Finally the time has come to write something here in the posting waste land of mediocre musings. Thus far the summer has been fantastic on many levels so I thought today of all days should be the day to end the posting hiatus (collectively I know the internet as a whole is yawning at this news).
Truth be told today is the day that both the Association and the Merger (my 2 young sons) started summer camp, thus leaving me with a few moments to spare. Having the 2 youngsters by my side each and everyday in the summer is a complete joy but it leaves me with limited time to bore you all with my barely passable grammar and questionable punctuation.
I had a goal for the new year that this little site that shouldn’t would get to 500 000 hits so I better fire up some content. Luckily for me the teams that I support (formerly drink to) are surrounded by as much positive mojo then I can ever recall. It’s good to be back (for at least this day)
Cheers my friends and family (or random unfortunate wayward internet travellers)
Oh how someone is looking down on me today. It’s opening day, I’m off work for Easter Monday and I’m about to get horizontal on the couch with The Association, The Merger and soon to be joining us will be The First Lady of Sports Administration (she would be the motivated one of this lunch bunch as she is currently out swimming).
The fellas are jacked and for the most part are dressed in their Toronto Blue Jays gear (The Merger has used his out clause and is exercising his right to stay in his pyjamas all day). It’s been a tough year for Toronto sports fans (a familiar refrain I know..) so this household is looking forward to seeing what the Blue Jays can bring forth this season.
The start of the MLB season has long been an exciting time for me. My birthday falls close to the start of the season each year and growing up I would often receive ducats to Opening Day of the season or the Blue Jays home opener. I have so many fantastic memories of my Grandmother and Mom breaking me loose from school early to in order to make the trek to Toronto to catch the game. Dollar hot dogs and bleacher seats at the old (and demolished) Exhibition Stadium were responsible for my baseball education. I feel fortunate to have sat out on the hard no back bench stadium seating of the Ex with the wind blowing my hat off just in time for a sea-gull to aim and take fire at my under-combed coif. (I’m almost tearing up thinking about it right now)
What a game!! There aren’t enough superlatives to toss out to describe today’s NFC championship game that pitted the Green Bay Packers vs. the Seattle Seahawks. Usually when the First Lady and I watch the game with our kids (the Association and the Merger) our viewing is pretty limited. However today we were able to watch the exciting end to this classic because of them. (Bless their little sport loving hearts)
With the Seahawks down decidedly in this game the First Lady and I went on to prepare our Sunday night feast (for you foodies out there we dined on pork chops stuffed with goat cheese and spinach – delish is the review on this meal). With us parentals out of the way the boys decided to change from the NFC championship game to a more suitable program for their age and peer group. That program was Special Agent OSO. When dinner was ready and the Seahawks down 19-7 we went about our business and turned off the television.
As dinner went on we discussed the weekends events and yada yada yada before desert was summoned upon the Merger said “Hey Dad who is winning the game?”. It was at this point we turned on the radio in the kitchen to hear the score. 19-14 Packers with 2 minutes to go. The Association and the Merger both look at me and say “Desert downstairs? Let’s watch the game!!” What a great call by the youngsters (second best call of the day apparently coming in slightly behind the fake punt that Jon Ryan threw for a score).
The whole family was glued to the television as we watched Marshawn Lynch rumble to a go ahead touchdown. Both the boys were slapping high fives (while getting in nibbles of cake and the last licks on a lollipop). The boys became Seahawks right there. They were undaunted by the Packers game tying field goal (although they firmly believe that Mason Crosby is related to their hero Sidney) and never lost hope. The screams and victory dances as Russell Wilson connected with Jermaine Kearse were probably YouTube worthy. What a complete joy to see them so invested to the last 2 minutes and OT.
A great Sunday all around but I have to thanks my kids for letting me in on this game. Thanks boys!
Happy New Year my friends and loyal readers (all 14 of you thanks Mom). As it has become a custom of this mediocre blog it’s that time of year where I should cobble together some thoughts on the past year and shed some light on some of my aspirations for the upcoming one as well. In the past I’ve always managed to post this message on New Year’s eve, usually while enjoying a few adult libations in the hopes to make an excuse for my poor grammar and sentence structure. However this year I’ve been relegated to day after post. There’s really no excuse for the delay other than I’ve been a disaster at posting and blogging all year so at least I’m consistent, no?
2014 by all accounts was a fine year for the First Lady, the Association, the Merger and I. As a family we had a blast with many activities throughout the year (trips to the hockey hall of fame, Hamilton Bulldogs game, various McMaster athletic events and Blue Mountain to name a few) Individually the boys are growing up faster than either the First Lady and I are comfortable with (would love these little gaffers to stay little for ever). Both the Association and the Merger are enamored with sports (something they come across naturally from their DNA make-up) whether it’s the Association racing down a loose puck playing hockey for the first time or the Merger flashing down signals as a catcher for the A’s in Rookie Ball, the young men are proving to be loving their early sporting experiences (this has been a joy to watch from the sidelines).
The First Lady as per usual has had a stellar year holding down many roles in and around our humble abode. She’s been a wunderkind of sorts with her abilities to manage being around 3 gentlemen (I can call myself that right?) who all have a penchant for forgetting to use some common bathroom etiquette (namely the toilet seat). There’s no question that the fellas and I appreciate all that she does and is. WE LOVE YOU MUMMY!!
In this yearly diatribe it’s been my custom to present this little corner of the cyberspace with some resolutions of sorts that I try to intend to keep (really I do try, no lie). First and foremost I need to be more active and eat a whole lot healthier. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about this. Newsflash folks, I’m not getting any younger (or smaller) and I’m getting slower (tortoise like I believe). So by hook or crook I hope that 2015 brings a more svelte straight from the arse your way. Like it or not, the Association and the Merger are going to keep me active anyways, however i’d rather not be the panting and out of breath dad chasing them around. Another thing I would like to do is do a better job updating this blog. It’s quite possible that I had more guest blogs than blogs of my own. Getting to 500,000 visitors (or accidental visits as they might be) would be a great accomplishment for a someone with the limited skills that I present.
As for my the sports teams that I support I can’t remember a better time to be a Toronto sports fan. The Raptors are in the midst of being an Eastern conference contender. The Blue Jays (minus thus far any bullpen or 2nd base upgrades) are looking like a powerful bunch with the acquisitions of Russell Martin and Josh Donaldson. The Leafs, well they are the Leafs. I expect a playoff push to be in the cards but again they are The Leafs, no cup is nothing new for this guy.
So there it is folks. A sober rendition of my New Years post. 2015 here we go.
During the summer months I try not to do much in the way of work (some might argue that this mantra might not be exclusive to only the summer months…but I digress).
I was contacted earlier this summer by the makers of a new hockey card game called SHOOTERZ. I’m flattered to be asked and even more flattered to receive a promotional copy to aid me in entertaining both my boys the Association and the Merger this summer (thanks Randy from Caper Games much obliged).
Shooterz is a game produced by Caper games, a Canadian company from Victoria, British Columbia. The game itself comes in a small box so I was able to hide it from my young fellas for a few days until I could read up and watch the easy instructional you tube video (much like in teaching sometimes I have to pre-teach myself before I teach others…so deep and inspirational, right?)
The quick and easy research (is there any other kind for me?) informed me that Shooterz is a head-to-head hockey card game where players look for combinations to shoot for a goal and make saves. The suggested age for the game is 8 years or older and it’s a 2 player game. I explained to my 6 and 4-year-old boys that they had to be 8 to play but they were adamant in the desire to play so we made a few modifications to the teams (The Association was pitted against The Merger and I) and we started to play (in truth my maturity should be called into question before I make light of theirs).
The game was pretty fun for us to play. My boys have a remarkable hockey I.Q for their ages and having a head to head match up vs. each other was our usual modus operandi. Having just learned about how to play the game UNO was a huge help as we navigated our way through the game. The Merger was a big fan of controlling our team goalie (which was the blue team as we decided it was closest to the Leafs) and The Association was very eager to collect the necessary cards so he could launch a “howitzer” (his words, not mine) at our net.
Although we didn’t follow the rules perfectly, collectively we had a great time playing. The head to head aspect of the game is quite reflective to the adversarial games we have been playing this summer (by design or otherwise). As the fellas grow older and I could definitely see how Shooterz could be a great companion at a hockey tournament or a great after school activity. Our household has great love for sports and truthfully it’s nice to have the option to play a card game vs. some new app that might be available on the IPAD.
I’m no Siskel nor do I have a hip rating system but I’d suggest that Shooterz is well worth a look to anyone that is reading this (whether it’s legitimate…thanks Mom or just another accidental visit). If you do feel you want to try to play Shooterz fire off a message to Randy from Caper Games and tell him I sent you.
At a time when I should be putting words together to form sentences (I am capable of doing this grammatically correct from time to time) about the World Cup I am instead racing to the computer this evening to bark about something totally non sports related instead.
Normally one would be left to think that I’m eager to brag about my one of my children. Unfortunately this post isn’t about the Association’s wonderful left footed strike on the pitch this past Saturday morning. Nor is this sudden burst to the computer for me to pipe up and tell you about the Merger’s monstrous clout in his blast ball game. Nope friends, this moment of shameless promotion is for dish soap. Yes you read this correctly, I said dish soap. (Somewhere I trust that I’m floating somewhere in the future trying to enter a Delorian in preparation to negate myself from posting this meaningless piece of info).
The First Lady and I are having races to the dirty dish sink due to the wonderful smell of the soft touch Palmolive Coconut butter dish soap. I know it’s unbelievable that I would race anywhere where food wasn’t offered but it’s true my friends. There has never been any animosity at our humble abode when it comes to washing dishes, but there is now a level of discord when one of us doesn’t get a chance to wash them (I understand the strangeness of this dish washing vortex…it is bizarre).
Do you yourself a favour friends and seek out this product the next time you are at the grocery store or wherever you might buy your dish washing materials.
Hockey fever has hit our humble abode. My young fellas are in love with the sport (tonight they were learning on their own the acronyms for each and every NHL team). They are smart enough to know that to play ice hockey, learning to skate will be quite beneficial.
They are both involved in skating lessons (in fact my wife is currently taking adult learn to skate lessons just to keep up to them). With their impressive thirst for hockey I’ve long promised The First Lady, the Association and the Merger to construct a backyard skating rink.
Unfortunately for them my skills on building (anything) let alone maintaining an ice rink are severely lacking. They aren’t just lacking my friends, these skills are down right non-existent. Like many things in my life I’ve over-promised and (most likely) under delivered on this one.
Now I hate disappointing my family so it would appear that I’m in the market for some help. Judging by the following pictorial of this majestic backyard rink in Quebec methinks that I should call Justin LaChappell, the creator of this fine ice pad.
As a fella who has been known to lay a wager or two in his day I probably wouldn’t have bet on this. Me being sober at that time of my yearly address on New Years eve. Thanks to a sudden bout of the flu I’ve been couch surfing the better part of the last 2 days, thus I’ve been left with a diet of crackers, toast and water. A far cry from the wonderful New Years spread that the First Lady and I would normally feast upon.
Other than this unplanned bout of sobriety (and influenza) this past year has been pretty good to me. The First Lady continues to be the finest wife, mother and sports administrator that you will ever find. Being married to me is not an easy task (especially after I won the Canadian Blog Award for Best Sports Blog) to say the least and yet the First Lady puts up with my antics on a daily basis. The way she juggles all of the hats she wears around our household is quite impressive. I hope she realizes how much the association, the merger and I truly appreciate everything she does for us.
The Association has had a banner year and he’s now on track to graduate Kindergarten in the summer of of 2014 (that’s if he doesn’t go skip the draft and go pro). Not only has the Association excelled in the classroom but he’s also been quite proficient on the playing field as well. This year the youngster played his first season in Soccer and he was an exciting player to watch to say the least. In one particular match the Association scored 7 goals all the while his squad won 4-3. The doogle (as he’s also is known) has been a fantastic big brother and role model for his little brother. One of the finest things to see this calendar year was the relationship between him and his little brother flourish. It’s truly wonderful to see.
The Merger continues to grow in many ways. The little TT train that could is happy go lucky fella and is really coming into his own during his 3rd year. He has become a talking machine (wonder where he got that from?) and he’s was named the best potty trainer ever at his daycare. Although it must be said that after he was bestowed this title of best potty trainer he was found in the washroom with his underpants around his head shouting “I’M A PIRATE!”. The little big man likes himself some winter sports and can be often seen playing hockey downstairs, upstairs or outside. It must also be noted that he is becoming quite adept at tobogganing and a future career in the two-man bobsled isn’t out of the question.
As 2013 rolls around it’s seems to be the appropriate time to scribble down some resolutions of some kind. As per usual I hope to take better care of myself physically. This seems a constant for me and probably will always be. So it will be important for me to remember the words of Jacob Riis.
When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before
I’ve also decided that I need to become a quieter individual this year. Whether that means in voice, tone or simply my antics. A softer and gentler Straight From The Arse can be expected.
As for the world of sports I’m truly hoping the teams that I support are on the upswing. As I pound the keys on this keyboard the Toronto Maple Leafs remain undefeated (thank you NHL lockout). On paper the Toronto Blue Jays have their best chance in years to make it back to the post season. The Raptors are an improving outfit but I fear they will be forever a doomed squad in the NBA. The Toronto FC are a complete mess and I’ll no doubt be griping about yet another horrible season at this time next year.
It’s at this point I’ll sign off (at 9:15 pm sigh) a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. All the best in 2013 my friends.
Straight From the Arse 