take a pass on a Slam event. This weekend, both Craig Savill and Brent Laing played for teams other than their regular (Glenn Howard). You know both these guys have good intentions but there’s definitely the possibility for abuse down the line.
The necessity of this rule really points to just how crowded the curling calendar is. Howard passed on this weekend because he had already played the last three and around Christmas, that Beer Store no doubt gets a little busy. While this is certainly the peak of the season, you have to think it would be in the Slam’s best interests to spread these events out a bit, especially these first two which were just three weeks apart. Why not have one early in the year, say late October? I’m sure scheduling isn’t quite as easy as all that, what with arena deals, and not stepping on the toes of existing spiels, etc., but this is a small problem that should be overcome with enough planning.
+++
Kudos to the folks running the web site for The National. Probably the best curling web site I’ve ever seen.
+++
Although he's certainly well known on the circuit, it was interesting today to hear the mangled pronunciations of Kevin Koe's name. At the curling club where I was, I heard a lot of "coe" and some "coe-ee" but not many "coo-ee." Also, during the semi-final, one older gentleman kept getting Koe and Jon Mead mixed up.
Oh well, if the team keeps playing like the are, they'll eventually get it right.
Also, it should be noted that it was a big finale for Wild Rows Pump & Compression which sponsored both teams in the final. I'm sure there's a big celebration going on back at the Pump & Compression store. Sorry, I digress again.
In some ways, I think this is more of an achievement than winning four Briers. Granted he did play fewer games, and every game was on good ice, which you don’t always get in a playdown run, but Martin faced significantly more difficult competition to get the job done. Think about it – he’s defeated the best teams in the game five consecutive times. That’s a pretty tough job.
Unfortunately, it won’t get the coverage it deserves or even the recognition among curlers who have yet to fully embrace the Grand Slams for what they are (that time will come, but I digress). But these events are as good as curling gets and for Martin to win five straight just boggles my mind.
+++
I think the Players’ Association is smart to enact a new rule that prevents teams from picking up players from teams that take a pass on a Slam event. This weekend, both Craig Savill and Brent Laing played for teams other than their regular (Glenn Howard). You know both these guys have good intentions but there’s definitely the possibility for abuse down the line.
The necessity of this rule really points to just how crowded the curling calendar is. Howard passed on this weekend because he had already played the last three and around Christmas, that Beer Store no doubt gets a little busy. While this is certainly the peak of the season, you have to think it would be in the Slam’s best interests to spread these events out a bit, especially these first two which were just three weeks apart. Why not have one early in the year, say late October? I’m sure scheduling isn’t quite as easy as all that, what with arena deals, and not stepping on the toes of existing spiels, etc., but this is a small problem that should be overcome with enough planning.
+++
Kudos to the folks running the web site for The National. Probably the best curling web site I’ve ever seen.
+++
Although he's certainly well known on the circuit, it was interesting today to hear the mangled pronunciations of Kevin Koe's name. At the curling club where I was, I heard a lot of "coe" and some "coe-ee" but not many "coo-ee." Also, during the semi-final, one older gentleman kept getting Koe and Jon Mead mixed up.
Oh well, if the team keeps playing like the are, they'll eventually get it right.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
The passing of a great man
Hard to believe that he's gone. He truly was one of the funniest guys out there.
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