The numbers don't lie (not all the time anyway)

I’ve never been a big believer in the stats the CCA and WCF keep – I’m more a Gerry Guerts disciple. I've just seen far too many of the scorers in action over the years to have faith in how they determine a score. But no matter how you slice them, the numbers put up by Team Jacobs in the opener agains China at the world championships are pretty impressive.

The WCF ciphers had the skip at 100 per cent after eight ends and gave him a score of 96 when all was said and done.

Here’s what he told Mario Annicchiarico of the Victoria Times-Colonist after winning 7-6, a score that doesn’t reflect the dominance of the Canadian squad.

“I’d really like to see the percentages from that game. I think we were probably pretty high,” said Jacobs, who returns for Finland this morning at 9 then Scotland at 7 p.m. “We curled really well, made all the shots we hadto make, capitalized on the misses.” 

The percentages told the tale, with Jacobs curling 100 per centinto the ninth end. By game’s end he had curled 96 per cent, Fry was at 95,E.J. Harnden at 94 and Ryan Harnden finished at 89 per cent. As a team, theywere a collective 94 per cent.

Jacobs said the team wasn’t nervous in its first contest on the international stage with the Maple Leaf on the back. In fact, it was just the opposite, as Monte Stewart of the Canadian Press reported.

“I thought we would be a little more nervous than we were, because we never played in the worlds before, and everyone’s there, and all eyes on us cheering for us,” said Jacbobs.“It was wild, but we weren’t nervous. But because we weren’t nervous, it allowed us to come out and play our game. It was awesome all around.” 

Interesting to note is that the world championships are featuring the same stones used at the Brier. You remember, those ones that caused all the whining from players as they tried to figure them out. It will be interesting to see if that will give Jacobs any sort of advantage as other squads try to match up the rocks that didn’t seem to be matched.

A bronze consolation

For Rachel Homan, it's going to be a trip to the bronze-medal game -- the one contest no one as competitive as her really wants to be in.
The Homan rink lost 8-7 to Scotland's Eve Muirhead in a game the skipper figured her team should have won, according to the Canadian Press.

Homan had last-shot advantage in the final end. With Scotland sitting two, the Ottawa skip attempted a double takeout but the stone jammed and Muirhead stole a point for the victory. 

“We played really well and we deserved the win,” Homan said. “It’s too bad it had to end that way but sometimes it happens.”

And Coach Earle Morris figured that it was one big heavyweight battle between what is likely the two best young skips in the world. 

“It’s one of the finest curling games I can ever remember our team being involved in,” Morris said. “It was a battle. It was like a boxing match out there. Both teams played really well and made some big shots. It was the kind of game that I think deserved to have the last one made, whether it was Scotland throwing the last shot or Canada throwing the last rock. 

“But it’s why we play. You can’t guarantee what the outcomes are going to be.” 

In the Ottawa Citizen, Gord Holder reported on the thoughts of Lisa Weagle, who said that there was no sweeping on the last shot by Homan, indicating it may have been wide. 

“We haven’t talked about it, but we didn’t really touch the brooms to it,” said Weagle, referring to herself and the other sweeper, Kreviazuk. “I guess, maybe, it was a little wide. It needed to curl up, but it didn’t.”

The final will be between Sweden and Scotland, pushing the victory drought for the Canadians to five years. 

Yes, you can bet on the men's worlds

Here, courtesy of Bodog.ca are the odds to win the 2013 World Men's Curling Championship

Canada                                     7/4

Scotland                                   7/2

Norway                                     5/1

Sweden                                    5/1

China                                        10/1

Switzerland                               12/1

USA                                         15/1

Czech Republic                         25/1

Denmark                                   25/1

Russia                                      25/1

Finland                                     33/1

Japan                                       50/1

If you'd like to throw a bob or two down on Brad Jacobs or perhaps take a flyer on Team Japan, you can go here. I think I like Edin from Sweden at 5/1.

Homan defeats ancient German skip

Rachel Homan and her rink are hanging around near the top of the leaderboard, keeping playoff chances alive and – for the first time – commenting on the difficult conditions.

After beating Germany and their 102-year-old skip Andrea Schopp this morning, Homan noted in this Canadian Press story that the team was battling the streaky frozen pebble.

"Maybe once or twice the lines tricked us and that was pretty frustrating but it was a really well-played game by my team," Homan said. "We're just trying to hang in there with the ice and we pulled itout."

This, to my knowledge, is the first time she’s acknowledged the fact that the ice in Riga, Latvia is causing problems for the curlers. So far, she’s been pretty mum about what seems to be (from the comfort of my TV anyway), some tricky ice.

I think Major Morris has probably drummed into the gals that there’s nothing you can do about the ice other than deal with it. Pretty smart thinking and something that we didn’t see from all teams at the Brier.

It goes to show you just how good the conditions are at most major events these days. When you get something that has runs in it or rocks that aren’t matched, it can throw players off.

Homan’s win over German skip Schopp – who won her first world championship a year before Homan was born – had the team scored at 83 per cent while Homan was at 86, much better than Schopp’s 73.

A packed crowd few spectators seemed to love the Canadian win.

A few dozen fans were on hand for the morning draw at a quiet Volvo Sports Center. A pocket of flag-waving Canadian fans cheered on the national champions from the Ottawa Curling Club.

In any case, Homan doesn’t have time to worry. She and her Canadian mates simply can’t lose another game if they hope to have a shot at winning this shoot-out.

Quebec doubles champs a good story

Readers of this blog know I’m not a big fan of the two-person-throw-then-get-up-and-chase-after-your-rock-and-sweep-it competition known as Mixed Doubles, but it’s hard not to like the feel-good story of the Quebec duo that won the first Canadian trials and will represent Canada at the, ahem, world championship in New Brunswick.

Robert Desjardins and Isabelle Néron went 4-3 in the round robin and then caught fire in the playoffs to earn the overall title.

What made the win special was Neron, who was coming back to the game after a three-year absence, and for good reason.

It was an especially sweet victory for Néron, who was returning to the ice this season after spending the past three years battling breast cancer. 

"It's incredible, that's the only word I can say — incredible," marveled the 43-year-old Neron, who previously represented Quebec at the 2008 Canadian mixed championship in Calgary, playing third for Simon Dupuis. "Just to be in the playoffs was my gift because of the last three years. There was no pressure. Every new game is a gift. I'm already so happy — just throw the rocks, and if it works, it's a bonus."

Desjardins, who played in two Briers, actually was more excited about his latest accomplishment.

"I'm totally excited," said Desjardins. "It's the best thing in my curling career. I've been to two Briers, but, man, I just won the first Canadian mixed doubles championship. Nobody else can ever say that. It's unbelievable." 

You can read the rest of the story (which mysteriously reads a lot like an Al Cameron piece) in the Island Sports News. 

Homan has great strategy for rest of world championships

Rachel Homan returned to her winning ways on Sunday at the women’s world championship, with a pair of victories, one Sunday and one Monday. And, she brilliantly summed up the team’s strategy for the rest of the week to the Citien’s Gord Holder:

“It’s really important for us to keep on winning,” Homansaid. “We want to try and make the playoffs first and then take it from there.” 

 Seriously, the team is progressing and understanding the conditions in Latvia. (One could go so far as to say, adapting rather than whining about them – not that anyone would do that.) 

In this story, Canadian Press had this quote from Homan talking about the team’s burgeoning confidence.

"We're making some good shots out here and when we'remissing them we know why and we're learning from it," Homan said. "Soit's just going to keep getting better and better hopefully." 

Canada gets a date with the United States in its next game in what should be a good contest. 

Yorkton superfan hits Latvia

So what would possess a guy from Yorkton, Sask., to travel half-way around the world to watch the women’s world championships in Riga. Latvia?

The punchline might be “Have you ever been to Yorkton?”

But seriously, curling fans are like no others. They will go far and wide to enjoy the roaring game and Gord Holder of the Ottawa Citizen found one such individual here, cheering on not only the Canadians, but all gals.

Hans Madsen really stoodout in the crowd on Sunday morning, and not just because there were only about50 spectators for the early draw on the third day of the women’s world curlingchampionship. 

What set the 62-year-oldresident of Yorkton, Sask., apart was his jacket: bright red and bearing mapleleaf logos and “Canada” across the back. 

The Canadian curling teamof Ottawa’s Rachel Homan, Emma Miskew, Alison Kreviazuk and Lisa Weagle werenowhere to be seen, though. What, a member of the United States team wondered,were Madsen and his wife, Judy, doing there? 

“Yeah, but all the girlsare curling, and they put on a good show,” Madsen said after watching the U.S.lose 6-5 to Germany and his native Denmark fall 6-4 against Japan.

Now it's not like Madsen won't stand out in Latvia, not only because of his colourful display but because, ah, um, all the fans who have jammed in to the arena. It's not exactly a sell-out. 

And, hey . . . I have been to Yorkton and it’s very nice.