So, how about those Blue Jays?
Wednesday’s playoff series clinching win held the components necessary to rank as one of the all-time ‘greatest’ baseball games, especially if you are Toronto Blue Jays fan.
Even a non-baseball fan like myself has to admit it was certainly entertaining—great hits, pitches, catches, double plays, controversy, heated tempers and crazy fans.
Of course, having Dexter, the world’s biggest (and loudest) Jays fan in the land living with us, is a great resource for knowing when and when not to run over and check out what is happening on the TV screen.
With the plethora of sports choices available to watch and a wonderful ability to procrastinate from doing anything effective or functional, I need to regularly monitor my time spent with a clicker in my hand.
My passion for hockey tends to take up more than enough of my spare time.
With whatever time remains on my leisure clock, I tend to set it aside for anything else other than baseball or basketball, both of which generally bore me to tears.
Basketball has too much scoring going on and baseball is the opposite, as dull as watching paint dry for the most part.
Seems to me there is way too much standing around doing nothing, which is why I maintain ball players are generally in the worse shape of all pro athletes.
Much of the game is spent with only three players involved—pitcher, catcher and batter. Until one of those three does something significant, nobody else moves.
No other team sport ignores most of the team most of the time. There are no significantly overweight players in other sports such as hockey, soccer, lacrosse, rugby or basketball. There are a few in football, but they are around to squish other players or run them over like a cement truck and you have to like that sort of thing.
Only in baseball can you find a guy so heavy he can barely run around the bases, only to get called safe by an umpire the size of three horse jockeys. Anyway, I digress.
Wednesday’s game was awesome, except for one key factor—fan stupidity.
Sadly, the fabulous game was marred by idiotic supposed ‘fans’ who decided more than once to toss objects, including bottles, from high up in the stands down onto the field.
While I am confident that alcohol played a factor in such conduct, that is no excuse for senseless behaviour.
But baseball groupies are not the only idiots who purchase tickets and then act like morons.
I can recall a number of incidents involving hockey fans. One particular night stands out in memory while the trainer/stick boy with the Kelowna Buckaroos. Seems a fan from Kamloops took exception to a Buckaroo leveling one of his heroes and tossed a bottle in his general direction.
Unfortunately, the aim was nearly as wonky as the tosser and the bottle nailed a fan in the front row in the back of the head. The wounded woman was as much in shock as anything else.
The lacerations on her scalp were deep and cause for great concern until the paramedics arrived in the dressing room where I was attempting to slow the bleeding and calm the woman down.
I also recall with horror during a game in which I was playing when a local fan tossed a bottle from the top level of the stands onto the ice. The large pop bottle literally bounced twice on the ice between myself and our goalie and then slid into the boards before shattering.
I heard it whirl past my ear. I never really felt safe again on the ice.
I am constantly boggled by such ignorance and admit to no tolerance for such asinine behaviour. A fan caught in such an act should be banned for life from the facility.
Regardless, I salute the Jays. May their joy continue until another World Series ring is theirs.
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Speaking of games and winners, do not forget to get out and vote Monday.
If you do not vote, then you do not get to complain.
My prediction—Mr. Harper is done, and rightfully so. I like Ron Cannan, but sadly I have a hard time believing in his boss. I believe many Canadians share that feeling. That said, I believe that Cannan will retain his Kelowna-Lake Country seat. The other Conservatives in the area may not be so lucky.
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And belated birthday wishes to the two most important girls in my world—wife Teresa and grand-daughter Chelsea.
Thank you for sharing this world with me, despite the dangerous and dumb baseball fans we share it with.
