the mad sports man

 Winter began at 3:21 am this morning. Shortest day in terms of daylight hours. Now, bit by bit we get more daylight. It'll be needed.

 This from baseball in pics Twitter. This is from the first game at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati on June 30, 1970. 51000 people saw Atlanta beat Cincinnati 8-2. Hank Aaron hit the first ever home run.

From Old Canada Series Facebook page. A "prevent forest fire" sign outside Manning Park BC. Circa 1950s.

 This also from baseball in pics Facebook page. Opening of the original Yankee Stadium on April 18, 1923. 74,200 people saw the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1. Babe Ruth hit the first home run. That was when the stadium was nicknamed "the house that Ruth built." Gosh, how many moments happened here?

 Photo from baseball in pics Facebook page. This is during the 1919 world series. Game unknown. Chicago had hosted games 3, 4, 5 and 8 Chicago won game 3 3-0. Cincinnati won game 4 2-0, game 5 5-0 and game 8 10-5 (it was a best of 9). Chicago infamously lost the series 5-3 (8 players "threw" the series). 

 Here is a shot of Paul Hornung scampering for his 5th touchdown in Baltimore as the Green Bay Packers beat the Colts 42-27. It's like he's disappearing into the fog. This is such a cool shot.

 At the short track swim meet in Budapest, Summer McIntosh has 3 gold's already and has for sure one world record, maybe two. Canada has 4g, 3s, 6b for 11 total. Would you believe 24 world records have fallen? Unbelievable.

 Credit to old time baseball Facebook page. On the left is the Polo Grounds. On the right is Yankee stadium. Approximate year is 1936. (In the description). And Harlem river running in between. The swing bride is open letting a barge ship by as vehicles wait on either side. Enjoy.

 Here's a shot of outside of Ebbets Field prior to game 3 of the world series vs the New York Yankees. I forgot who posted it. Enjoy.

 Here is the site of Exhibition Stadium in 1928. A Toronto Facebook page posted it yesterday. Enjoy.

 Summer McIntosh. No surprise here considering the Olympics she had with - I think - 5 medals. And she continues to win in the pool. She got the call while competing in Budapest. So congratulations to Summer. #summerofSummer

 Met Stadium sat on 160 acres of land, construction began in June 1955 and took less than a year to build (remarkable). It was located outside Bloomington Minnesota. New York Giants) baseball team) show interest,but ended up in San Francisco. Washington Senators eventually moved there becoming the Twins for the 1961 season. Look at all the space.

 Tonight is the 44th anniversary of John Lennon death. He was sadly shot outside the apartment building he lived in. He would be 84 today.  

 Credit to baseball history nut. Note a couple of players here smoking. You won't see that nowadays. Also note the Pirates uniforms. They're great aren't they? Would love that jersey. I think Dave Parker is one of the players. Enjoy.

 Except this Wrigley Field was in Los Angeles. It broke ground in 1925 and opened September 29 in the same year. It housed the Los Angeles Angels of the PCL (yes they had an Angels in the Pacific Coast League) from 1925-1957, the Hollywood Stars (PCL) from 1926-1935 and 1938, Pepperdine Wave (NCAA) in 1948 and the MLB Angels in their first season (1961). It closed and was demolished in 1969. Here is an aerial shot. (I don't remember who posted it originally).

 Here's one from baseball history nut on x. It's PNC park at night. Enjoy.

 Season two of the PWHL began today with two games. First had Toronto beat Boston 3-1 and Montreal beat Ottawa 4-3 in a shootout. Marie Philip-Poulin had the winner in that one. Should be a good season coming.

A snapshot from 2009. Old Yankee stadium on the left and new Yankee stadium on the right. Wild eh. Credit to New York Yankees forever fans Facebook page for the photo.

 Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers state side. I hope it's a great day and great weekend. And loads of goodies and football.

 Oh boy did it ever. Got a good dump last Tuesday and got walloped yesterday. Still digging out as well. I think we have enough for the winter now. And of course, it got cold. Winter in Canada. Figures.

 It was close for three quarters. Toronto blew it open in the 4th with 24 points, 14 off of two interceptions which sealed the game,as Toronto beat Winnipeg 41-24. 8th time Toronto has beaten Winnipeg, and 8 straight Grey Cup wins (1991, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2012, 2017, 2022, 2024). Last Toronto Grey Cup loss was 1987 to Edmonton. Congratulations to the Toronto Argonauts - 2024 Grey Cup Champions.

 The 1979-80 NHL season had 21 teams and an 80 game schedule. Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers were added. August 26, 1979 Joe Mullen signs with St Louis. September 28, dino Ciccarelli signs in Minnesota. March 10 1980, Los Angeles trades Butch Goring to the New York Islanders for Dave Lewis and Billy Harris. Philadelphia goes undefeated in 35 games (25 wins 10 ties). Chicago wins first playoff game after losing 16 in a row. October 10 1979, Gary Smith starts with his 7th NHL team. November 28 1979 Billy Smith gets credited with a goal. February 24, Gordie Howe plays in his 5th decade. Preliminary round: Philadelphia 3 Edmonton 0, Buffalo 3 Vancouver 1, Montreal 3 Hartford 0, Boston 3 Pittsburgh 2, New York Islanders 3 Los Angeles 1, Minnesota 3 Toronto 1, Chicago 3 St Louis 0, New York Rangers 3 Atlanta 1. Quarter finals: Philadelphia 4 New York Rangers 1, Buffalo 4 Chicago 0, Minnesota 4 Montreal 3, New York Islanders 4 Boston 1. Semi finals P...

 It was Winnipeg all the way as they beat Saskatchewan 38-22 in the west semi. They will face Toronto in the 111th Grey Cup game on the 17th.  Can't believe the season is one game from being done.

 This time last year Montreal went into Toronto and won that east final. Today, Toronto went into Montreal and won today's east final, 30-28. Damn. Now on, Saskatchewan at Winnipeg.

 Calgary. Kinda figured when I saw a press release yesterday saying Calgary had a "major announcement.". Next year the game is in Winnipeg. And this year its in Vancouver. So have fun.

 Yup. Monday was my colonoscopy. Was...... Interesting. Kinda cool to see the inside of a colon though. Watched 5 polyps removed. No cancer. Yesterday was the US election. Today I saw the IIHF announce they're preparing a proposal for 3x3 hockey as soon as the 2030 winter Olympics. Interesting. That's it so far.

It's time to fall back. At 2am tonight we turn our clocks back "officially." Be sure to do so before you go to bed. Unless you live somewhere where you don't have to. Like Saskatchewan. Where I am. Tonight is when we go to standard time. Now for the CFL division semis. The east semi had Toronto beat Ottawa 58-38 and will face Montreal in the east final next Saturday. In the west, Saskatchewan beat B.C. 28-19 and will face Winnipeg, also next Saturday. We're that much closer to the Grey Cup.

 The Los Angeles Dodgers just won the 2024 world series, winning game 5 7-6 and the series 4-1. The 4th time they've beaten the Yankees in the series. It is also their 8th championship. Congratulations to the Dodgers.

 This is from about 1962. The foreground is Colt Stadium, first home of the Houston Astros (Colt 45s at the time. In the background is the beginning of construction of the Astrodome. Neat en.

 It's official. Glasgow Scotland is host of the 2026 Commonwealth games.  It will run from July 23 to August 2. It's a scaled down version. The sports that were dropped were: Rugby 7s, field hockey, badminton, twenty20 cricket, squash and diving.

 It will be the New York Yankees vs the Los Angeles Dodgers For the world series as the Dodgers beat the Mets 10-5 in game 6 of the NLCS and the series 4-2. It will be the 12th meeting between the Yankees and Dodgers in the world series. The Yankees hold an 8-3 edge. (Yankees in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1977 and 1978. Dodgers in 1955, 1963 and 1981). It will be my first time watching these two. I started watching baseball in 1983

 The New York Yankees are off to the world series after beating Cleveland 5-2 in 20 innings. Juan Soto hit the 3 run home run to win it. They will get either the New York Mets or the Dodgers. Oh yeah it's their 41st American League pennant.

 It will be the Cleveland Guardians vs New York Yankees in the ALCS after Cleveland beat Detroit 7-3 in game 5 today. ALCS starts Monday.

 The Los Angeles Dodgers will be facing the New York Mets in the NLCS after beating the San Diego Padres in game 5 2-0.  Series starts Sunday in Los Angeles.

 This tournament went from February 12-24, 1980. 12 teams played. The Olympic Fieldhouse and Olympic Arena hosted the games. Canada hockey team returns and finishes 6th. Tournament best remembered for the "miracle on ice" as the United States beat the Soviet Union before beating Finland to win gold. They had also beat Czechoslovakia and tied Sweden. Their roster fielded exclusively amateur players. The United States, as mentioned, won gold, Soviet Union the silver and Sweden the bronze. Next is the 1984 tournament in Sarajevo Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦).

 The New York Yankees are into the ALCS after beating the Kansas City Royals 3-1 in game 4 and the series 3-1. They await the Detroit/Cleveland series.

 The New York Mets are into the NLCS after beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in game 4 of the NLDS and the series 3-1. It's their first NLCS visit since 2015 when they beat the Chicago Cubs in a four game sweep. Stay tuned for their opponent.

 .....this is Las Vegas in 1947? Wild eh.  How it's changed. Enjoy.

 Began with Cleveland beating Detroit 7-0. Philadelphia vs New York Mets is on now, Kansas City at New York Yankees at 4:38 and San Diego at Los Angeles at 6:38. Stay tuned. This should be fun.

 The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals each advance to the division round. Detroit swept Houston, Kansas City swept Baltimore. Each was a two game sweep. Detroit plays Cleveland next and Kansas City plays Yankees next.

 Regular season finally ended with today's Atlanta/N.Y. Mets double header. And they split the double header and Arizona gets eliminated. Arizona had losing records versus Atlanta and the Mets, so they needed a double header sweep to get in. Mets won the first one 8-7 and the Braves won game 2 3-0. Atlanta will play San Diego, Mets will play Milwaukee, Kansas City plays Baltimore and Detroit gets Houston in the wild card round. The Yankees, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Los Angeles got the byes into the division round.

 The 1978-79 NHL season had 17 teams and 80 games. Cleveland Barons and Minnesota North Stars merged. First contraction since 1942. March 29, 1979 the WHA/NHL merger happens. July 26, 1978 John Tonelli signs with the New York Islanders. October 18, Minnesota trades Dennis Maruk to Washington. March 11, Randy Holt of Los Angeles earns 67 penalty minutes in the first period. April 8 Denis Potvin is second defenseman to score 100 points. Preliminary round: Philadelphia 2 Vancouver 1, New York Rangers 2 Los Angeles 0, Toronto 2 Atlanta 0, Pittsburgh 2 Buffalo 1.  Quarter finals: New York Islanders 4 Chicago 0, Montreal 4 Toronto 0, Boston 4 Pittsburgh 0, New York Rangers 4 Philadelphia 1. Semifinals: New York Rangers 4, New York Islanders 2, Montreal 4 Boston 3. Stanley Cup finals: Montreal 4 New York Rangers 1. Montreal is 1979 Stanley Cup champions. Bob Gainey is Conn Smythe trophy winner. 1979 #1 draft pick is Rob Ramage. He played 1044 games, 139 goals, 425 assists and 564 poi...

 Fall has already arrived. Began at 6:44am Prince Albert time.  Kinda feels like it too. Leaves are already turning color. Lots of yellow around along with some green. Enjoy 

 1. Glasgow Scotland is set to be announced as host of the 2026 shortly. Announcement day to be determined. 2. The 2025 world Juniors schedule is out. Canada begins on boxing Day vs Finland (6:30 pm Prince Albert time), December 27 vs Latvia, December 29 vs Germany and New Year's Eve vs the United States. The tournament is in Ottawa.

 They were unveiled this morning. They are: New York Sirens, Minnesota Frost, Boston Fleet, Toronto Sceptres, Ottawa Charge and Montreal Victoire. And her are the logos. What do you think?

 The Paralympics are done. The flame extinguished. Speeches made. And the handover to Los Angeles 2028. Canada finishes with 29 medals. 10g, 9s, 10b. 13 medals in the pool. A world record thrown in there. Nicholas Bennett (2g, 1s), Brent Lakatos (1g, 1s), Austin Smeenk (1g, 1b), Aurelie Rivard (1g, 1s, 1b), Cody Fournier (2g) and Tess Routliffe (1s, 1b) are the multiple medalists I can find. So that is it for another 4 year cycle. Next winter games are Milan/Cortina D'Ampezzo in 2026, next summer games, as mentioned, is in Los Angeles in 2028.

 Last medal of the day, and it comes from Nate Reich and it's a silver in the 1500 T38 wheelchair race. That is now 10g to 9s, 10b for 29 total. Could hit 30 tomorrow. Nicholas Bennett and Brianna Hennessy are Canada's flag bearers at the closing ceremony tomorrow. Awesome. Can't believe the Paralympics end tomorrow.

 First the bronze. It's from Shelby Newkirk in the 100m backstroke S6. Now the gold. Danielle Dorris wins it in the 50m S7.  That is now 10g, 8s, 10b for 28 total.

 First the gold. It comes from Austin Smeenk in the 800m T34 wheelchair race. Next the silver.bit comes from Brianna Hennessy in para canoe. And now the bronze. It comes from the women's sitting volleyball team. A historic first medal in this sport. That is now 9g, 8s, 9b for 26 total. I don't think we're done yet.

 Cody Fournier has another gold, this time in the 100m T51 race. That is now 8g, 7s, 8b for 23 total.

 Sebastian Massabie has the gold in the 50m freestyle S4 and it was a world record. That is now 7g, 7s, 8b for 22 total. 11 of them from the pool.

 Jesse Zessou has the silver in men's discus F37. Happened an hour ago. That is now 6g, 7s, 8b for 21 total.

 Brent Lakatos has another one. This gold is in the 800m T53 wheelchair race. That is now 6g, 6s, 8b for 20 total

 Let's start with the bronze. It came from Tess Routliffe in the pool. Her bronze was in the 100m breaststroke SB7.  Now the gold from Aurelie Rivard in the 400m freestyle S10. Her 13th Paralympic medal. That is now 5g, 6s, 8b for 19 total. 10 of them in the pool.

 First the gold. Nicholas Bennett has his second one, this one in the 200m individual medley SM14.  Woohoo!! Next the silver. Reid Maxwell has it in the 400m freestyle S8.  Yeeeeesss!!  That is now 4g, 6s, 7b for 17 total. 

 First a gold. It comes from Greg Stewart in shot put. Also he's 7 foot. And came out of retirement last year.  Now the silver. It comes from Nathan Clement in the T1-2 road time trial. That is now 3g, 5s, 7b for 15 total.

 This one is Katie Cosgriffe in the 100m butterfly S10 event. Yeeesss!!!!  That is now 2g, 4s, 7b for 13 total.

 Happened this morning. Cody Fournier wins it in the T51 200m race. Yes. That is now 2g, 4s, 6b for 12 total.

 The first gold of the games goes to Nicholas Bennett in the SB14 100m breast stroke. This gold is Canada's 400th gold overall at the Paralympics.

 First in wheelchair triathlon. Leanne Taylor takes the bronze. Second from Austin Smeenk in T34 100m wheelchair racing.  Yeeesss. That is now 4s, 6b for 10 total.

 This one from Brent Lakatos in wheelchair racing. His silver was in the T53 400n event. That is now 4s, 4b for 8 total. Yeeees!!!!

 It's Aurelie Rivard with her second one. It's in the S10 100m freestyle. That is now 3s, 4b for 7 total.

 Both in the pool.  First was Nicholas Bennett in the S14 200m freestyle. The second was Tess Routliffe in the SM7 200m individual medley. That is now 2s, 4b for 6 total.

 First was from Keely Shaw in the C4 3000m individual pursuit. Second was from Alexandre Hayward in the C4 3000m individual pursuit. That is now 4b.

 This goes to Aurelie Rivard in the S10 50m freestyle. Not a shabby start to the Paralympics. That is now 2b so far.

 First Canadian medal goes to Kate O'Brien in the C4-5 500m track cycling event.  First of many I hope. Stay tuned for more.

 Katarina Roxon and Patrick Anderson. Roxon is in swimming and Anderson plays wheelchair basketball. They will be leading 126 athletes at the opening ceremony tomorrow during the parade of nations. Let the games begin.

 Here is Dodger stadium at night and Los Angeles in the background. Cool eh? I think baseball history nut on Twitter posted this.

 Some more by the numbers. Canada will be sending 126 athletes to these games. 69 female, 56 male and one as they/them. 4 of the athletes were at the 2000 games (Pat Anderson, Yuka Chokyu, Lance Cryderman and Ruth Sylvie Morel). There are 39 debutantes. 5 are going to their 5th games (Amy Burk, Bo Hedges, Trevor Hirshfield, Travis Murad and Katarina Roxon). 4 are going to their 6th (Pat Anderson, Brent Lakatos, Cindy Ouellet and Mike Whitehead). Games go from August 28 - September 8.

 This season had 18 teams and 80 games. Clarence Campbell retires as NHL president. John Ziegler is named president. All teams had to put names on backs of jerseys. Officials also put names on backs of their jerseys - until the 1994-95 season.  Mike Bossy sets rookie record with 53 goals (wins Calder trophy).  Boston sets record with 11 20 goal scorers. (Bob Miller was 11th). Preliminary round: Detroit 2 Atlanta 0, Toronto 2 Los Angeles 0, Philadelphia 2 Colorado 0, Buffalo 2 New York Rangers 1. Quarter finals: Montreal 4 Detroit 1, Toronto 4 New York Islanders 3, Boston 4 Chicago, Philadelphia 4 Buffalo 1. Semi finals: Montreal 4 Toronto 0, Boston 4 Philadelphia 1. Stanley Cup final: Montreal 4 Boston 2. Larry Robinson is Conn Smythe trophy winner. #1 draft pick in 1978 was Bobby Smith, drafted by Minnesota. He played 1077 games, had 357g, 679a 1036 points. Soon the 1978-79 NHL season.

 These games were in Paris from July 26 to August 11. 206 nations and 10714 athletes participated. Highlights include:  1. Breakdance debuted here. 2. Final games under Thomas Bach. Dominica, St Lucia, Cape Verde, and Albania won first medal. Dominica, St Lucia, Botswana and Guatemala won first golds. Refugee Olympic Athletes team also won a medal. 3. 85 nations won a medal. 4. 32 Olympic records and 10 world records fell. 5.  Siffan Hassan won a bronze in 5000 and 10000 meter and a gold in marathon. That's over 57km in running. Wow. 6.  One podium sweep and it was France in men's BMX. Toris Daudet (gold), Sylvain Andre (silver) and Romain Mahieu (bronze) was on the podium. 7. United States and China tied for most gold (40). United States won most overall (40g, 44s, 42b) with 126. France had 16g, 26s, 22b for 64 total. Canada won 9g, 7s, 11b for 27 total. Coming up had the Paralympics.

 The flame is out. Closing speeches have been made. One heck of a party. I can imagine the party. Caught some of the closing ceremony on my last break. Handover to Los Angeles 2028 also happened.  That's it for that. Time for an Olympic break.

 Summer McIntosh AND Ethan Katzberg. Two very good choices. (Kinda called Summer though). So many other choices came up the last week though. Anyway Summer and Ethan will carry the flag proudly.

 Breaking news. Phil Wizard has gold in break dancing. Made it look easy I'm guessing. That is now 9g, 7s, 11b for 27. Highest total in a non boycott games. Only two behind what they put up in the 2018 winter games.

 Marco Arop almost won gold. By .01s. He gets the silver in the 800m.  Very good run. That is now 8g, 7s, 11b for 26 total.

 Katie Vincent has a gold in the 200m single canoe race. Last lunge and a photo finish later, she wins. That is now 8g, 6s, 11b for 25 total.

 Melissa Humana-Parades and Brandie Wilkerson is coming home with a silver in beach volleyball, losing to Brazil in 3 sets. Still a great finish. That is now 7g, 6s, 11b for 24, tied for the highest in a non boycott year with Tokyo. And there's two days left.

 The mens 4x100m relay team has just won GOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLD!!!  It may have been the last race Andre De Grasse, Brendan Rodney, Aaron Brown and Jerome Blake will run together and they're coming home golden. That is now 7g, 5b, 11b for 23 total. WOOOOOOOOO!!!

 Katie Vincent and Sloan Mackenzie paddled to a bronze in the C2 500m event. Woohoo. That is now 6g, 5s, 11b for 22 total.

 It's Skylar Park with the bronze in the 57kg weight class. Had to win a repechage to get to the bronze match and did so. That is now 6g, 5s, 10b for 21 total. Woohoo!!!

 Maude Charon has just won a silver in weight lifting 59kg class. Absolutely killed it. That is now 6g, 5s, 9b for 20 total.

 Alysha Newman has herself a bronze. She cleared 4.85m, which is a personal best for her. She failed to clear 4.90m. She still leaves with a bronze. That is now 6g, 4s, 9b for 19 total.

 This time it's Camryn Rogers as she wins gold in the hammer throw. She got it in her 2nd last throw. Woohoo!!!  That is now 6g, 4s, 8b for 18 total. Yaaayyy!!!!

 Ethan Katzberg absolutely killed this. He is the first Canadian to win gold in hammer throw and also the youngest to win it. He's only 22.  That is now 5g, 4s, 8b for 17 total.

 Wyatt Sanford has himself a bronze in the 63.5kg weight class. He lost the semi final match and was auto awarded the bronze, as will the loser of the other semi. Sooooo...that is now 4g, 4s, 8b for 16 total.

 She's done it again. This time Summer McIntosh had gold in 200m individual medley. That makes 8 medals in the pool. Previous high was 6 medals at one games. Canada has something special with Summer McIntosh. That is now 4g, 4s, 7b for 15 total.

 This happened in the mens 100m butterfly. Josh Liendo with the silver an Ilya Kharun with the bronze.  YAHOOOO!!!  That is now 3g, 4s, 7b for 14 medals. A super Saturday so far.

 The women's 8s, who had to make the final via repechage, has a silver. Second Olympics in a row the 8s medal. That is now 3g, 3s, 6b for 12 total. Don't think we're done with the medal haul yet.

 This one from Kylie Masse in the 200m backstroke. I thought first one of these games. That is now 3g, 2s, 6b for 11 total.

 Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriela Dabrowski have a tennis bronze, winning in straight sets 2-0. It's Canada's second ever tennis medal (I think Daniel Nestor). That is now 3g 2s 5b for 10 total.

 This bronze comes from Sophiane Methot. I think the second Canadian to win a medal in trampoline after Rosie MacLennan. Way to go. That is now 3g 2s 4b for 9 total. Yes.

 Yup Summer McIntosh has her 2nd gold and 3rd of the games. She won the 200m butterfly, 40 years after her mom Jill competed in the same event. At 2:03 pm Prince Albert time, she will be in the 4x200m free relay. Potential medal alert. That is now 3g, 2s, 3b for 8 total.

 Ilya Kharun has a bronze in the 200m butterfly. He also got a Canadian record and also a first ever medal in this event. That is now 2g, 2s, 3b for 7 total.

 Canada women's rugby 7s team has a silver. New Zealand beat Canada 19-12 in the gold medal game to win the tournament. The silver is Canada's best result (bronze in 2016). That is now 2g, 2s, 2b for 6 total.

 Summer McIntosh just won gold in the 400m individual medley. Her first ever Olympic gold. Last medal for Canada in this event was a bronze in 1976. Event was introduced in 1964 and Canada had 2 silvers and the bronze. And now a gold. I smell more for Summer. That is now 2g, 1s, 2b for 5 total.

 First was in diving. Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Ryan Wiens won bronze in the 10m synchro event. That gets followed up by Christa Deguchi winning gold  - yes GOLD - in judo 57kg class. Yes!!!! That is now 1g, 1s, 2b for 4 total. Stay tuned.

 A first ever medal in fencing, and it comes from Eleanor Harvey in foil. Woohoo!! Actually watched this duel. Congratulations Eleanor. That is 1s 1b for 2 total.

 A silver from Summer McIntosh in the 400m freestyle. Also her first Olympic medal.  Her time was 3:58.37.  Ariana Titmus of Australia won gold and Katie Ledecky with the bronze. Good start.

 Fares Arfa of Canada knocked off the 3 time defending gold medalist Aaron Szilagyi in men's sabre. Big. Arfa moved to the round of 16.

 ....air rifle mixed team gold goes to Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao of China, the silver to Keum Ju-Hyeon and Park Ha-Jun of South Korea and the bronze to Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev of Kazakhstan. Oh were on folks.

 The flame has been lit. Speeches have been made. The games officially open. And Celine Dion capped it off. What an opening ceremony. 205 nations made their way down the Seine River. Performances were outstanding. Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec lit the cauldron that resembled a hot air balloon. 16 days of insanity lays ahead. Let's go get it.

 We've made it to the preview. The 2024 Paris Olympics begin tomorrow and end on August 11. 206 nations and 10714 athletes scheduled to participate. Paris is second city to host 3 times. (1900 and 1924), with London being first (1908, 1948 and 2012). Breakdance debuting here. Final games under Thomas Bach. 2nd time an opening ceremony would be held outside a stadium (2018 summer youth Olympics the first). The ceremony, along with parade of nations, will be held on the river Seine. Refugee Olympic Athletes makes a return and Russian and Belarus athletes under individual neutral athletes banner. Canada will be sending 315 athletes to the games and will be led out by Andre De Grasse and Maude Charon. Here is the emblem for today.

 These games were held in Tokyo Japan from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The games were delayed a year due to COVID. 206 nations (refugee Olympic Athletes and Russian Olympic athletes included) 3x3 basketball, freestyle BMX, baseball (returns), softball (returns), Madison cycling returns (men) or debuts (women) karate, sports climbing, surfing, and skateboarding debuts or returns. Bermuda, Philippines, and Qatar win first gold. Burkina Faso, San Marino, and Turkmenistan win first medals. United States won most gold (39) and most overall (113). Japan won 27g, 14s, 17b for 58 total. Canada won 7g, 7s, 10b for 24 total. Tomorrow - the 2024 preview. Here is the emblem for today.

 ... Andre De Grasse and Maude Charon. Both champions. Charon a gold medalist in weight lifting and De Grasse a multi medalist in track. Great choices. They'll do Canada proud.

 These games were held in Rio de Janeiro Brazil from August 5 - 21. 207 nations and 11180 athletes participated. Refugee Olympic Athletes team debut, as well as Kosovo and South Sudan. United States wins gold 1000. Bahrain, Fiji, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kosovo, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Tajikistan and Vietnam, as well as a member of the independent Olympic Athlete team (Kuwait) won first gold. Karate, squash, golf, roller sports and rugby debuted here. United States won most gold (46) and most overall (121). Brazil won 7g, 6s, 6b for 19 total. Canada won 4g, 3s, 15b for 22 total. Tomorrow - the 2020 games in Tokyo Japan. Here is the emblem for today.

 These games were held in London Great Britain from July 27 to August 12. 204 nations plus 2 independent Olympic athlete nations and 10518 athletes participated. Women's boxing added, making these games the first time every sport had female competitors. 85 nations won at least one medal. Netherlands Antilles (dissolved before the games) and South Sudan (recognized in 2015) were the two nations that had independent athletes. Tennis mixed doubles return for the first time since 1924. 32 world records fell. 7 nations won first medal: Bahrain, Botswana, Cyprus, Gabon, Grenada, Guatemala and Montenegro. United States won most gold (48) and most overall (104). Great Britain had 29g, 18s, 18b for 65 total. Canada won 2g, 6s, 10b for 18 total. Tomorrow - Rio de Janeiro. Here is the emblem for today.

 These games were held in Beijing China from August 8 to 24. 204 nations and 10899 athletes participated. 87 nations won at least one medal.  Serbia and Montenegro debuted as separate nations. Nepal, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu debuted. 125 Olympic records fell, including 37 world records. Mongolia and Panama won first ever golds. Afghanistan, Mauritius, Serbia, Sudan, Tajikistan and Togo won first medals. China won most golds at 48, along with 22s and 30b for 100 total. United States won most overall with 112 (36g, 39s, 37b). Canada won 3g, 9s, 8b for 20 total. Tomorrow - 2012 in London. Here is the emblem for today.

 These games were held in Athens Greece from August 13-29. 201 nations and 10557 athletes participated. Athens is 4th city to host a summer games twice (Paris 1900, 1924 and 2024, London 1908 and 1948 and Los Angeles 1932, 1984 and 2028). A new obverse design introduced. Several world records fall. Chile, Chinese Taipei, Dominican Republic, Georgia and Israel won first golds, while Eritrea and Paraguay won first medals. United Arab Emirates won first medal AND first gold. Kiribati and Timor Leste debuted. Women's wrestling and women's sabre added. Marathon ran on same route as 1896. Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco won 1500m and 5000m . Michael Phelps won 6g and 2b to win most swimming medals in one games.  United States won most gold (36) and most overall (101). Greece won 6g, 6s, 4b for 16 total. Canada won 3g, 6s, 3b for 12 total. Tomorrow - 2008 in Beijing. Here is the emblem for today. 

 These games were held in Sydney Australia from September 15 to October 1. 199 nations and 10647 athletes participated. First games to have 300 events. Last games under Juan Antonio Samaranch. Triathlon began. Brigitte McMahon of Switzerland won on women's side, Simon Whitfield won on men's side. Ian Thorpe of Australia debuts. Cathy Freeman of Australia lights cauldron, then wins 400m on home soil. Cameroon wins historic soccer gold. Democratic Republic of Congo reappears for first time since 1980. From 1984 to 1996 they competed as Zaire. United States won most gold (37) and most overall (93). Australia won 16g, 25s, 17b for 58 total. Canada won 3g, 3s, 8b for 14 total. Tomorrow - the games return to Greece. Here is the emblem for today.

 The 2025 MLB season sked is out. Here are 5 things to know. 1. March 18-19 is the Tokyo series. The Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs open the season. Dodgers first trip to Japan.  2. March 27 is opening day for the rest of the league. 3. May 16-18 is rivalry weekend. Includes Yankees v Mets, White Sox vs Cubs and Angels vs Dodgers. 4. All star game is July 15 in Atlanta. 5. September 28 is closing day of the season. Cheers.

 These games were held in Atlanta Georgia from July 19 to August 4. 197 nations and 10320 athletes participated. Beach volleyball, mountain biking, softball, lightweight rowing, women's swimming, women's fencing team rhythmic gymnastics and women's soccer debuted here.24 nations made their debuts here. Andre Agassi wins "golden slam" ( Olympic gold, Australian open, French open, U.S open Wimbledon). In men's 100m, Donovan Bailey sets then world record of 9.84 in winning gold. Him, Robert Esmie, Bruny Surin and Glenroy Gilbert win 4x100m gold.  Deon Hemmings first woman to win gold for Jamaica. Lee Lai Shan wins Hong Kong's only gold as a British colony. Following nations won first ever summer games medal; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burundi, Ecuador, Georgia, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mozambique, Slovakia, Tonga, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. First time no nation swept the medal podium. United States led most gold and overall with 44g, 32 s, 25b for 101 ...

 These games were held in Barcelona Spain from July 25 to August 9. 169 nations and 9386 athletes participated. First games not to have a boycott. South Africa makes return to games. Olympic cauldron lit by flaming arrow. Deratu Tulu of Ethiopia wins 10000m. Her and South African Elana Meyer made a hand in hand victory lap. Germany sends unified team. Following Soviet Union break up, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania debuted here. Russia and 15 other former Soviet Union republics send unified team. Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina also debut after Yugoslavia break up. Kyoko Iwasaki wins gold at 14. Susi Susanti wins Indonesia first gold in badminton.  Unified team won most gold (45) and most overall (112). Spain won 13g, 7s, 2b for 22 total. Canada won 7g, 4s, 7b for 18 total. Tomorrow - 1996 in Atlanta. Here is the emblem for today.

 These games were in Seoul South Korea from September 17 to October 2. 160 nations and 8453 athletes participated. 7 nations did not participate due to various reasons (boycott, didn't respond to invite, athletic and financial reasons. Vladimir Arterov wins 4 gold in gymnastics, while Daniela Silivas of Romania won 3 gold and equalled Nadia Comenici 7 perfect 10s. Women's sailing was its own event. Lawrence Lemieux of Canada won the Pierre de Coubertin medal when he helped an injured competitor in peril. Anthony Nesty won Suriname first medal when he won the 100m butterfly. Last time USA basketball sent an amateur team. Indonesia wins first medal - a silver in archery. Soviet Union won most gold (55) and most overall (132). South Korea won 12g, 10s, 11b for 33 total. Canada won 3g, 2s, 5b for 10 total. Tomorrow - 1992 games in Barcelona Spain. Here is the emblem for today.

 Here we go. 338 athletes heading to Paris. 316 participating and 22 alternates. 193 women, 123 men. Oldest athlete is Jill Irving at 61. Youngest is Fay De Fazio Ebert at 14. Oldest male Mario Deslauriers at 59 and youngest male is Nicholas Zhang at 18. Ontario has the most athletes at 141, Quebec 58, B.C. 45, Alberta 34, Nova Scotia 10, Saskatchewan 9 Manitoba 6, New Brunswick 3 and Prince Edward Island 2. Also 5 sets of siblings. 10 days to go. Let's do this.

 These games were held in Los Angeles CA from July 28 to August 14. 140 nations and 6800 athletes participated. 14 Eastern bloc nations boycotted for the 1980 U.S led boycott. First games that had athletes living in one Olympic village. Opening ceremony featured Bill Suitor arriving via Jet Pack. People's Republic of China returns to games after agreement with IOC to rename Republic of China to Chinese Taipei (Taiwan). Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco first female Olympic champion of muslim nation to win gold for Morocco in 400m hurdles. Synchro swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and wind surfing debuted here. Mary Lou Retton first gymnast outside Eastern Europe to win all around. United States won most gold (83) and most overall (174). Canada won 10g, 18s, 16b for 44 total. Tomorrow - 1988 in Seoul South Korea. Here is the emblem for today.

 These games were in Moscow, Soviet Union from July 19 to August 3. 80 nations and 5256 athletes participated. 66 nations boycotted due to U.S. led boycott over Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Czechoslovakia won soccer gold over East Germany. India won 8th field hockey gold. In 400m swimming, 16 swimmers finished in under 4 minutes. Medal count: Soviet Union won 80g, 69s 46b for 195 total. East Germany won 47g, 37s, 42b 126 total. Bulgaria won 8g, 16s, 17b for 41 total. Tomorrow - the 1984 games in Los Angeles. Here is the emblem for today.

 These games were held in Montreal Canada from July 17 to August 1. 92 nations and 6073 athletes participated. 29 nations boycotted when IOC refused to ban New Zealand after their rugby team toured South Africa. women's basketball, women's handball and women's rowing added. Canada first host country to not win gold. Nadia Comenici scores 7 perfect 10s, winning 3 golds. Alberto Juantorena first male to win 400m and 800m in same games. Hasely Crawford wins Trinidad and Tobago first gold. 5 American boxers win gold. Alex Oakley of Canada is oldest track and field athlete at 50, and 5th Olympics. Soviet Union won most gold (49) and most overall (125). Canada won 5s, 6b for 11 total. Tomorrow - 1980 (and more boycotts). Here is the emblem for today. 

 These games were held in Munich, West Germany from August 26 to September 11. 121 nations and 7134 athletes participated. Overshadowing the games was the Munich massacre. First official mascot appears. A daschund named Waldo. Mark Spitz wins 7 swimming golds. Soviet Union beats United States in basketball final in controversial finish. Handball (1936) and archery (1920) return, while slalom canoeing debuts. Olympic oath for officials begins here. Soviet Union won most gold (50) and most overall (99). West Germany won 13g, 11s, 16b for 40 total. Canada won 2s, 3b for 5 total. Tomorrow - 1976 in Montreal. Here is the emblem for today.