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Showing posts from 2017

Final day of round robin

Final from today has  the U.S. win 5-4 over Finland, Slovakia beat Denmark 5-1, the Czechs beat Switzerland 6-3 and Sweden beating Russia 4-3 in a shootout. Th Quarter final matchups has Canada vs Switzerland, the U.S vs Russia, Finland vs the Czechs and Slovakia vs Sweden. Quarter final are Tuesday.

Nfl postseasom set

The nfl postseasom is set.  In The  AFC wild card, Tennessee goes to Kansas City and Buffalo goes to Jacksonville, with New England and Pittsburgh having The bye.  In The NFC, Atlanta goes to visit The Rams while Carolina visit The Saints, with Philadelphia and Minnesota having The bye.  Postseasom begins January 6th.

World juniors day 5

Canada just put the finishing touches on an 8-0 win over Denmark.  Canada will finish first in group a.  Also Finland beat Slovakia 5-2.  Canada has 10 pts, Finland witj 6, U.S. with 5, Slovakia with 3 and Denmark.  Finland and the U.S. are into the quarters.  In group b, Czechs beat Belarus 6-5 and Sweden beat Switzerland 7-2.  Sweden leads with 9 pts,  Czechs Rep and Russia with 6, Switzerland with 3 and Belarus with  none.  Belarus will be playing for relegation.  Tomorrow has the U.S vs Finland and Slovakia vs Denmark in group a while Sweden plays Russia and the Czechs play Switzerland to round out group play.

World juniors day 4

In the first ever World juniors outdoor game, the U.S. beat Canada 4-3 In a shootout.  Canada stll leads the group with 7 pts, the U.S now has 5.  Earlier In group b,  Russia beat Belarus 5-2.  Russia and Sweden have 6 pts, but Sweden has a game In hand.  Sweden and Russia are also into the quarter finals.  I think Canada is also in the quarter finals. That is it for today.

World juniors day 3

Huge result to cap it.  Slovakia beats the U.S 3-2.  Bit of an upset.  Finland earlier beats Denmark 4-1.  Group a has Canada with 6 pts, then thr U.S. Finland and Slovakia with three and Denmark with none.  In Group b, Sweden and Russia each won 3-1.  Sweden has 6 pts,  Russia, Switzerland and the Czechs with three and Belarus with none. Two games tomorrow.  Key game is the outdoor game between Canada and the U.S.  That is it for tonight.

World juniors day 2

Canada just beat Slovakia 6-0 to go 2 and 0 to dtart their tournament.  Tjey had close to 60 shots.  The Slovakia goalie was outstanding.  Canada plays again Friday against The U.S. in what will be The first World juniors outdoor game (weather may be a factor).  Slovakia plays the U.S. tomorrow.

It's boxing day and that means........

The start of The Woeld Juniors.  Canada opens with a 4-2 win over Finland.  Pretty good game.  The U.S. opens against Denmark in over an hour.  Earlier Sweden beat Belarus 6-1 and The Czechs beat Russia 5-4.  Canada's next game is tomorrow against Slovakia. Update:  U.S. 9 Denmark 0

merry Christmas

merry Christmas to all and to all a good cheer. i hope it's a good one.

a 26th medal from the 2014 winter olympics

the Canadian luge relay team is about to receive a bronze from the 2014 winter Olympics after the Russian team being stripped of their medals over doping allegations.  Sam Edney, Alex Gough, Justin Snith and Tristan Walker will be receiving bronze medals, making 10g 10s and 6b from those games.  also the first Canadian medal in luge.  wow.  this is huge.

winter has begun

as of 9:38am, winter is here.  and it's really about to make its arrival come Christmas eve.  -15c for then and -20 for Christmas Day.  not much snow in the forecast either.  supposed to be -6 to -10 between today and Saturday.  yippee.  this was coming considering how balmy it has been.  bundle up.

the Beijing 2022 olympic logos

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The logos for the Beijing 2022 winter olympic have been unveiled and here they are: 

Kevin Koe - Olympian

Kevin Koe joins Rachel Homan representing Canada in curling at the winter Olympics after beating Mike McEwen 7-6.  Took Koe's last shot and it Took some sweeping to get it close to the button to win it.  Canada has brought home a medal since curling started in 1998 in curling on both sides.  Go Canada Go.

Rachel Homan - Olympian

Rachel Homan  and her team will be represent in Canada in two months after beating Chelsea Carey 6-5.  Her first Olympics and i hope it is enjoyable.

roar of the rings

Mike  McEwen is playing Brad Gushue in the mens semi final game, with the winner facing Kevin Koe in tomorrows final.  The winner will represent Canada at thw winter Olympics in February.  Earlier,  Rachel Homan beat Jennifer Jones 6-3 in the womens semi final. She faces Chelsea Carey in tomorrows final with the winner going to the winter Olympics in February. Update:  Mike McEwen 6 Brad Gushue 4.  McEwen faces Kevin Koe tomorrow.

final draw is out.

the final draw is out for the world cup.  all the matchups and dates are on www.fifa.com.  the tournament opens June 14th with Russia vs Saudi Arabia in Moscow.  should be a fun one.  will Germany repeat or will there be a new winner.   find out starting June 14th.

can't believe it's the end of November

damn cam't believe it's the end of November.  lets see, what happened.  winter showed up, Martin Truex won the nascar championship, the Argos won the Grey Cup, Houston won the World Series and the last qualification games for the world cup happened.  next month has: 1.the final draw for the World Cup tomorrow (for group placements),  nfl football, hockey (which includes the World Juniors), Christmas and New Years Eve (love New Years).  that is it for now.

Argos 105th Grey Cup champs

On a snowy night in Ottawa, the Toronto Argos win what ended up a thriller 27-24.  They score a 100 yard passing TD and an 109 yard fumble recovery TD that tied it at 21.  Liram Haralahu (sp) kicked the winning field goal.  Bo Levi Mitchell threw an interception into the end zone that clinched the win for Toronto.  It is Toronto's 17th Grey Cup title.  That is it for another CFL season until training camp 2018 begins in late May.

Calgary "stampedes" to Grey Cup

It will be a rematch of 2012 as Calgary beats Edmonton 32-28.  It was all Calgary after the second quarter.  Calgary will face Toronto next Sunday.

Double blue in Grey Cup

The Argos are going to the Grey Cup after beating the Riders 25-21.  They get either Edmonton or Calgary.  That game is next.

Peru final qualifier

Peru is the last nation to qualifier as they beat New Zealand 2-0 in their two game playoff.  The draw for the tournament is December 1st which will decide which group eact team goes to.

Aussie Aussie Aussie goes to world cup

Australia is the 31st country to qualify for the world cup after beating Honduras 3-1 in their two game inter conference playoff.  That just leaves New Zealand vs Peru for the last spot into the World Cup.  who will be the one?  stay tuned.

Denmark qualifies

Denmark has qualified for the world cup after winning their two game playoff 5-1 over Ireland.  todays game won it for them.  30 are in and two left.  both will be tomorrow.  tomorrow's second leg has Honduras vs Australia and New Zealand vs Peru.  winners will be the last two to qualify.

Sweden is in

Sweden is into the World Cup after beating Italy in their two game playoff 1-0.  29 is now in and three left.  One will qualify tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

going to Calgary

The Eskimos are heading to Calgary after winning in Winnipeg 39-32. Hung on to this one.  The west final is next Sunday following the east final.

Croatia is in

Croatia is also in the world cup after beating Greece 4-1 in their two game playoff.  28 in and 4 left.  Stay tuned tomorrow for more.

Switzerland is in.

Switzerland has qualified after beating Northern Ireland in a two game playoff 1-0.  That is 27 in and five spots left.  Who is next?  Stay tuned.

Riders to east final

The Riders are the second west team to get to the east final after beating Ottawa 31-20.  Kevin Glenn's first post season win since 2012.  They will head to Toronto to play the Argos next Sunday.  Next up has Edmonton in Winnipeg.

two more qualify

Tunisia and Morocco are both into the world cup, both finishing first in their respective groups (a and c).  That is now 26 in.  6 more to go.  Who will join them? Stay tuned.

Senegal qualifies

Senegal is the 24th nation to qualify for the World Cup in June.  they beat South Africa 2-0 to finish first in group d in the African qualification with one game left.  who will join them?   stay tuned.

CFL postseason almost set

With Edmonton beating the Riders earlier, the CFL is almost set.  Edmonton will be going to Winnipeg for the west semi while Calgary has the bye to the west final.  Meanwhile Saskatchewan has the crossover.  They will be going to either Toronto or Ottawa depending on the result between Toronto and B.C.  stay tuned for that one. Update:  Toronto 40 B.C. 13  Toronto hosts east final while Saskatchewan goes to Ottawa for east semi.  East and west semi are on the 12th.

Astros World Series champs

The Astros are World Series champs after winning game 7 5-1.  Two in the first and three in the second was enough. Charlie Morton with the win and Yu Darvish with the loss. The Astros first ever World Series victory.  That is it for baseball this season. See ya in spring training.

100 days to go

that close to the beginning of the winter olympics.  100 more days of waiting for competition.  Canada unveiled their hockey jerseys for the games.  not sure what i think of them.  i heard the U.S. was bad.  i haven't seen them yet.  gonna be a  great games though - at least I hope.  getting excited. how many records will fall?  who will win the most medals?  who will win the first and last ones?  find out starting Feb. 9.

Dodgers force 7th game

The Dodgers have forced a 7th game with a 3-1 win. Tony Watson with the win, Justin Verlander with the loss and Kenley Jansen with the save. Game 7 is tomorrow.

couple of crazy stats from world series

some records have fallen.  they include:  most homers in a series - 22 and this series isn't over yet.  previous record was 21 in 2002 between Giants and Angels.  2.  14 different players have hit homers in this series.  previous was 13 in 1953 between Yankees and Dodgers. 3.  the Astros 5 homers tied a record for homers in a game, tying the 1989 A's (game 3) and 1928 Yankees (game 4) 4.  game  5 was 5h 17m  making this the second longest game in the world series behind game 3 of the 2005 series between Houston and the White Sox (5h 41m  Chicago 7 Houston 5 in 14 innings) 5.  game 5 marked the 4th time both teams scored more than 10 runs and second time both teams scored 12.  the other time was game 4 of the 1993 world series (Toronto 15 Philadelphia 14) 6.  that Toronto vs Philly game still has the record for most runs in a world series game with 29. 7.  Jose Altuve has seven homers in the series putting him away from tying Nelson Cruz (2011 Rangers), Carlos Beltra

Astros win wild one

The Astros are up 3 games to 2 after winning a wild one 13-12. Quite an exciting one.  Joe Musgrove with the win and Kenley Jansen with the loss. Game 6 is Tuesday night.

Dodgers even series

The Dodgers have evened the series with a 6-1 win in Houston. Joc Pedersen hit a key 3 run homer in a five run 9th.  Tony Watson with the win and Ken Giles with the loss. Game 5 is tomorrow.

Astros take game 3

The Astros are up two games to one after beating the Dodgers 5-3 in game three. An early 4-0 jump helped. Lance McCullers with the win, Yu Darvish with the loss and Brad Peacock with the save. Game 4 is tomorrow night.

baseball thought - and stat - of the day

this stat i saw on twitter the other night.  ties in with lengendary broadcaster Vin Scully and one time A's manager Connie Mack.  Scully's first season broadcasting was Mack's last season as Philadelphia A's manager.  the season - 1950.  Scully retired at the end of last season (wow 66 years) and Mack was A's manager for the first 50 years of the A's (1901-1950).  1901 was also the beginning of the american league.  so there.

Astros win crazy one to even it

boy was this nuts.  Astros tie it at 3-3 in the 9th to send it to extras.  Astros score two to go up 5-3 in the top of the 10th.  bottom of the 10th, Dodgers score two to even it at five.  Astros score two to go up 7-5 in the top of the 11th.  Dodgers score only one in the bottom half, Yasiel Puig was the final out as the Astros win 7-6 to even the series.  Chris Devenski with the win and Brandon McCarthy with the loss.  game three is tomorrow in Houston

Dodgers open in a hot one

On a 35c day in L.A. the Dodgers win game one 3-1. Clayton Kershaw strikes out 11 in the win, Dallas Keuchel takes the loss and Kenley Jansen with the save. Game 2 is tomorrow.

Astros World Series bound

The Astros are in the world series after shutting out the Yankees 4-0 to win the ALCS.  The Astros are there for the first time in the A.L. and first time since 2005 when they lost to the White Sox. Game 1 is Tuesday night.

Astros force game 7

The Astros have forced a 7th game after beating the Yankees 7-1. Justin Verlander with the win and Luis Severino with the loss.  Game 7 is tomorrow.

the 2018 winter olympics medals

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this is one of the 2018 medals looks like.  not sure when they came out.  they are pretty cool looking i think.  can't wait till February.

Dodgers knock out Cubs

The Dodgers are going to the World Series after beating the Cubs 11-1 and knocking out the defending champs. They will face either Houston or New York starting on Tuesday. Clayton Kershaw with the win and José Quintana with the loss.

Cubs stay alive

The Cubs extend their season, beating the Dodgers 3-2 to force a game five. Jake Arrieta with the win, Alex Wood with the loss and Wade Davis with the save. Game 5 is tomorrow.

Yankees a game away

The Yankees are a win away from the World Series after beating the Astros 5-0 in game 5. Masahiro Tanaka with the win and Dallas Kuecher with the loss. Game 6 is Friday night.

Dodgers a win away

The Dodgers are a win away from the World Series after beating the Cubs 6-1 in game 3.  Yu Darvish with the win and Kyle Hendricks with the loss. Game 4 is tomorrow.

Yankees come back to even series

The Yankees have evened the series after coming back from 0-4 to win game 4 6-4. Two in the 7th and 4 in the 8th did it. Chad Green with the win, Ken Giles with the loss and Ardolis Chapman with the save. Game 5 is tomorrow.

Yankees win big

The Yankees are back in the series after blowing out Houston 8-1.  C.C. Sabathia with the win and Charlie Morton with the loss. Game 4 is tomorrow.

Dodgers go walk off

The Dodgers are up two games after Justin Turner hits a walk off three run homer to give the Dodgers a 4-1 win.  Kenley Jansen with the win and Brian Duensing with the loss. Game 3 is Tuesday.

Dodgers take first game

The Dodgers opens the NLCS after beating the Cubs 5-2. Kenta Maeta with the win, Hector Rondon with the loss and Kenley Jansen with the save. Game 2 is tomorrow.

Astros up two

The Astros go up two scoring the winner in the 9th to win 2-1. Justin Verlander with the win and Ardolis Chapman with the loss.  Game 3 is Monday.

Houston takes game 1

The Astros draw first blood winning the ALCS opener 2-1.  Dallas Kuecher gets the win, Masahiro Tanaka with the loss and Ken Giles with the save. Game 2 is tomorrow afternoon in Houston.

Cubs win wild one

The Cubs are facing the Dodgers in the NLCS after beating the Nationals 9-8 in a wild one. Brian Duensing with the win, Max Scherzer with the loss and Wade Davis with the save. NLCS starts Saturday.

Yankees move on

The Yankees come back from a two game hole to beat the Indians 5-2 in game five and the series three to two.  They will face the Astros in the ALCS starting Friday night. David Robertson with the win, Cory Kluber with the loss and Ardolis Chapman with the save.

Nats even it, game 5 tomorrow

Washington evens the series with a convincing 5-0 win over Chicago. Game 5 is tomorrow.  Stephen Strasbourg with the win and Jake Arrieta with the loss. Game 5 is tomorrow.

4 more qualify

Four more have qualified for the World Cup in Russia.  Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia  (South America) and Panama  (CONCACAF) are in.  Honduras plays Australia and Peru plays New Zealand in interconference match ups for two spots, three in Africa and 4 in UEFA.  23 in and 9 left. Who qualifies? Stay tuned.

game 4 rained on

game 4 between Chicago and Washington postponed due to rain.  rescheduled to tomorrow

Portugal and France qualify

Portugal (group B) and France (group A) have qualified for the world cup.  Portugal beat Switzerland 2-0 to win group B and France beat Belarus 2-1 to clinch group A.  19 in, 13 left.  the eight second place finishers in the uefa group play will play in a two game series with the four winners moving onto the world cup. until then stay tuned.

Dodgers sweep away Arizona

The Dodgers are in the NLCS after beating Arizona 3-1 in game three and sweeping the Diamondbacks.  Yu Darvish with the win, Zac Greinke with the loss and Kenley Jansen with the save. Game one of the NLCS is Sunday.

Yankees force deciding game

The Yankees force a game 5 on Wednesday after beating the Indians 7-3. Five runs after three innings helped.  Luis Severino with the win, Trevor Bauer gets the loss and Tommy Kahnle with the save.

Cubs win gm 3

the Cubs are up 2-1 in the series after winning game three 2-1.  Carl Edwards Jr with the win, Brandon Kintzler with the loss and Wade Davis with the save.  game 4 is tomorrow,

Astros advance

The Houston Astros are in the ALCS with a 5-4 win.  JustinVerlander with the win, Chris Sale with the loss and Ken Giles with the save.  Game 1 of the ALCS is Saturday.

Iceland and Serbia qualify

Iceland (group I) and Serbia (group D) have both qualified for the world cup.  Iceland will be making it's first appearance in the event.  that now makes 17 in and 15 spots left.  stay tuned.

Bird extends series

Greg Bird scores the only run of the game  (home run) as the Yankees win game 4 1-0. Masahiro Tanaka with the win, Andrew Miller with the loss and Ardolis Chapman with the save.  Game 4 is tomorrow.

Egypt 15th team to reach world cup

Egypt is into the world cup after finishing first in group E in the African qualification.  they beat Congo 2-1 to do so. still three days left of.  who will be next? stay tuned.

Sox stay alive big

the Red Sox force a game 4 after blowing out Houston 10-3.  a 6 run 7th was plenty. Joe Kelly with the win and Francisco Liriano with the loss.  Game 4 is  tomorrow.

Poland qualifies

Poland has qualified for the world cup by winning group E in the European qualifying, beating Montenegro 4-2 today.  14 are now in and 18 left.  getting fun now. stay tuned.

Dodgers up two

The Dodgers are up two games after beating Arizona 8-5.  They are a game from the NLCS.  Kenta Maeta with the win, Robbie Ray with the loss and Kenley Jansen with the save.  Game 3 is Monday.

Costa Rica and Nigeria in

Costa Rica and Nigeria are in the world cup. Costa Rica clinched it yesterday and is second in CONCACAF and Nigeria clinched it today finishing first in one of the CAF groups with one game left.

Nationals even series

The Nationals even the series after winning game two 6-3. Five runs in the eighth did it. Oliver Perez with the win, Carl Edwards Jr with the loss and Sean Doolittle with the save. Game three is Monday.

Dodgers take game one

the Dodgers took game one 9-5.  Clayton Kershaw with the win, and Taijuan Walker. game two is tonight at 7pm

Indians a win away, Cubs strike first

The Cleveland Indians are one win away from the ALCS with a come from behind win over the Yankees. The Yankees were up 8-3,but the Indians came back to win 9-8 in 13 innings. Josh Tomlin with the win and Dellin  Betances with the loss.  Yan Gomez knocked in the winner.  Game 3 is Sunday. Meanwhile the Chicago Cubs open their world series defense with a 3-0 win in Washington. Kyle Hendricks with the win, Stephen Strasbourg with the loss and Wade Davis with the save. Game 2 is tomorrow.

Houston blows out Boston

The Astros are a win away from the ALCS after blowing our Boston 8-2.  Dallas Kuecher gets the win and Drew Pomeranz gets the loss.  Game 3 is Sunday in Boston.

Spain World Cup bound

Spain has qualified for the World Cup, wrapping up top spot in their qualification group after beating Albania 3-0 to finish it off with one game left.  who will join them?  stay tuned.

Indians shut out Yankees

The Cleveland Indians shut out the New York Yankees 4-0.  Trevor Bauer gets the win, Sonny Grey takes the  loss and Cody Allen gets the save. Game 2 is tomorrow.

Houston draws first blood

Houston opens the ALDS with an 8-2 win over Boston.  Justin Verlander with the win, while Chris Sale takes the loss.  Game 2 is tomorrow.

Germany and England qualify

Germany and England are in next years World Cup, Germany winning group C and England  winning group F.  10 teams in.  Who is next?  Stay tuned.

last nights wild card and fifa qualifying

the Diamondbacks won the N.L. wild card 11-8 after going up 6-0 and will face the Dodgers in the NLDS.  tonight the ALDS begins with Houston vs Boston at 2pm (Justin Verlander for Houston and Chris Sale for Boston), followed by the Yankees vs Cleveland at 5:30pm (Sonny gray for New York and Trevor Bauer for Cleveland). and today marks another round of world cup qualifying.  nothing yet so far stay tuned for updates on this as qualifying goes along

last nights ball and tonights action

last night the Yankees beat the Twins 8-4in the A.L. wild card and will face Cleveland in the ALDS.  that series starts tomorrow, along with Houston vs Boston  that should be a good series.  tonight the Diamondbacks face the Rockies in the N.L. wild card game with the winner facing the Dodgers in the NLDS, along with Washington vs Chicago. meanwhile later tonight the NHL season kicks off with four games - Toronto at Winnipeg, St.Louis at Pittsburgh, Calgary at Edmonton and Philadelphia at San Jose.  oh October is on now.

postseason set with one day left

the post season is set with only today left.  the Rockies will take on the D'Backs for the wild card and the winner faces the Dodgers in one NLDS while the Cubs and Nationals face off in the other.  in teh AL., the Yankees and Twins face off in the wild card and the winner faces Cleveland in one ALDS, while the Red Sox and Astros face off in the other.  post season starts Tuesday.

Red Sox take the easy, leaving Yankees to go wild

the Boston Red Sox have taken their second straight A.L. East crown after beating Houston 6-3.  they will either face Houston or Cleveland in the ALDS.  the Yankees will face Minnesota at home in the wild card game.

Twins are wild card, Cubs "Central"izes things

the Minnesota Twins are making their first postseason appearance since 2010 after clinching the wild card last night.  they got some help from the Chicago White Sox when they beat the L.A.Angels. meanwhile the Chicago Cubs took the N.L. Central crown after beating the Cardinals in St.Louis.  only thing to be decided is the A.L. East.  Boston and New York are already postseason bound.  one will take the division. stay tuned

on this day

in 1981 Nolan Ryan throws his 5th no hitter as the Houston Astros beat the L.A.Dodgers 5-0 at the Astrodome.  he walked 3 and struck out 11 in the process

Diamondbacks go Wild Card

last night the Arizona Diamondbacks clinched the wild card after beating Miami 3-2 and having the Brewers and Cardinals both lose.  they will be hosting the wild card game.  things are picking up.  stay tuned

Dodgers going wild West.

last night, the L.A. Dodgers became N.L. West champs after beating the San Francisco Giants 4-2.  Kenley Jansen picked up his 40th save and Cody Bellinger broke the National League rookie record for home runs, hitting his 39th homer.  the win was on Tommy Lasorda's 90th birthday as well.

happy first day of fall

Fall begins at 2:02pm today and it has felt like it the last few day.  mostly rainy.  although it snowed a bit on Tuesday.  feels like baseball postseason weather.  looks pretty with all the leaves changing color.  enjoy the day.  it's going to get cold yet soon.

Astros take flight to west title while on this day

the Houston Astros are AL West champions after a 7-1 win over Seattle.  15 up with 14 left.  wow. congrats to the Astros. meanwhile on this day in 1953 Ernie Banks takes the field to become the Chicago Cubs first African American Player.  he went 0 for 3, scoring a run in a 16-4 loss to the Phillies. also on this day in 1984, Reggie Jackson hits career home run 500 at Anaheim Stadium in a 10-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals.  he hits it off of Bud Black in the 7th inning.  so that is it for today.  stay tuned.

Cleveland takes central, while on this day

Cleveland Indians have taken the AL Central after beating Kansas City 8-4, this and Minnesota losing to Toronto 8-2 gave Cleveland the Central division.  congrats and on this day in 1975, Rennie Stennett becomes  the only player in the 20th century to go 7 for 7 as the Pittsburgh Pirates blow out the Chicago Cubs 22-0.  he scored 5 runs and drove in two in the win.

behind the baseball times

i think i am a bit behind.  saw the Washington Nationals are the NL East champs.  not sure when it happened (couple or three days ago maybe). Cleveland's now 22 game winning streak got them into the post season and the L.A. Dodgers are also in.  more to come soon.

it's official for next summer games + hot streak + fall feeling

it became official today.  Paris was chosen to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and Los Angeles was chosen to host the 2028 Summer Olympics.  became official at 1pm in Lima Peru.  both votes were unanimous.  also Milan was chosen to host the 134 IOC session in 2019. the Cleveland Indians tied the 2nd longest and broke an American League record, recording their 21st straight win over the Detroit Tigers this afternoon.  the previous A.L. record was 20 by the Oakland A's in 2002.  the longest is 26 games by the 1916 New York Giants. there was a tie thrown in the middle of it, making it a 27 game "undefeated streak." and today it sure felt like fall.  cool day plus it rained on top of that.  not sure what the temp was.  a good fall day to say the least.  and the leaves are already changing color.  wow.

on this day....

1.  in 1966, a 19 year old Nolan Ryan records his first strike out in an 8-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Shea Stadium.  he recorded three in his two innings of work. 2. in 1976 the Chicago White Sox start 50 year old Minnie Minoso.  he goes 0 for 3 in a 7-3 loss to the Angels.  he records his first hit in 13 years the next day. 3. and on this day in 1985 Pete Rose singles off of Eric Show of the Padres to become the all time hits leader.  Cincinnati wins the game 2-0.

NFL season has begun

boy what a beginning. Kansas City walks into New England and beats the Patriots 42-27 to kick off the season and week one.  wow.  i didn't see the game.  listened to the last 4 minutes of it..  was interesting.  should be a fun season.

Saudi Arabia joins South Korea

Saudi Arabia joined South Korea into the World Cup after beating Japan 1-0 and finishing second behind Japan in group B.  that is now eight teams in the world cup (Russia, Brazil, Iran, japan Mexico and Belgium are the other six).   stay tuned.  more to follow.

South Korea 7th team to qualify

South Korea has qualified for the World Cup, even though they finished second in their group. (top two in both groups in their federation).  someone from group B will be joining them in a couple of hours.  and more qualifying as the day goes on.  more updates later and tomorrow.

Belgium qualifies for World Cup, CFL labour day weekend

Belgium is the sixth team to qualify for  the World Cup after beating Greece 2-1 and finishing first in group H in UEFA qualifying.  another round of games tomorrow.  who will qualify?  stay tuned. meanwhile we are in the midst of the CFL Labour Day games.  this past  Thursday Ottawa beat Montreal 32-4 and earlier today, Saskatchewan beat Winnipeg 38-24.  caught some of this game while at work.  tomorrow's games finishes the weekend with Edmonton at Calgary and Toronto at Hamilton.  this is where the season really begins.  stay tuned for that.

Mexico into world cup

Mexico is into the World Cup after beating Panama 1-0 in qualifying, becoming the 5th team to qualify (after Japan, Iran, Brazil and Russia).  hopefully more to come this weekend.

happy birthday Alberta and Sakatchewan

Alberta and Saskatchewan both became provinces today in 1905.  happy 112th birthday to both provinces. 

another team into 2018 world cup

early this morning, Japan qualified for the world cup finishing first in their group with one game left in qualification.  they are the 4th team to qualify for the world cup. congrats.

Nik Lewis king of CFL reception

Nik Lewis of the Montreal Alouettes is now the all time CFL reception leader, passing Geroy Simon on the list.  his 9th catch of the game gave him 1030.  he finished tonight's game with 10 catches.  Simon with 1029.  Winnipeg beat Montreal in overtime 34-31.

from perfection to losing

Rich Hill of the L.A. Dodgers carried a perfect game into the ninth inning.  first batter of the ninth - Jordy Mercer - grounded to third baseman Logan Forsythe, only to have Forsythe boot the ball (i saw the replay and to me it looked like the ball hit Forsythe's palm and bounced away). Hill managed to retired the next two batters with a no hitter still intact going into the 10th with the score at 0-0.  Dodgers get nothing in the top half.  Pirates come up.  first batter ends up the only one. Josh Harrison breaks up the no hitter with a game winning home run for the Pirates.  Hill became the first pitcher to lose a perfect game in the 9th by an error (Forsythe booting the ball).  he also became the first pitcher to lose a no hitter with a walk off home run.  (would have been the second, but that is another story). so that happened

today in 1951

today in 1951, in the bottom of the first inning between the St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers, 3'7" Eddie Gaedel makes his only plate appearance pinch hitting for Frank Saucier.  Bill Veeck had found him at booking agency and wanted to used him for a publicity stunt.  him and manager Zach Taylor had a copy of Gaedel's contract on hand.  the contract had been filed late on the 17th and it would not be looked at until the 20th (now a contract has to be approved by the Commisioners' office).  Gaedel was walked on 4 pitches - all high.  pitcher Bob Cain was almost laughing on the mound and Bob Swift was catching.  Gaedel was replaced by pinch runner Jim Delsing.

a little WMBL action

tonight was game 5 of the Western Major Baseball League championship series and the Swift Current 57's beat the Edmonton Prospects 4-0 to win the WMBL championship three games to two. was a good season.  i even went to a couple of Prospects games.  some good baseball played.  Swift Current are back to back champs.  congrats

today in 1971

Bob Gibson throws Three Rivers Stadium's first no hitter as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-0.  Gibson waled three and struck out 10.  Bob Johnson of the Pirates took the loss, lasting only 1/3rd of an inning giving up 5 runs, 4 hits and a walk.  Three Rivers Stadium opened July 16, 1970 with the Pirates losing to the Cincinnati Reds 3-2.  it was also the first no hitter thrown in Pittsburgh thrown in Pittsburgh in 64 years. Nick Maddox threw the last one in Pittsburgh with the Pirates beating the Brooklyn Superbas 2-1. (although Cliff Chambers threw a no hitter in 1951 against the Boston Braves in Boston)

on this day in...

1. in 1976, the Chicago White Sox play the first game of a double header against the Kansas City Royals wearing shorts with their jerseys.  they stole 5 bases with the shorts and won 5-2.  they play the second game in regular pants and lost 7-1.  that was the last of a 5 game series.  they had also played a double header two days prior. 2. in 1988 the Chicago Cubs attempted to play their first ever night game at Wrigley Field.  they had turned on the lights, but Mother Nature had other plans.  with the Cubs up 3-1 and the Philadelphia Phillies finished the top of the 4th, it started to rain as a thunderstorm rolled in.  it was first suspended, then called off.  as the game did not reach the 5th inning, it was not an official game.  the Cubs played their first official game the next night against the N.Y. Mets and won 6-4.

Usain Bolt's last individual race produces......

Justin Gatlin of the U.S. dethroning Bolt by winning the 100m final. Christian Coleman came second and Bolt finished 3rd.  holy guacamole folks.  this just happened.  Bolt will be in the 4x100m with his last chance.  we will see how that turns out.

today in 1972

in 1972 Nate Colbert hit 5 home runs and drove in 13 runs as the San Diego Padres swept the Atlanta Braves in both ends of a double header (9-0 and 11-7).  the 5 home runs tied a record for most home runs in a double header (Stan Musial in 1954) and broke an RBI  record (11).  Musial and Colbert are the only two players to have hit 5 homers in a double header.

thirty years ago

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hard to believe it's been 30 years since this:

possible double allocation

tomorrow is the possible announcement that L.A. will pull out of the 2024 Olympics and solely run for 2028, leaving Paris to have 2024.  both can be "officially" announced September 13 in Lima, Peru.  although rare, this has happened before.  infact a century ago.  and it also involved Paris and Los Angeles.  Pierre de Coubertin came up with the plan in Lausanne at the 1921 IOC session.  the world was still reeling after the first world war and sport was struggling.  de Coubertin came up with the plan of having to decide back to back hosts and wanted both hosts in Europe to keep travel costs down.  there were two different votes.  first one was for the double allocation announcement, the second was to announce the games announcement.  Paris was awarded the 1924 games, and it was Amsterdam was announced the 1928 hosts over L.A.  L.A. was eventually chosen to host the 1932 games unopposed at a later session.  if this years double announcement holds, two streaks will be kept ali

three grand for Beltre

Adrian Beltre collected his 3000th hit with a double off of  Baltimore's Wade Miley, becoming the 31st player and first Dominican born player to reach it.  he is also the third primary third baseman to reach there (behind George Brett and Wade Boggs).

double the perfection on this day

1.  in 1991, Dennis "El Presidente" Martinez threw the Montreal Expos only perfect game in a 2-0 win at Dodger stadium. Chris Gwynn (younger brother of Tony) flew out to Marquis Grissom for the final out, to which Expos play-by-play guy Dave Van Horne uttered "El Presidente, El Perfecto."  was the last Expos no hitter/perfect game before moving to Washington.  catcher Ron Hassey became the first catcher to catch two perfect games (he caught Len Barker's perfect game in 1981). 2.  three years later Kenny Rogers became the next pitcher to throw a perfect game in a 4-0 Texas win over the California Angels. he threw 98 pitches and had struck out 8.  Rusty Greer preserved the game with a great diving catch on Rex Hudler for the first out in the 9th.  Greer caught Gary DiSarcina's fly ball to end the game.  Rogers was the third lefty to record a perfect game (Sandy Koufax in 1965 and Tom Browning in 1988).

today in 1976

on this day in 1976, Hank Aaron hits his 755th and final home run in Milwaukee off of Dick Drago of the California Angels.  the Brewers won the game 6-2.  Jerry Augustine got the win, Danny Frisella picked up the save and Gary Ross took the loss.

a grand Nik Lewis

in tonight's 24-19 loss to Ottawa, Montreal's Nik Lewis caught his 1000th pass in his illustrious career that started in 2004.  he joins Geroy Simon (1029), Ben Cahoon (1017) and Terry Vaughn (1006).  he finished tonight with 1003 catches.  and we are only into week 5 of the season.

hot streak

the L.A. Dodgers are the 4th team to won multiple 10+ game winning streaks this century, joining the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays, the 2013 Atlanta Braves and 2001 St. Louis Cardinals.  crazy fact - neither of the previous three won a world series.  crazy eh.

today in 1976

at the 1976 summer games in Montreal, Nadia Comaneci scored the first ever perfect 10 score in gymnastics for her uneven bars routine. Omega believed that no one would ever get a perfect score in gymnastics, when they manufactured their scoreboards to go as high as 9.99.  when the score was posted, it came out as 1.00, the only way of judges could indicate that she had the 10, while confusing the spectators.  they then figured out that she scored the 10 and gave her an ovation.  she would receive six more 10's.  she left Montreal with 5 medals (3g 1s 1b).

today in 1971

the 1971 all star game at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Reggie Jackson hit a home run for the ages.  in the bottom of the third, Jackson hit a Dock Ellis pitch that ended up hitting one of the light towers that was on the right field roof.  it was estimated to go 520 feet.  the A.L. won 6-4.  Jackson was one of six players that homered in the game.  Frank Robinson was MVP of that game.  it was the only AL all star win between 1962 and 1983.

on this day in

1.  in 1979, the most ill fated promotions happened.  Disco Demolition night was in between games of a double header between the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox in Chicago.  Detroit had won the first game 4-1.  then came the promotion.  Steve Dahl headed the promotion, and the days leading to the promotion had invited radio listeners to bring their records they wanted destroyed to the ball park and they could get in for 98 cents (the radio station frequency of WLUP was 97.9).  the promotion ended up filling the ball park and an extra 15 to 20 thousand stuck out side Comiskey Park (some didn't stay out for long).  Harry Caray had even commented during the first game that there was "and odor of marijuana in the air."  first game ended, and soon afterwards Dahl, his broadcasting partner Garry Meier and Lorelei raced onto the field on an ATV with the box of records and a detonater.  after making a speech he detonated the box, blew up the records and destroyed part of the

on this day in 1985

in a 4-3 win over the N.Y. Mets, Nolan Ryan strikes out Danny Heep to record his 4000th strikeout in front of a home crowd in Houston.  Ryan eventually finishes his career with 5714 - the only pitcher to record more than 5000 K's

an Edmonton no hitter from Tuesday.

this past Tuesday night in Brooks, Edmonton Prospects pitcher Zane Foth-Thomas threw the Prospects first ever no hitter in a 7-0 win over the Brooks Bombers.  he walked five and struck out four in the win.  congrats to Zane.

Ichiro with another milestone

with two hits today, Ichiro Suzuki passes Rod Carew for most hits by a foreign born player.  Ichiro now has 3054.  Carew - born in Panama - retired with 3053 in 1985.  wow.  considering he spent 8 years with the Orix Bluewave in Japan (1992-2000) before joining the Seattle Mariners in 2001.  impressive.

happy 4th of July

to all of my friends in the U.S. happy fourth of July.  i hope it's a great day. and enjoy the fireworks tonight.

today in 1963

on this day in 1963, Juan Marichel of the S.F. Giants and Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves were involved in a 16 inning pitcher's duel with the Giants winning 1-0 with Willie Mays winning it with a home run. Marichel went 16, striking out 10 and walking 4, while Spahn went 15 1/3 walking one and striking two out in the game.

Canada Day 150

happy Canada Day eh.  Canada's 150th birthday.  one CFL game later tonight as Winnipeg visits Saskatchewan.  got back from Edmonton beating Montreal 23-19 while B.C. beat Toronto 28-15.  both games ending June.  and on Thursday Calgary and Ottawa kicked off the weekend with a thriller with Calgary winning 43-39.  going to be some partying and fireworks across Canada.  enjoy the day eh!

a somber on this day

in 1981, Terrance Stanley Fox passes away due to pneumona and a chest infection after cancer had spread to his lungs a few months before.  he had originally lost his right leg after osteosarcoma was found in his knee.  Fox thought it came from a car accident in which he came out with a sore knee.  doctors said otherwise.  the knee started hurting again when he had it looked at and discovered the osteosarcoma.  on April 12, 1980.  he started the Marathon of Hope in St. Johns Newfoundland.  he started it after dipping his right leg into the Atlantic before starting his run.  on September 1 outside of Thunder Bay, he was forced to abandon his run when he suffered an intense coughing fin and suffered congestion in his chest.  he asked to be taken to the hospital.  he announced that cancer had come and spread to his lungs and was forced to abandon his cross country journey.  he had gone 143 days, 5373km (3339 miles) and had raised $1.7 million for cancer research.  in the months after, he w

today in 1917

a rather unusual - um - no hitter.  Babe Ruth (with the Red Sox and a pitcher at the time) started the first game of a double header against the Washington Senators.  he walked Ray Morgan.  he then proceeded to get into a heated exchange with home plate umpire Brick Owens (both apparantly with short tempers), with Owens ejecting Ruth.  Ruth then proceeded to punch Owens.  Boston's catcher Pinch Thomas was also ejected.  in come Ernie Shore to take over, with Sam Agnew taking over the catching duties.  Morgan was thrown out trying to steal second.  Shore then proceeded to get the next 26 batters in a row as the Red Sox won 4-0.  it is officially scored as a no-hitter shared by two batters, but for many years it was listed as a perfect game.  Shore had also struck out two.

today in 1894

on this day in 1894 the Olympic movement was founded.  the movement was created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, inspired to create the games after attending the Olympian Games, held by the Wenlock Olympian Society, in 1890.  at meeting of the first Olympic Congress (June 16-23 under the newly created IOC) de Coubertin brought ideas and work created by Evangelos Zappas (held an Olympic games precursor in Athens in 1859) and William Penny Brookes (Wenlock Olympian Society). on the last day of the Congress, it was decided that the first Olympic Games would be held in 1896 in Athens. (de Coubertin wanted the first games in Paris in 1900 and was convinced to hold them in Athens in 1896.  Paris still got the 1900 games)  Demetrius Vikelas was named first president until the first games were held.  Pierre de Coubertin then became president until 1925 when Henri de Bailet-Latour.  de Coubertin had stepped down after the Paris games in 1924.  today every nation has been to at least one Summer gam

today in....

1.  in 1964 Jim Bunning tosses the 7th perfect game in Major League history as the Phillies beat the Mets 6-0 in the first game of a double header at Shea Stadium.  he only threw 90 pitches and struck out 10 - which includes 6 of the last 9 batters he faced.  this perfect game happened to fall on Fathers day and his wife and one of his daughters.  he had become the second pitcher after Cy Young (Cleveland Spiders, Boston Americans/Red Sox) to throw at least a no hitter in the A.L. and N.L.  he threw a no hitter with Detroit against Boston in 1958 (Nolan Ryan - California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, Hideo Nomo - Dodgers and Red Sox,  and Randy Johnson  - Seattle and Arizona).  side stat: Gus Triandos had become the first catcher to catch at least a no hitter in both leagues.  he caught this perfect game and Hoyt Wilhelm's no hitter with the Baltimore Orioles in 1958. 2. at the FIFA World Cup in 1986 in Mexico, Diego Maradona scores both of Argentina - one of which he

today in 1970

on this day in 1970, Brazil became the first nation to win three FIFA World Cups after beating Italy 4-1 in the Championship game at Aztec Stadium in Mexico City.  Pele, Gerson, Jairzinho and Carlos Alberto scored for Brazil while Roberto Boninsegna scored for Italy.  Brazil had won all 6 games in the tournament (3 round robin, quarter final, semi final and Championship game) plus all six of their qualification games.

the official start of summer

the official start of summer is at 10:24pm Edmonton time tonight.  it's felt like it the last few days as well.  although there is a severe thunderstorm watch out for tonight.  figures for summer weather.  enjoy the day.

going "cycle"ing in Colorado

Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies hit for the cycle (single, double, triple and home run in the same game) as the Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants 7-5 at Coors Field.  the most astounding stat of the day - after this cycle, there have been 17 cycles hit at Coors Field since it opened in 1995. that ties for the most cycles at one ball park with Fenway Park.  Fenway Park opened in 1912.  WTH!?  that is a crazy stat.

on this day in 1994

today in 1994: 1.  the New York Rangers - fresh off their Stanley Cup win - holds their victory parade.  it was held hours before the N.Y. Knicks and Houston Rockets played game 5.  both teams were at the parade. 2.  the Knicks beat the Rockets in game 5 to go up 3 games to 2 in the series.  Houston eventually wins the last two games to win the Championship. 3. the World Cup begins in the U.S. with Germany beating Bolivia 1-0 at Soldier Field in Chicago while Spain and South Korea played to a 2-2 tie at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.  Brazil won the tournament in penalty kicks over Italy. 4.  the most famous (or infamous) slow speed car chase with Al Cowlings driving the white Ford Bronco which also held O.J. Simpson.  the chase ends at Simpson's Brentwood mansion where he surrenders and ultimately charged for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

today in...

in 1974, Nolan Ryan throws 235 pitches, walked 10 and struck out 19 in 13 innings of work, while Luis Tiant went 14 1/3 innings as the California Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 in Anaheim. Barry Raziano pitched the last two innings and got the win, while Tiant took the loss.  wow.

2018 world cup qualification

Russia had already qualified, being host nation.  Brazil was the second one on March 28.  yesterday Iran joined them, claiming one of the two top spots in their group in their confederation pool.  who will be the 4th?  stay tuned.  it will happen eventually.

Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Champs

the Pittsburgh Penguins have defended their Stanley Cup with a 2-0 win in game six  and the series four games to two.  the Nashville Predators gave it a hell of a run.  first back to back Stanley Cups since Detroit in 1997 and 1998.  wow.  Mike Sullivan became the first head coach to win back to back Stanley Cups in his first two seasons since Toe Blake in 1956 and 1957.  Sidney Crosby was named Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP.  that's it for another hockey season until October.

149th Belmont Stakes

Tapwrit passes Irish War Cry down the final front stretch and wins the final jewel of the triple Crown - the Belmont Stakes.  Patch finished third in this.  three different winners in the three races.  winning time was 2:30.02, winning jockey was Jose Ortiz and Todd Pletcher was winning trainer for the third time at Belmont and won Kentucky Derby this year.  so that is it for another triple crown - until next year.

"Scoot"ing to one heck of a night

Scooter Gennett of the Cincinnati Reds has a 4 homer game, plus 10 RBI's in a 5 for 5 night as the Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 13-1.  the 5th hit was a single.  quite the night.

Albert Pujols joins exclusive club

Albert Pujols has become the 9th player to his his 600th career home run. he hit it in the 4th inning of of Ervin Santana with the bases loaded.  welcome to the 600 HR club Albert.

first no hitter of the year goes to....

Edinson Volquez of the Miami Marlins.  he no hit the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Marlins won 3-0 on what would of been friend and former teammates Yordano Ventura's birthday.  excellent job to Mr. Volquez and congrats.

today in 1975

Nolan Ryan throws his 4th career no hitter and also picked up his 100th career win as the California Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles 1-0. he tied Sandy Koufax with most hitters (at that time).  Ryan would pick up three more - his last one in 1991 at home against Toronto.

on this day

in 1982 Earl Weaver penciled in Cal Ripken Jr to start at third base.  that began a 17 year 2632 consecutive games streak.  he broke Lou Gehrig's record on September 6, 1995 against the California Angels at Camden Yards. the game was the most watched game on ESPN. Ripken was given a 22 minute ovation from the crowd, all four umpires and the Angels orginization.  during the ovation Ripken did a lap on the warning track shaking hands and high-fiving some of the crowd.  the streak ended on September 20 1998 against the Yankees when he pulled himself from the lineup. he played his last career game October 6 1999 at home.

interesting stat on this day

today in 1976 pitcher Joe Niekro hit his only career home run (in 973 lifetime at bats) with the Houston Astros.  he hit it off his brother Phil.  they ended up the most successful brother combos in terms of wins - 539.  Joe had 221 and Phil had 318.

Coca Cola 600

Austin Dillon has just won NASCAR's longest race after Jimmie Johnson ran out of gas with less that two laps to go.  wow. Kyle Busch finished second and Martin Truex Jr finished third.  Dillon's car just barely made it to the end.  no gas left to get to even victory lane. there was even an hour and a half rain delay. that is it for another Memorial Day Sunday.

Monaco Grand Prix (run earlier today)

Sebastian Vettel won the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.  gave Ferrari their first win there since 2001.  it was his second career win there.  his first one was in 2011. Kimi Raikkonen came second and Daniel Ricciardo came third.  congrats to Sebastian Vettel.

101st Indianapolis 500

Takuma Sato of Tokyo, Japan has just won his first Indianapolis 500.  got around Helio Castroneves with 3 laps to go and stayed there. Castroneves stayed second.  he will get that traditional jug of milk, the victory wreath and a likeness of his face on the Borg-Warner trophy. congrats to Takuma - 2017 Indianapolis 500 champion.

game seven double overtime goes to

the Pittsburgh Penguins as they knock off the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in game seven and will face the Nashville Predators for the Stanley Cup starting in Pittsburgh on Monday night. game two is May 31, games three and four in Nashville on June 3 and 5, game 5 on June 8, game 6 on the 11th and game 7 June 14th.

today in baseball

1.  in 1935 Babe Ruth hit his final three home runs in his career as he went 4 for 4 as the Boston Braves lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7.  two of his home runs were off of 1932 World Series nemesis Guy Bush. 2.  in 1951, Willie Mays makes his big league career with the New York Giants against the the Phillies in Philadelphia.  he went hitless in that game.  he went hitless in his first 12 at bats until he hit a mammoth home run off of Warren Spahn at the Polo Grounds. the home run had cleared the left field roof.  Spahn later quipped afterwards "Gentlemen for the first 60 feet that was a hell of a pitch." 3.  in 1982 Ferguson Jenkins strikes out his 3000th hitter with the Chicago Cubs.  he is the first to strike out 3000 and walk fewer than 1000.  wow.

Predators maul Ducks

the Nashville Predators are heading to their first ever Stanley Cup finals with a 6-3 win over Anaheim and the series four games to two. Peter Laviolette became the 4th coach to coach three different teams to the Stanley Cup finals (Dick Irvin Sr, Scotty Bowman and Mike Keenan). they will face either Ottawa or Pittsburgh starting next Monday.  congrats to the Nashville Predators - Western Conference champions.

today in.....

in 2009, Niklas Lidstrom set an NHL record by playing in his 228th consecutive playoff game. wow.  he retired in 2012 playing in 263 playoff games, three behind Chris Chelios.  talk about a solid dependable player.

gold medal game

what a game this was.  in the end Sweden beats Canada 2-1 in a shootout.  it was an even game through the regulation plus the overtime.  Sweden got two in the shootout to win.  Canada ends up with a silver.  congrats to Sweden.  so that is it for another year for the world hockey championship.  next year Denmark is host.

Russia claims bronze

Russia goes home with the bronze as they beat Finland 5-3.  Finland finishes 4th.  considering a few days ago, it wasn't sure if Finland would make the medal rounds and to finish 4th isn't too bad.  in a couple of hours it's Canada vs Sweden for gold.

142nd Preakness Stakes

Cloud Computing became the 4th horse in the last 30 years to win the Preakness and not run the Kentucky Derby.  Cloud Computing with Javier Costellano wins the 142nd Preakness with a time of 1:55.98.  Chad C. Brown is the winning trainer.  Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming had the lead and ended up 8th.  next up the Belmont Stakes in three weeks.

semi final two

Sweden beat Finland 4-1 to play for gold tomorrow.  basically shut Finland down the whole game.  Sweden plays Canada for gold while Finland plays Russia for bronze.  the bronze game is at 8:15 am while the gold medal game is at 12:45pm (all times Edmonton time).

semi final one

wow.  Russia was up 2-0 after two periods.  they had taken a penalty late in the second.  Mark Schiefele scores on the PP 17 seconds into the third.  Canada then ties it with less than five minutes to go, then goes ahead about a minute and a bit later.  they score an empty netter to seal a 4-2 win and will play for gold tomorrow afternoon. Russia will play for bronze.  four power plays for Canada and outshot Russia 19-4 in the third.  coming up has Finland vs Sweden in the other semi final.

today in....

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today in 1980, at 8:32am, an earthquake triggers what became the eruption of Mt. St. Helens.  the quake from inside the mountain not only caused the north face of it to slide away, but it also sent molten, high pressure gas, rock and ash into the air.  several glaciers melted away causing fast flowing lahars (volcanic mudslides).  hundreds of acres of forest were reduced to nothing.  approxamately 57 people died directly.  below is the before during and after the eruption.

quarter final Thursday

this one just ended. Canada barely beat Germany 2-1.  Philipp Grubauer for Germany stood on his head facing 50 shots and kept Germany in it.  Canada will face Russia in the semis.  Russia earlier beat the Czech Republic 3-0.  Sweden just beat Switzerland 3-1 and will face Finland, who earlier beat the U.S. 2-0.  the semi finals are on Saturday.

W.H.C. day 12

what a finish.  Germany just beat Latvia 4-3 in the shootout and is in the quarter finals.  earlier the US beat Russia 5-3 and Sweden beat Slovakia 4-2.  the U.S. finishes first with 18, followed by Russia with 17, Sweden with 16, Germany with 11, Latvia with 10, Denmark with 7, Slovakia with 4 and Italy with 1.  in France, Canada beat Finland 5-2.  pretty much all Canada.  earlier Switzerland beat the Czech Republic 3-1 and Belarus beat Norway 4-3. Canada finishes first with 19 pts, Switzerland with 15, Czech Republic with 13, Finland with 11, France with 10, Norway with 8, Belarus with 7, and Slovenia with 1.  quarter final matchups on Thursday has the U.S. vs Finland (8am in Cologne), Russia vs Czech Republic (8am in Paris), Switzerland vs Sweden (12pm in Paris) and Canada vs Germany (12pm in Cologne).  all times Edmonton time.

on this day

in 1990 the Edmonton Oilers win the longest Stanley Cup Finals game at that time, winning game one 3-2 in triple overtime.  Petr Klima scored the winner 15:13 into the third overtime.  Klima had gone long stretches without playing a shift in this game.  there was even a power outage in the 3rd OT that delayed the game for 25 minutes.  Oilers went on to win their 5th cup in game 5 in Boston.

W.H.C. day 11

in Paris, France just beat Slovenia 4-1 in Cristobal Huet's last game as well as Laurent Meunier's.  earlier Canada beat Norway 5-0. Canada leads with 16 pts and has 1st place wrapped up, Czech Republic has 13, Swizterland with 12, Finland with 11, France with 10 (out), Norway with 8 (out), Belarus with 4 (out) and Slovenia with 1 (relegated).  tomorrow's games here has Belarus vs Norway, Czech Republic vs Swizterland and Canada vs Finland to finish the round robin games.  in Cologne, Russia beat Latvia 5-0 while Denmark beat Latvia 2-0.  Russia leads with 17 pts, the U.S. with 15, Sweden with 12, Latvia and Germany with 9, Denmark with 7 (out), Slovakia with 4 (out) and Italy finishes with 1 (relegated).  tomorrow's games here has Sweden vs Slovakia, Russia vs the U.S., and Latvia vs Germany to round out the round robin here.  this time tomorrow we will know the quarter final match ups.

the formation of the IIHF

today in 1908 the International Ice Hockey Formation was created in Paris.  Belgium, France, Great Britain and Bohemia (now Czech Republic)  were the first four members.  Louis Magnus was the fifth person to sign and also became the first IIHF president.  it was known under its French name - Ligue International de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG) until 1954 when it adopted its current English name.  it has now 74 members and has several tournaments from the World Juniors to the U18's the World Championships, Women's hockey and the Olympics and even inline hockey.

W.H.C. Day 10

this one was a flip of the Canada vs Switzerland game yesterday.  Switzerland went up 2-0, Finland switched goalies, then came back to beat Switzerland 3-2 in OT.  the win eliminated France from any quarterfinal action.  earlier Czech Republic beat France 5-2.  Canada and Czech Republic have 13 pts, Switzerland with 12, Finland with 11, Norway with 8, France with 7 (out), Belarus with 4 (out) and Slovenia with 1 (relegated).  in Germany, Sweden beat Denmark 4-2 while the U.S. beat Slovakia 6-1.  the U.S. has 15 pts, Russia with 14, Sweden with 12, Latvia and Germany with 9, Slovakia and Denmark with 4 (both out) and Italy with 1 (out).  tomorrows games has Denmark vs Italy (loser is relegated), Russia vs Latvia, Canada vs Norway and France Vs Slovenia.

a little Snoopy

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seeing as it's playoff time this is kinda cute.

W.H.C. day 9

Switzerland was trailing 2-0, came back and beat Canada in OT 3-2.  wow.  Canada deserved to lose that one.  earlier Belarus beat Slovenia 5-2 and Finland beat Norway in OT 3-2.  Canada still leads with 12 pts, Switzerland with 11, Czech Republic with 10, Finland with 9, Norway with 8, France with 7, Belarus with 4 and Slovenia with 1 and is relegated to Div. 1a.  in Germany, the Germans beat Italy 4-1, Russia beat 6-0 and the U.S. beat Latvia 5-3.  Russia leads with 14 pts, the U.S. with 12, Sweden with 10, Latvia and Germany with 9, Slovakia and Denmark with 4 and Italy with 1.  tomorrows games has:  Slovakia vs U.S., Denmark vs Sweden, France vs Czech Republic and Switzerland vs Finland.

W.H.C day 8

in Germany, Denmark won a thriller in OT 3-2 over Germany.  earlier Sweden blew out Italy 8-1.  Russia still leads with 11 pts, Sweden with 10, U.S. and Latvia with 9, Germany with 6, Slovakia and Denmark with 4 and Italy with one.  and this one just ended. France just beat Belarus 4-3 in a shootout.  quite a game here.  earlier, Czech Republic beat Slovenia 5-1.  Canada still leads with 12 pts, Czech Republic with 10, Swizterland with 9, Norway, Finland and France with 7, and Slovenia and Belarus with one.  tomorrows games has Latvia vs USA, Russia vs Slovakia, Italy vs Germany, Norway vs Finland, Slovenia vs Belarus and Canada vs Switzerland.

W.H.C. day 7

Canada just hung on to beat France 3-2.  France battled in this one, earlier, the Czech Republic beat Norway 1-0 in OT.  Canada leads with 12 pts, Switzerland with 9, Czech Rep, Norway and Finland  each have 7, France with 5, Slovenia with 1, and Belarus with 0.  in Germany Sweden barely beat Latvia 2-0 while Russia beat Denmark 3-0.  Russia leads that group with 11 pts, Latvia and the U.S. has 9, Sweden has 7, Germany has 6, Slovakia has 4, Denmark with 2 and Italy with 1.  tomorrows games has: Sweden vs Italy, Denmark vs Germany, Czech Republic vs Slovenia and France vs Belarus.

Ducks avoids Oilers slick

the Anaheim Ducks are in the western conference finals with a 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers.  they also exorcize the last four years of losing a game seven.  they will face the Nashville Predators i heard starting Friday.  stay tuned

Pens deliver Capital punishment - again

with a 2-0 win in game 7, the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminate the Washington Capitals for the second year in a row and will face the Ottawa Senators in the eastern conference finals.  schedule to be determined later.

W.H.C day 6

day 6 is in the books.  Germany just beat Slovakia in the shootout 3-2.  earlier the U.S. beat Italy 3-0.  Latvia and the U.S. are tied for first with 9 points, Russia has 8. Germany has 5, Sweden and Slovakia with 4, Denmark with 2 and Italy with one.  in France, Finland beat Slovenia 5-2 while Switzerland beat Belarus 3-0.  Canada and Swizterland have 9 points, Finland with 7, Norway with 6, France and Czech Republic with 5, Slovenia with 1 and Belarus with none.  tomorrows games inlcude: Russia vs Denmark, Sweden vs Latvia, Czech Republic vs Norway and Canada vs France.

Senators corral Rangers

with a 4-2 win in game 6. the Ottawa Senators are in the eastern conference final, beating the N.Y. Rangers four games to two.  they will face either Washington or Pittsburgh in the East final.  that series will be decided tomorrow night.

W.H.C day 5

in the capper, France just beat Switzerland 4-3 in the shoot out.  was a pretty decent game.  earlier Norway beat Slovakia 5-1.  Canada still leads with 9 pts, Switzerland and Norway has 6 pts each, Czech Republic and France with 5, Finland with 4, Slovenia with 1 and Belarus with none.  in Germany, Denmark beat Slovakia 4-3, also a shootout and Latvia beat Italy 2-1.  Latvia leads the group with 9 pts, Russia has 8, the U.S. with 6, Sweden has 4, Germany and Slovakia with 3, Denmark with 2 and Italy with one.  everyone has played three games.  tommorow's games include: U.S. vs Italy, Slovakia vs Germany, Switzerland vs Belarus and Finland vs Slovenia.

W.H.C day 4

day four is done.  the Czech Republic was trailing 3-0 to Finland midway through the third, came back to tie it and won it in the shoot out 4-3.  wow.  earlier Canada beat Belarus 6-0.  Canada still leads the France group with 9 pts, Switzerland and the Czech Rep with 5pts and Finland with 4.  in Germany,  Russia beat Germany 6-3 while the U.S. beat Sweden 4-3.  Russia leads the group with 8 pts, Latvia and the U.S. with 6, Sweden with 4 and Germany with 3.  tomorrows games has Italy vs Latvia, Slovakia vs Denmark, Slovenia vs Norway and Switzerland vs France.

Preds take bit out of Blues

the Nashville Predators are in the Western Conference final after beating St.Louis 3-1 in game six and the series four games to two.  they will face either Edmonton or Anaheim.  it is Nashville's first ever trip to the conference finals.

W.H.C. day 3

day three is done.  Latvia won its second game, beating Slovakia 3-1.  earlier the U.S. beat Denmark 7-2 and Russia blew out Italy.  Latvia leads the Germany group with six points, then Russia with 5, Sweden with 4,  the U.S. and Germany with 3, Slovakia with 2, Italy with 1 and Denmark.  in France, Switzerland beat Norway 3-0 in the night cap, Canada beat Slovenia 7-2 this morning and France beat Finland 5-1.  after this game for the player of the game awards, the French fans were chanting "Hardy Hardy" for Florian Hardy.  Pierre-Edouard Delemare ended up winning it.  he reluctantly went up, then told one of the presenters to let Hardy win it, which was granted. Hardy was definitely outstanding. it was also France's first win over Finland in their 9th game.  so Canada leads with 6 pts, Switzerland with 5, then a log game for 3rd ti 6th with three pts (France, Czech Rep, Norway and Finland)., then Slovenia with 1 and Belarus with 0.  tomorrows games has Germany vs Russia,

143rd Kentucky derby

Always Dreaming has won the first jewel of the Triple Crown, winning the Kentucky Derby with a time of 2:03.59 on a muddy track.  Todd Pletcher was the winning trainer.  it had been raining up until the last hour when it cleared.  next race is in two weeks with the Preakness.

day two of W.H.C

the evening games had Norway beating co-host France 3-2, while Sweden beat other co-host Germany 7-2.  earlier in France, Czech Republic beat Belarus 6-1 and Switzerland beat Slovenia 5-4 in the shootout. Switzerland was up 4-0 at one point in the first.   the top four all have three points. Canada (1-0), Finland (1-0), Norway (1-0), and the Czech Rep. (1-1) sit atop.  in Germany, Latvia beat Denmark 3-0 and Slovakia beat Italy in overtime 3-2.  Sweden leads the Germany group with 4 pts, Latvia (1-0) and Germany (1-1) have three pts, while Slovakia and Russia have two (overtime wins).  tomorrows games has: Italy vs Russia, USA vs Denmark, Latvia vs Slovakia, Slovenia vs Canada, Finland vs France and Norway vs Switzlerland.

opening day of the IIHF world champioships

day one is in the books.  Canada just beat the Czech Republic 4-1 to open their tournament.  earlier Finland beat Belarus 3-2. Canada and Finland lead  the France group with three points each.  meanwhile in Germany, the Germans just beat the U.S. 2-1 to open the Germany group.  earlier Russia beat Sweden in a shootout 2-1.  Germany leads with three points, Russia with 2 pts, Sweden with 2 and the U.S. with none.  tomorrow's schedule has:  in France, games include Swizterland vs Slovenia, Belarus vs Czech Republic and Norway vs France.  in Germany games have Latvia vs Denmark, Slovakia vs Italy and Germany vs Sweden.

has it been that long?

50 years ago today, the Toronto Maple Leafs won their last Stanley Cup.  they beat the Montreal Canadiens four games to two to win it.  it was appropriate that 1967 was also Canada's centennial year. and Expo 67 was in Montreal.  that was the last Stanley Cup won in the Original Six era.  that was Toronto's 4th cup in 6 years (1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967) and eleven players were on all four championships  wow.

on this day in........

1.  in 1670 the Hudsons Bay Company was incorporated by English royal charter known as The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay.    known as a retail store now, it started as a fur trading company. 2.  in 1939 Lou Gehrig pulled himself out of the line up in a game in Detroit, ending a 2130 consecutive games streak (over a 14 year period).  Gehrig took the line up card to the shocked umpiring crew.  in June of that year he was found what is known as Lou Gehrig's disease.  he died June 2, 1941.  here was his speech from July 4, 1939 after his retirement and number retirement ceremony: "Fans, for the past two weeks, you've been reading about a bad break. [73]  [pause] Today [74]  I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the [75]  earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. "When you look around, wouldn't you consider it a privi

a hell of a day at the plate

Anthony Rendon of the Washington Nationals had one heck of an afternoon.  he went 6 for 6 at the plate, three of those hits home runs and had 10 RBI's in a 23-5 win over the N.Y. Mets.  He was the first player to get 10 RBI's since 2007.  wow.

2017 world mixed doubles championships

Canada lost to Switzlerland 6-5 in the Championship game.  the Swiss got 4 in the 8th end (only 8 ends in mixed doubles) to claim the win.  both teams join China, the U.S. Russia, Norway, Finland and host South Korea for the 2018 Olympic tournament.  the first Olympics for mixed doubles. China beat the Czech Republic for bronze.

Capitals rake Leafs

this one also went into overtime (18th this spring, broke a first round record by one).  Washington scores the series winner as they win game 6 2-1 and the series four games to two.  they will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round for the second year in a row.  along with WASH/PIT, the second round has St.Louis vs Nashville, Edmonton vs Anaheim and Ottawa vs N.Y. Rangers.  second round should start Tuesday or Wednesday.

Senators maul Bruins

this one went into overtime, but the Ottawa Senators eliminated the Boston Bruins 3-2 in game six and the series four games to two and will now face the New York Rangers in the second round.   just one more series left this round. will it end tonight? stay tuned.

Oilers drown Sharks

a close finish to game 6, but the Edmonton Oilers are moving to the second round for the first time in 11 years after beating San Jose 3-1 and the series four games to two and will face the Anaheim Ducks in round two.  that should be a good series.

Rangers corral Habs

the New York Rangers are into the second round after winning game six 3-1 and the series four games to two.  they will face either Ottawa or Boston in the second round.  that series could be done tomorrow.

on this day.

in 1970, Earth day was first established, held to demonstrate environmental protection.  today it was held in conjunction with the March for Science. and next week is the Peoples Climate Mobilization. 2.  in 1876 the first National League game was held in the Jefferson Street grounds in Philadelphia as the Athletics (not to be confused with the second incarnation that is now in Oakland) lost to the Boston Red Stockings (now the Atlanta Braves) 6-5. 3.  in 1903, the New York Highlanders (Yankees now) played their first game in New York at Hilltop Park and lost to the Washington Senators 3-1. 4. in 1976, Darryl Sittler tied an NHL record, scoring 5 goals in a playoff game as Toronto beat Philadelphia 8-5 in game six of the quarter finals in Maple Leaf Gardens.  he tied Maurice Richard's five goals in a game (Richard scored five goals on March 23 in a 5-1 win over Toronto in Montreal.  he got the first, second and third star in that game). 5. and in 1988 Patrik Sunstrom sets a

St.Louis make Wild sing the Blues

it went into overtime, but Magnus Paajarvi has put the St.Louis Blues into the second round with a 4-3 win in game 5 and a four games to one series win over the Minnesota Wild.  they will now face the Nashville Predators in the second round. (division final maybe?)  second round schedule to be announced later.

Preds take bite out of Hawks

this was all Nashville.  they wrap up a four game sweep with a 4-1 win in game 4. no goals for Chicago in the first two games.  Nashville awaits the winner of the Minnesota/St.Louis series.

Pens clean out Jackets.

with a 5-2 win in game 5, the Pittsburgh Penguins are into the second round after eliminating the Columbus Blue Jackets four games to one.  they will await the winner of the Washingon/Toronto series.

Ducks douse Flames

with a 3-1 win, the Anaheim Ducks complete a four game sweep of the Calgary Flames and will be in the second round against either Edmonton or San Jose.  first series now in the books.  stay tuned for more.

on this day

on this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first player to break the color barrier (and first in 60 years), joining the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day at Ebbets Field.  he had spent the previous season on the Dodgers farm team the Montreal Royals.  Moses Fleetwood Walker was the last black player prior to Robinson, spending a season with the Toledo Blues Stockings in 1884.

nhl postseason on the door step

the NHL post season begins Wednesday night.  the first round match ups are:  in the west - Edmonton vs San Jose, Anaheim vs Calgary, Chicago vs Nashville and Minnesota vs St. Louis.  matchups in the east are - Washington vs Toronto, Pittsburgh vs Columbus, Montreal vs N.Y. Rangers and Ottawa vs Boston.  playoff beard time.

2017 Ford mens world curling championship

Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, Geoff Walker and alternate Thomas Sallows from the Bally Haly has just wrapped up a perfect run winning the championship 4-2 over Niklas Edin, Oskar Eriksson, Rasmus Wrana, Christoffer Sundgren and alternate Henrik Leek of Sweden.  10th end Canada ran Sweden out of rocks WITHOUT the hammer.  Benoit Schwarz, Claudio Patz, Peter De Cruz, Valentin Tanner and alternate Romano Meier of Switzerland finished with the bronze.  it is Canada's 36th championship.  also qualified Canada for the 2018 Olympics, along with Sweden, U.S., Switzerland, Japan, Great Britain and Norway and host South Korea.  two more teams will decide the 2018 Olympic roster in a qualification event in the Czech Republic.  there is now mixed doubles in the 2018 Olympics and the mixed doubles championship are April 22-29 in Lethbridge.

today in 1969

the Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, Seattle Pilots and Kansas City Royals all played their firs franchise games and all won their games.  Montreal beat the Mets 11-10, San Diego beat Houston 2-1, the Pilots beat the Angels 4-3 and Kansas City beat Minnesota 4-3 in 12 innings.  the Pilots lasted one season in Seattle before moving to Milwaukee, and the Expos later moved to Washington in 2005.

world womens hockey gold

Hilary Knight scores the game winner in overtime as the U.S. beats Canada 3-2.  this was a heck of a game and a heck of an overtime.  U.S. with gold, Canada with the silver.  and that is it for this tournament.

world women's bronze medal game

this one was all Finland as they beat Germany 8-0 to claim bronze.  quite a tournament for both teams, with Finland beating Canada earlier and hanging in there against the U.S., and Germany winning two games in pool B (beating Sweden and Czech Rep.) the 4th is Germany's best ever result and Finland's 12th bronze.  wow.  coming up is Canada vs U.S. for gold.

World womens hockey relegation series

game three ended. Switzerland beat Czech Republic 3-1 to finish 7th and avoid relegation.  Czech Republic will finish 8th and well be relegated to Division 1A.  coming up is Finland vs Germany for bronze.

on this day

Image
April 6 1896.  the modern Olympics are officially kicked off.  13 nations attended the first games.  80,000 people attended the opening ceremonies, including King George I of Greece, his wife and their sons.  241 athletes participated in the games - all men.  five events were held this day - the 100m, the triple jump, the 800m, discus throw and 400m.  first major highlight was the marathon, which was won by a Greek - Spyridon Louis.  Athens was unanimously chosen to host the first games. Demitrius Vikelas was president of the IOC for these games.  below is the poster from these games.

semi final Thursday

the second semi final wasn't much of a game.  the U.S. blew out Germany 11-0.  they will be facing Canada for gold tomorrow night.  earlier Canada shut out Finland 4-0.  gold medal game is 5:30pm.  Germany will be facing Finland for bronze at 1:30pm.  in the relegation series, Switzerland beat the Czech Republic 3-2 in OT to even that series at one.  the decider is tomorrow at 10am.  the 5th place game was this after noon and Russia beat Sweden 4-3.  this one went to a shootout and Russia got the only shootout goal.  they finish 5th and Sweden finishes 6th.  just tomorrow left and it's over

a 2012 Olympic medal upgrade

Christine Girard of Canada is set to become a gold medalist in weightlifting from the2012 London Olympics.  she had originally got bronze, BUT, Maiya Maneza of Kazakhstan was stripped of her gold and Svetlana Tzarukaeva of Russia was stripped of her silver.  their results were disqualified due to doping.  proves cheaters get caught. Milka Maneva of Bulgaria gets the silver and Luz Acosta of Mexico gets bronze.  Girard may also get a bronze from 2008 due to another Kazak weightlifter got caught doping.  the London total now is 2g 5s 11b.

quarter final and relegation gm1

Germany just beat Russia in this quarterfinal game and is in the semi final game against the U.S.  irregardless of the result, Germany can finish no worse than 4th - their highest finish ever.  earlier in the other quarterfinal, Finland beat Sweden 4-0 and will face Canada in the other semi final game.  in game one of the relegation series, Czech Republic beat Swizterland 4-2 and is one win from avoiding relegation.  game two of that is Thursday at 10am.  Finland vs Canada semi final is at 1:30 and Germany vs U.S. is at 5:30.  all times Edmonton time.

NCAA championship game

some kind of game.  lots of fouls tonight.  nearly became a war of attrition.  Gonzaga was up 65-63 with 1:53 to go and never scored another.  North Carolina scored the last 8 points in winning their 6th NCAA championship, winning tonight 71-65, and now has the 3rd most titles behind UCLA (11) and Kentucky (8).  congrats to North Carolina.

women's hockey championships

the U.S hung on to beat Finland 5-3.  Finland gave the U.S. a run like the did with Canada.  earlier in group A, Canada beat out Russia 8-0. U.S. finishes first with 9 points and goes into the semis.  Canada, Finland and Russia each finished with 3 points and a win and two losses.  first tie break was head to head wins and losses.  each team won one and lost to the other.  (Canada beating Russia and losing to Finland, Finland beating C and losing to Russia, Russia beating Finland and losing to Canada).  next tie break was goals differential . Canada with a +5, Finland with a -2 and Russia with a -14.  so Canada finishes second and goes to the semi finals with the U.S.  Finland finishes 3rd and Russia 4th.  both Finland and Russia are in the quarter finals.  in pool B, Switzerland beat Germany 4-2 and Sweden beat the Czech Republic 3-1. Germany and Sweden finishes with 6 points. Germany beat Sweden earlier in the tournament and will finish first, and Sweden second.  Germany will face Ru

NCAA semi final two

North Carolina hung on to this one beating Oregon 77-76.  they missed four free throws and Oregon couldn't rebound at the end.  North Carolina faces Gonzaga for the championship on Monday night at 7:20pm Edmonton time.

2017 womens hockey championships day 2

big time upset.  Finland just beat Canada 4-3 and has scored their first ever win over Canada (1-20)  Canada is now 0-2 while Finland is 1-1.  earlier the U.S. beat Russia 7-0.  the U.S. is 2-0,and Russia is tied with Finland at 1-1 (U.S. 6pts, Russia and Finland 3pts and Canada 0 pts).  in group B, Germany beat Czech Republic 2-1 and goes to 2-0. while Czech Rep is at an over time loss and a regulation loss.  also Sweden beat Switzerland 2-1.  Sweden is at 1-1 and Switzerland is at an OT win and a regulation loss (Germany 6pts, Sweden 3 pts, Switzerland 2pts and Czech Rep 1pt).  next games are on Monday.

NCAA semi final one

Gonzaga beat South Carolina  77-73 to make their first NCAA championship game appearance.  they will face either Oregon or North Carolina.  that game is about half an hour.

world women's hockey championships

opening day of the women's hockey championships.  the U.S. just beat Canada 2-0 in a pretty good game.  the U.S. i thought had most of the play.  earlier in Pool A, Russia beat Finland 2-1.  the U.S. an Russia have three points each, while Finland and Canada have none.  in pool B, Germany beat Sweden 3-1, while Switzerland beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in a shootout.  Germany leads pool B with three points, Switzerland with two, Czech Rep with one and Sweden with none.  tomorrows games has the U.S. vs Russia and Canada vs Finland in pool A,  and in pool B its Czech Rep. vs Germany and Sweden vs Switzerland.

NCAA elite eight P4

the North Carolina Tarheels are off to their 20th final four appearace after beating Kentucky 75-73 ona last second basket (0.3 seconds left after Kentucky tied it)  the Tarheels will face Oregon on Saturday in the semi finals.

NCAA elite eight P3

the South Carolina Gamecocks are heading to their first final four as they beat Florida 77-70.  they will be playing Gonzaga in one semi final game on Saturday.  coming up has North Carolina vs Kentucky with the winner to play Oregon on Saturday night in the other semi final game.

women's world curling championships

earlier this morning in Beijing, Canada's Rachel Homan and her curling team beat Russia 8-3 to wim the world curling championships, AND qualified Canada for the 2018 winter Olympics.  Russia, Switzerland, Great Britain, U.S., Sweden and Japan also qualified for the Olympics in Curling.  South Korea had automatically qualified as host country.  the final two countries will qualify via Olympic Qualifying Event.  the men begin their world championships (and olympic qualifying) Saturday in Edmonton.

NCAA elite eight P2

for the first time since 1939 (i believe the first tournament), the Oregon Ducks are into the final four after beating Kansas 74-60.  Oregon won the 1939 tournament.  they get either North Carolina or Kentucky.

NCAA elite eight P1

the Gonzaga Bulldogs are heading to the final four for the first time ever as they beat Xavier 83-59.  they will face the winner of the East region final tomorrow.  coming up: Kansas vs Oregon.

NCAA sweet 16 part two

in the east, Florida beats Wisconsin 84-83 in overtime on a three point buzzer beater.  they will play South Carolina for the East region.  South Carolina beat Baylor 70-50 to reach the elite 8.  and in the south. Kentucky beat UCLA 86-75 to move into the elite eight and will face North Carolina for the south region final.  the Tarheels beat Butler 92-80.  stay tuned tomorrow.

NCAA sweet 16 part one

night 5 is done.  in the west region, Gonzaga beat West Virginia 61-58 and Xavier just beat Arizona 73-71.  Gonzaga and Xavier meets on Saturday in one elite 8 matchup.  in the midwest, Kansas blew out Purdue 98-66 and Oregon beat Michigan 69-68.  Kansas vs Oregon will also play Saturday in another elite 8 matchup.  the remainder of the elite 8 will be decided tomorrow.  games tomorrow has Wisconsin vs Florida and Baylor vs South Carolina in the east region and North Carolina vs Butler and UCLA vs Kentucky in the south region.

WBC championship goes to......

the U.S. as they beat Puerto Rico 8-0 to win their first WBC championship. Marcos Stroman threw 6+ innings giving up one hit to start the 7th.  pretty much a no doubter.  congrats to the U.S.  not too long before the MLB season begins.  April 2 the opener with three games.

WBC semi final part two

on a rainy night in L.A, the U.S. hangs on to beat Japan 2-1 and will face Puerto Rico for the championship tomorrow night.  game time is 7pm Edmonton time.

WBC semi final one

this one went into extras.  Puerto Rico scores the winning run on a fly ball as they win 4-3 in 11 innings. they will face either the U.S or Japan for the championship on Wednesday night.  U.S vs Japan plays tomorrow night.

happy vernal equinox

spring officially began at 4:29am this morning.  it's -6c at the moment.  felt it peeking outside this morning.  the sun is out though so hopefully it warms up.  supposed to get to -2c later.  we will see though.

Day four of ncaa tournament

today produces two upsets.  South Carolina just produced the second one as they beat Duke 88-81 AND making their first sweet 16 appearance.  the first one had Michigan beat Louisville 73-69. only Cincinnati vs UCLA are left for games today.

WBS day 13 part two

the U.S.  is into the semi final after beating the Dominican Republic 63 to finish off the round robin.  they will face Japan Tuesday night from Dodger Stadium in L.A.  game time 7pm.  the Netherlands faces Puerto Rico Monday night, also from Dodger Stadium.  winners of the semi finals plays for the championship on Wednesday night from Dodger Stadium.

and yet another

this time #11 Xavier beat #3 Florida State 91-66, puts themselves in the sweet 16.  pretty much a convincing win.  4 games left tonight.  is there another upset?  stay tuned.

WBC Day 13 part 1

this was a blowout Puerto Rico blew out Venezuela 13-2 to stay undefeated throughout the tournament (3-0 in pool D and F).  Puerto Rico faces the Netherlands in one semifinal game on Monday.  Venezuela is out at 0-3.  the winner of the Dominican Republic vs U.S. game will finish second and will face Japan in the other semi final on Tuesday.

on this day in....

today in 1892, Lord Stanley of Preston purchase, then donated a silver rose bowl.  he then inscribed it "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup" on one side of the outside rim and "From Stanley of Preston" on the other.  that bowl we know now as the Stanley Cup.  at a banquet in Ottawa on this night, the Ottawa Hockey Club was honored.  Lord Stanley's sons, Arthur and Algemon persuaded their dad to donate a trophy as a"visible sign of the hockey championship. Stanley had sent this message to the banquet: I have for some time been thinking that it would be a good thing if there were a challenge cup which should be held from year to year by the champion hockey team in the Dominion [of Canada]. There does not appear to be any such outward sign of a championship at present, and considering the general interest which matches now elicit, and the importance of having the game played fairly and under rules generally recognized, I am willing to give a cup which shall be