2016 Brier Preview

A hearty congratulations goes out to Team Alberta led by the Manitoba convert Chelsea Carey as they prevailed as the Giants of Grande Prairie and will now represent Team Canada at the 2016 Ford World Women's Curling Championship held in Swift Current,Saskatchewan. The Scotties, even with the largely surmised consensus that the field was a two team race translated into a really competitive, enjoyable event to take in and there were a plethora of surprises, no more than Krista McCarville triumphing all the way to the final after a six year hiatus.

The Tim Horton's Brier, being hosted by the Rideau Canal is set to begin this Thursday as the infamous and widely hated relegation event will begin followed by the regulation event beginning on Saturday. Curling pendants, most if not all are labelling this particular field as perhaps the strongest ever. Do I have the courage in prognosticating this tremendous collection of talent? Better believe I've acquired the daunting task of breaking down what guarantees to be a week full of fabulous shot making and controversial sweeping techniques. Following the same format I used for the Saskatchewan Tankard and the Scotties, I will rank the teams from one through eleven in descending order whilst creating a separate ranking for the four teams forced to battle in relegation. Enjoy!


11.Team New Brunswick(Mike Kennedy) I'll be blunt, an increasing trademark of this blog in saying that I give the group from the Grand Falls curling club ZERO chance to not just win, to not just not qualify, but am giving them 0.0% chance of winning more then two games. As John Morris, third for Team Canada tweeted out, "There's no free space on the Bingo Card this year", well John this is completely incorrect as New Brunswick is that free space. Proclaiming that this rink isn't headed for relegation would be like saying that the Toronto Maple Leafs are on the right track to be 2017 Stanley Cup Champions. Constructing bold remarks is nothing new for myself but presenting false hope for a listless squad would be doing all an injustice.

Skip:Mike Kennedy
Third:Scott Jones
Second:Marc Lecocq
Lead:Jamie Brannen


10.Team Quebec(Jean-Michel Menard) The 2006 Brier champion is in the house. It's fitting that TSN currently employs Russ Howard as it's lead analyst as many have drawn comparisons to how current Quebec third Martin Crete conducts himself to the way Russ used to by the constant reverberating  screeches that Martin showcases to enhance team communication. The fact that Menard triumphed to a Brier championship back in 2006 speaks to the strength of the field that he's only ranked tenth in my prognostications. There's a couple prominent reasons for this, firstly the depth in Quebec men's curling isn't what it used to be as playdown numbers are dwindling. Team growth really isn't achievable when the regionalized competiton is at an all time low and secondly and quite possibly more importantly, Menard plays sparingly on the World Curling tour so intimidation is probable when he sizes up against the likes of Jacobs and McEwen(that definitely wasn't me foreshadowing who I have as number one and two!). In a normal Brier, I rank the plausibility high that this rink could strive for a .500ish record but not when encapsulating in the gauntlet otherwise known as the 2016 Tim Horton's Brier.

Skip:Jean-Michel Menard
Third:Martin Crete
Second:Eric Sylvain
Lead:Phillipe Menard


9.Team Ontario(Glenn Howard) The country club atmosphere that this team exudes doesn't bode well for it's chances headed into this event. Some, likely most while digesting that I have a Howard ranked ninth will be appalled at the notion but when you dissect a little deeper, the ranking may not be so far fetched. In watching the Ontario provincial final broadcast by Sportsnet in which Glenn upset pre-event favourite and growing notorious provincial choker, I stop it at notorious provincial choker as he's had some admirable results on the Grand Slam circuit, John Epping, you got the impression that Glenn was just happy to be back at the dance and any positive result would purely be a bonus. In my opening of the summarization regarding the Ontario foursome, I referenced a country club atmosphere due to the lineup being trotted out. For years, Glenn has went public on his desire to one day compete in a Brier with son Scott, well after inserting Scott in as the team lead, he can now check it off his bucket list. Long time friend and teammate of Glenn, the great Wayne Middaugh was slotted to play third until he suffered a gruesome injury while enmbarking on an alternate winter sport activity. Richard Hart and Glenn have been teammates for nearly thirteen years, so you just knew when Richard picked up the broom again after a brief "retirement" that he and the younger Howard would once again join forces. If my point wasn't already strong enough  that this rink cares more about relationship sustainability then results out on the ice, they bring in Richard's son Joey on as the alternate. It doesn't feel right supplanting Glenn Howard this low in the seeding but sometimes the dream of getting to the promised land outweighs the anticipation of what you can do once you get there, and this has never been more applicable when delving into Team Howard's chances. 5-6 record tops.

Skip:Glenn Howard
Third:Richard Hart
Second:Adam Spencer
Lead:Scott Howard

8.Team British Columbia(Jim Cotter) The British Columbia men's curling provincials and the name Jim Cotter are becoming synonymous with one another. Six Brier appearances in the last eight seasons has Jim desperate for that sought after breakthrough in Ottawa. When analyzing the rink Cotter has assembled, the common denominator although extremely skilled is that they tend to cave in under pressure. The appointment of John Morris skipping heading into to the 2013/2014 campaign enabled a newfound strategy for Jim who prior to teaming up with John, had the river boat gambler image, taking unnecessary chances when the game didn't call for it. After John left after a one year tenure which nearly saw the four who curl out of the Kelowna/Vernon clubs reach the 2014 Olympics, I've noticed a more mature strategy which has caused fits for fellow opposition.  His backdrop consisting off Rick Sawatzky, Ty Griffith, and Ryan Kuhn are being put into more identifiable roles and this is in lieu of Cotter presenting himself as a more authoritative figure. Tyrel's strength, and stats will back this up is his upweight while Ryan's calling is more with the softer, feel thoughts. Because there a plethora of herculean teams infront of them, I was hesitant to rank them any higher but it would not surprise me in the least if by the end of the week they were playing meaningful games by the weekend.

Skip:Jim Cotter
Third:Ryan Kuhn
Second:Tyrel Griffith
Lead:Rick Sawatzky

7.Team Canada(Pat Simmons) The 2015 Brier final featuring the rinks of Northern Ontario's Brad Jacobs and Canada's Pat Simmons rink who when the week began was headlined by John Morris was quite possibly one of the more captivating sporting matches I've been privy to in some time. The made for the subplots that were Team Canada a year was riveting drama with John Morris voluntarily(reportedly) stepping down to third while promoting Saskatchewan born Pat Simmons into the skip position. I for one have a hard time believing that the front end of Thiessen and Rycroft didn't pull a few nudges Morris' way in favour of the change, but that is neither here nor there. The inclusion of Carter Rycroft is a fascinating development as two years ago as a member of the Kevin Koe rink he had  plans to step back from the game completely, well two Brier wins later he is still kicking around and when quantifying the leadership abilities he brings to the table, the Canadian entry is better served for it. Not to make this out  to be a glorified Carter Rycroft appreciation thread, but I truly feel his accomplishments in the game of curling are criminally overlooked. A three time Brier winner, a 2002 Olympic silver medallist, 1998 Canadian Junior finalist and what most people fail to remember is it was he who was the original lead in what became the legendary"Ferbey four" Recollections aside, what will plague Team Canada's chances is a lack of repetition. They purposefully, probably in large part accommodating Rycroft's wishes cut back their competitive schedule. In any sport, less practice results to a decrease in performance. Can they pull a rabbit out of a hat once again in 2016? This blogger says no but I would've said no last year as well.

Skip:Pat Simmons
Third:John Morris
Second:Carter Rycroft
Lead:Nolan Thiessen

6.Team Prince Edward Island(Adam Casey) Adam Casey, a remnant of the former Brett Gallant island junior squad that captured a Canadian junior title back in 2009. Why is this important you ask? Well for starters I don't care who you are but if you can jettison yourself to a Canadian title at any level you belong at this level. Casey for being twenty six has a myriad of experience, not only with the previously mentioned Canadian Junior title, but also when accounting for his time with Brad Gushue. Gushue eventually dumped Casey once Bam-Bam himself, Mark Nichols made his way back to the rock so that left Casey to move back to the Island and form his own team, and he certainly did a commendable job organizing this unit together. David Mathers, fresh off a 2015 Brier appearance representing Team Ontario alongside Mark Kean is Casey's new third after upgrading over Josh Barry. At second we have Anson Carmody who along with Casey celebrated that very same Canadian junior title. Before I introduce the lead for the Islanders, I'd like to go on a tangent focusing in on the importance of team morale. What does team morale mean for me, well it means someone who can brush aside the unfortunate bad breaks, crack a joke during the more tenser times, and maybe I'm waaay off base(I'm not) by saying that team lead Robbie Doherty fulfills all those descriptors to a t. Doherty, better known as the great Thomas Arbucke is undeniably the funniest man in curling with apologies going out to John Cullen. We need more Robbie Doherty's for this great sport to grow. Sport at the end of the day is an entertainment business and win or lose we have to keep the fans engaged. As Arbuckle's famous saying goes, "when in doubt, blame the skip". If I've prognosticated this field correctly, I'm not sure how many times Casey will need to be blamed. Darkhorse playoff entry.

Skip:Adam Casey
Third:David Mathers
Second:Anson Carmody
Lead:Robbie Doherty

5.Team Saskatchewan(Steve Laycock). In my Scotties preview, when previewing the Krista McCarville foursome I eluded to the fact that this was going to be a difficult team to opine about. Well similarly to Krista, I share these exact statements for Steve and his Saskatoon crew.  When I completed my highly acclaimed Saskatchewan Tankard preview, I made it well known that Steve was a shoe-in, I even went as far to say that he might as well have booked his flights before the Tankard commenced. The essence of what was behind me saying that wasn't necessarily an overwhelming endorsement pertaining to Laycock as it was a scathing retort towards the lack of quality for the rest of the Saskatchewan's men curling scene. Let's not call a spade a spade, I think highly of the Laycock rink as a whole but strongly maintain they're positioned incorrectly. Kirk Muyres is the best curler on this team and should be skipping. It pains me to say this as I am a Saskatchewan native myself but I believe Steve on a personal basis is unquestionably one of the more overrated curlers in this country. He's been graced with great lineups but has failed to deliver time and time again. He'll always favour the draw over the hit which is okay but it's one thing to favor a selection, it's another to not have that ability in your repertoire all together.  The playbook on how to beat Steve has never been a secret and in order for Saskatchewan to try and end this thirty six year Brier curse, that aforementioned penchant to always rely on the draw will HAVE to change.

Skip:Steve Laycock
Third:Kirk Muyres
Second:Colton Flasch
Lead:Dallan Muyres


4.Team Newfoundland and Labrador(Brad Gushue) The game of curling is currently enthralled in an evolutionary state, a thought shared by many in the community and it can thanked in large part, or frowned upon, whether you're a glass half full or half empty type of individual to Brad Gushue. These controversial brushing techniques were brought to the forefront by Brad and in wake of these discoveries, broom manufacturers have been at odds with the National curling bodies. In fact, in lieu of a video that the Gushue rink posted via Youtube, Curling Canada elected that for the Scotties and Brier to ban hair brooms because of how, with particular techniques can greatly manipulate a stone. Many have been aptly quoted by saying that with such sweeping heads, it's become more of a sweeper's game then a throwers game which is a terrible direction for the sport. To get this back pertaining to the chances of Gushue because I already approximately about a month ago eloquently pieced my thoughts with the health and longevity of this game. Brad Gushue got off to a blazing start on the Grand Slam schedule, and yes feel free to correlate the brushing advantages they may have had earlier on in the season while others tried to catch up. The season has since cooled down considerably but that's not to say Brad doesn't have envisions in bringing back Brier Gold and this becoming Team Canada for the 2017 Brier being hosted by, ironically enough.....St.John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The other team who enters playdowns in these parts(ok, that may have been a uncalled for exaggeration) is certainly pulling for a Gushue 2016 win.  The x factor is this, can Bretts  Gallant, who in Junior gravitated towards the clutch penchant step up his game and be an asset because in recent Brier championships, the subpar performances are becoming a norm, as if it to label him a liability which is shocking because in lesser events, I've seen games where he's singlehandedly carried the Gushue four to victory.

Skip:Brad Gushue
Third:Mark NIchols
Second:Brett Gallant
Lead:Geoff Walker

3.Team Alberta(Kevin Koe)  This quiet, unassuming skip doesn't give off a fiery competitior vibe, but if you solely judge his demeanor on the ice, you'll quickly ascertain that this is someone that is ultra competitive and will do anything to conquer the opponent. Kevin Koe left his Brier winning team after the 2013-2014 season and joined forces with 2010 Olympic Gold Medallists Ben Hebert and Marc Kennedy while prodding Brent Laing away from Glenn Howard. After self admitted struggles in 2014/12015 which I consider hilarious because this team did after all win their province and reach the hometown Brier, subtle changes were made headed into this season. Last year, Koe instilled Brent Laing to hold the broom for him while Marc Kennedy threw third, and for whatever reason the dynamic just didn't mesh, so the decision was made for Kennedy to hold the broom. For what it's worth I have an opinion on this, and I'd hope you care being as how you're choosing to read this and that's I feel if someone is going to effectively thrive in the third position, he or she must embark on the responsibility of calling angles in the house. There are very few teams who have compiled championships when the third is not in the house calling line for the skip and the reason for this  is by preventing this combination, the third in question loses egagement in the game. Once again, just a personal observation. Experience up their ying-yang, no reason after what has thusfar been an incredible season this team won't be around to participate in Semi-final Saturday.

Skip:Kevin Koe
Third:Marc Kennedy
Second:Brent Laing
Lead:Ben Hebert


2.Team Northern Ontario(Brad Jacobs) When I view Team Jacobs on television, at times I forget if I'm watching curling or a body building competition. Tongue in cheek comment of course(or was it) as there skills on the ice continue to substantiate year after year. Ryan Fry, third for this unit before finding a quasi permanent home with Brad, had been around the block spending significant time with Brad Gushue and before that Jeff Stoughton. Essentially, a who's who of curling. The knock on  Fry has always been can he fit in from a team chemistry perspective. A little older then the rest of the team, the preceding overbearing reputation that he once had has been replaced by a calming influence for three others who are related by blood. Being the non relative on a team full of family would be a difficult scenario to walk into in any sport, but I give Fry major props for understanding his role and focusing on just making shots, in which he's made several over the last two to three years. An Olympic hangover is a real thing, and we may have seen drops of that last season, but hangovers shouldn't last more then a year, well actually they shouldn't last more then a day but you catch my drift. I spoke to how I felt Jim Cotter has became more authorative in recent years, and the same observation is applicable when describing Jacobs. This doesn't lack confidence, I'd be shredded to pieces if I suggested they did but the big difference between the 2014/2015 Brad and the 2015/2016 Brad is he has that will to win back. I was flopping back and forth to who I thought would reign victorious, so we'll see if Jacobs follows fellow Northern Ontario rep McCarville's footsteps by being the finalist or whether he'll replicate what he blazed through in 2013, a Brier Championship.


Skip:Brad Jacobs
Third:Ryan Fry
Second:E.J Harnden
Lead:Ryan Harnden

1.Team Manitoba(Mike McEwen) The best comparable when describing the trail that has finally led Mike McEwen to this Ottawa Brier could be when assessing the plight of Phil Mickelson. For years, Mickelson was coined as the greatest player to never win a major in golf but finally broke through at the 2004 Masters. McEwen on the other hand always drew the short straw, first it was not being able to squeeze by Jeff Stoughton, then it was the Cinderella provincial run of Rob Fowler only to lose a heartbreaker to Reid Carruthers in 2015. The prevailing thought was would McEwen ever find a way to secure a provincial title? A quirk in this year's provincial saw him lock up a berth before the final was ever played. Super junior Matt Dunstone, our 2016 Canadian Junior champion had already committed to the World Juniors in Copenhagen which rendered him ineligible to compete in the Brier. Let me just say, and I'm aware this does nothing when analyzing the chances of McEwen, in all reality a useless thought and that's that Matt Dunstone is the best individual thrower in the world today, and I don't even view this as a bold assertion. Playing Dunstone in the final, a game in which he won, got his flight booked to the Nation's capital but how else did they do it? First they made the perplexing decision heading into the season to name long time rival Jon Mead as fifth player/coach. Was Mead the missing link, perhaps as this Winnipeg rink flourished immediately. A long standing great team playing in their first Brier and winning, where did I hear that before *cough Kevin Koe cough*.

Skip:Mike McEwen
Third:B.J Neufeld
Second:Matt Wozniak
Lead:Denni Neufeld


Now for the relegation thoughts, and once again following a descending order.

4.Team Nunavut(Wade Kingdon) I'd like to formally retract my previous fears I had heading into the Scotties when I opined that I worried the Nunavut ladies would get smashed in every game(literally not figuratively as I have no idea if they got smashed in the patch afterwards). They didn't, they actually won a game. I was surprised as were most curling pendants. Can the Nunavut men reciprocate this feat? I doubt it but after watching the fortunes of the ladies, I'm not ruling anything out. They first match up againt Jamie Koe of the Northwest Territories, so we should have a better measuring stick pertaining to competitveness after this first contest. I'm predicting 0-3 but I give them a slight chance at registering a 1-2 mark.

Skip:Wade Kingdon
Third:Dennis Masson
Second:Aaron Fraser
Lead:Bruce Morgan

3.Team Yukon(Bob Smallwood) Last time I conjured up a Brier preview, I joked that the first time Smallwood participated in a Brier he was known as Bob Andrews, the second time Bob Smallwood, so I wondered out loud what surname would be used in his third trip.. Surprisingly, he remains Bob Smallwood. I give these boys credit, as they toppled a "Yukon" foe that bent the residency rules by bringing in ex Newfie and Canadian Junior finalist Matt Blandford in for playdowns. Smallwood showed who was boss up north. Can he show who's boss on a National Stage. I remember watching last year's relegation final which pitted Smallwood against Casey and remember thinking that shot for shot Team Smallwood held their own, strategically was their the Islanders controlled the outcome. The proof will be in the pudding to see if they'v put in the conceptual work this off-season to have a farmer's chance this season.

Skip:Bob Smallwood
Third:Jon Solberg
Second:Clint Abel
Lead:Scott Odian

2.Team Nova Scotia(Jamie Murphy) Great hitters, extremely great hitters. Unfortunately, their touch game is about as good as John Daly is after he realizes he's missing the cut(reference via YouTube John Daly making a thirteen on a par three).If I was playing Murphy, irregardless where Murphy placed his first stone I'd be attempting freeze after freeze, come around after come around. You don't beat this team going up and down the sheet. This is a very simplistic way of looking at things but sometimes simplicisty is the best recipe for guaranteed results. They may be able to beat the likes of Kingdon and Smallwood 2-1, but unfortunately this may be a faulty approach going up against the team who I've ranked at number one.

Skip:Jamie Murphy
Third:Jordan Pinder
Second:Scott Saccary
Lead:Phil Crowell

1.Team Northwest Territories(Jamie Koe) Based on the presumption that the more Northern Koe will get through relegation, we'll be tuning in shortly to a good ol' Koe v Koe tilt. So what is a Koe v Koe tilt you ask. It's a game in which the Alberta Koe destroys Jamie on the ice whilst shaking early only for Jamie showcasing his skills destroying Kevin in the patch. In all seriousness, the acquisition of broom slammer Chris Schille makes this the team to beat in this much maligned event. The experience of Koe and Schille will prove to be too much and in the main field, feel free to place your bets that Koe will finish eleventh just ahead of Mike Kennedy.


Skip:Jamie Koe
Third:Chris Schille
Second:Brad Chorostowski
Lead:Robert Borden

Flint Firestorm

Discussing hot button issues is not the path that I generally choose to follow largely because these topics are debated at nauseum with a million different opinions streaming across the World Wide Web. I try to differentiate myself whilst examining stories and thoughts that don't get the required attention needed, ie my thoughts towards why Yovani Gallardo's off-season value is being overlooked etc etc. This Ontario Hockey League fiasco involving the Flint Firebirds, while already having been picked up by national media outlets is fascinating enough that  I will attempt to eloquently maneuver through the evolution of events from the beginning of this whirlwind on November 8th,2015 to the present where the Firebirds have recently resurfaced.

To follow a sequential chain of events, before the aforementioned,  for the lack of a better word we'll consider a gongshow that transpired on the eighth of November when the relocated Firebirds, previously residing in Plymouth were pitted against the defending Memorial Cup Champions Oshawa Generals. Flint going into the season was projected as a fringe playoff team at best, a likely non playoff entity as what usually happens when assessing a re-located team is they favour a reboot, aim to get younger to allow not only the young nucleus to grow and bond together but to allow the fresh, unopinionated fan base to grow the with the team as well and ideally watch them transition into a contender. The tampered expectations for this Firebird squad came to fruition as a slow start marred the opening 1/4 of the season so as you can surmise, heading into this game against Oshawa, a team mind you that was converting their own version of a rebuild after a glorious 2014/2015 campaign which saw them reach the pinnacle was still the overwhelming favourite in the game. A slow start hampered the Firebirds finding themselves sulking through a 3-1 detriment, but the upmost resilience was shown and perseverance found, they tied the game and what has become crap shoot, pond hockey three on three overtime across all leagues, the Firebirds sealed the deal  scoring the overtime winner. Without recollecting any fond memories of the highlights, the fact is that the result is a very inconsequential side bar to more developing events that in retrospect would shake the climate of junior hockey.

In hockey, in sport, winning is usually followed by jubilation and celebration, positive vibes all around. Owner Rolf Nilson had different intents that evening as simmering discontent pertaining to the relationship between himself and the coaching staff was festering with the most glaring disagreement involving the lack of ice time his son(having a son on the team is a guaranteed recipe for success, right?) Hakon was receiving. After a win amidst the celebratory attitude that surely was present in the locker room, the abrupt and controversial rash decision was formulated, Nilson fired the coaches. Head Coach John Gruden(not the Hall of Fame Football Coach) and Associate, former Anaheim Mighty Duck and Regina native Dave Karpa were immediately no longer affiliated with the organization. Jubilation quickly translated to anger and a firestorm was about to ensue in Firebird county.

It should be noted that although young, the Firebirds were privy to marquee players including Alex Nedeljkovic, who was the starting goaltender for the American entry at this past winter's World Junior Hockey Championship and Josh Wesley,a Carolina Hurricanes prospect more notably known for being Hurricane great defenceman Glen's son are fully fledged National Hockey League prospects and those two, reportedly entrenched in the Flint leadership group led an exodus in a revolt against Nilson's decision and initiated a player strike and as a team would voluntarily skip practice the following day and drop their jerseys in front of the owner's office that is a made for the movies type of event. The revolt was in order and now the ball was in the Ontario Hockey League's court on how they were going to proceed and rectify this tomfoolery that ownership had created.

The following day, or quite possibly the day after, irrelevant to the point at hand after summoning an urgent investigation, it was determined that Nilson acted hastefully and in a way to appease the players, coach Gruden and Karpa were re-instated. With the popular decision amongst the players to haul back in the coaches, and for those who aren't aware a coach like John Gruden brings with him a substantial pedigree as he's worked extensively with the U.S National Team Development program, so this wasn't any Joe Schmo off the street. I maintain, and my opinion only that the fact that Gruden is only working in Major Jnnior when taking into account his reputable resume, he's selling himself short by not coaching professionally somewhere, the players agreed to end the very brief strike, if you even want to call it that and them along with their old coach, came back to work. As part of the findings of the investigaton, CHL commissioner David Branch reached a settlement between Gruden/Karpa and Nilson that required that the two coaches in question were rewarded with three year extensions. If you continue reading on, the contractually solidified coaches was just smoke and mirrors as we soon learn that the unpopular owner beats to his own drum.

After a couple months of inactivity, which during that time Flint was suffering, not just through the water crisis but also through a fifteen game losing streak. The on ice product was becoming historically inept, and something had to change, but after the fifteenth consecutive loss, nothing did, business as usual continued on. Now here's where this much maligned story becomes a tad murky, in sport whether we're analying professional or amateur, and to focus on amateur because that's the premise of this article, two things are paramount, winning and development. The coaches based on past circumstance always looking behind their back can't do the developmental aspect any favours as how can you teach kids when you're in constant paranoia about your own job safety. The winning wasn't happening either particularly during the already specified fifteen game skid. If Nilson would've elected to change the hockey operation staff then he would've had justifiable reasoning, reasoning that commissioner Branch wouldn't construe as sketchy behaviour because the proof was in the pudding. Fast forward to the week of February 17th, the illadvised skid a thing of distant memory, Rolf Nilsen and the Firebirds found themselves in the news again for get this, the Norwegian born owner disobeyed the previously agreed upon guidelines and fired Gruden and Karpa again! It's ironic this team plays in Flint as isn't this something the Will Ferell lead Flint Tropics(Semi-Pro analogy) would've endeavoured into? Gruden and Karpa canned again, what o what would Dave Branch do?

From here, to my best understanding are the chain of events. Gruden and Karpa gone with no chance of re-entering the fold,  and I mean can you really blame them, Nilson then names a close friend of his Sergei Khairin(probably butchered the spelling) who although did play briefly for the Winnipeg Jets has no coaching experience to the research I've done and has been a long time car salesman in the floundering Michigan economy as interim coach. In an absolutely brilliant maneuver we now have a clueless hockey mind controlling kids who parents have entrusted this organization with to oversee their development in the ever important teenage years. Khairin is now the bench boss of the Firebirds, or is he? In comes to the rescue....again...sir David Branch, a name that I'm overstating repeatedly in this article as by now he's wondering how he ever signed off on this deal handing one of his babies to the incompetent Rolf Nilson.

After the news broke again pertaining to Gruden's second firing, Branch along with other entrusted members of the Board of Governors met in Flint to urgently attempt to rectify the situation as a game was to take place against the first place Erie Otters the following day. After a brief review meeting with some of the players and others pertinent to the dealings, the punishment from Branch was quickly administered, Nilson suspended indefinitely, the car salesman Khairin relieved of his premature interim tag, and the Ontario Hockey League instituting a new hockey operations regime for the remainder of the season.

So what next, and what can be done to disallow this type of comedy from happening again? I have a few suggestions on how to control meddling from those corruptly in power but first let's examine the direction the Firebirds could be headed.  After the 2014/2015 campaign, two franchises were in peril and relocation took place, the aforementioned Plymouth to Flint and the long serving Belleville Bulls were shipped over to Hamilton which was more surprising to me when accounting for the storied Belleville junior hockey history. From what I'm led to believe, and if I'm way off base I sincerely apologize although the longer you follow the blog, me being off base could be construed as a norm, is is that the Belleville ownership group didn't necessarily want to relocate, it was caused by infighting betweenst the city of Belleville and ownership over the need of a new arena. The city and provincial government refused to fund a new arena which was the last straw for those privy to negotiations, the home of Kent Austin they went.  Clearly Belleville wants a Ontario League franchise back, and can we for a minute celebrate how nice those Bull uniforms were, with the only great Val'dor Foreurs rivalling them in design. Can Belleville's Yardmen arena, opened in 1978 still be suitable for a Major Junior team. I don't see why not, the roof isn't leaking, the structure is still approved to host events and most importantly the fan base is a consistent bunch that would come in spades if they were once again granted a franchise. Relocating this franchise back to Belleville with no real good grasp on how such a move would geographically effect the divisional alignment is the most logical. The city has played host to some of the NHL's greats, including P.K Subban, Al "Mullet man" Iafrate,  and Marty McSorley and it's clinging to hope that this discontent in Flint are the pocket aces needed in bringing hockey back to this population of approximately 50,000. If going back to Belleville isn't something that interests the league of the city council, option number two is a troubling alternative, something that the league is sweating and that's folding the franchise. The issue at hand, and I'm sure reading this you'll ascertain asto why the OHL can't find another owner to keep the team in Flint, in a perfect world that sounds wonderful but when the current owner lays claim to also owning the hockey center in Flint, that all but cancels out this hypothetical scenario. Unless Nilson wants to save face with a franchise he's near ruined and if you're forming an opinion based off events taken place this season that seems to be out of character as respect for the league has been non-existent from his end. Folding is tough on all parties, it's a loss of jobs and in the world that we live in where finding employment is tenious at best, handing out pink slips to hard working, passionate individuals are meetings no one wants to administer. The city spent essentially all of early 2015 preparing themselves for a junior hockey franchise and all that prosperity seems to be short lived.

Mentioned at the beginning of the previous paragraph, the question I posed was if this is preventable? You better believe it is! A comment that was repeated on several facebook posts in regards to the statement issued and in perusing forms, the consensus delivered is leagues should restrict the owner and or General Manager from having family on the team to avoid nepotism. I recripocate these values as when assessing league intregity, we can't have preferential treatment creep into the locker room which exactly was the cause of this cluster to begin with. Rolf Nilson bought the team for one sole intent, not to finally fulfill a lifelong dream of owning a sports franchise but to pave a way to the Ontario Hockey League for his Junior B calibre son. Its' been reported that these issues were brought up during the interview process involving Gruden and when Branch was researching the legitimacy of the ownership bid. At the end of the day, the league has a sock on their mouth because blame Nilson all you want, it was their decision to hand them the franchise, they're the ones liable for all the transgressions committed. More complete due diligence is needed, an obvious thought but one the parties involved should've spent more time throughout the preliminary stages.

Flint Firebirds, or Flint Firestorm, either way the stay in Michigan will be cut short. Bring back the Tropics!

BM's Notoriously Unreputable Annual Major League Baseball Prognostications:2016 Edition

I consider myself quite knowledgeable when it comes to dissecting most sports, I'm well read in most areas and can usually formulate opinions that hold their own and stand behind well reasoned arguments. Predictions however are a different animal for myself. I've prognosticated some doozies throughout the years most of which come back at me and nail me in the face quicker than a boomerang tossed in Australia. In 2015, my original World Series picks were the Chicago White Sox facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The head is held high for how the Dodgers performed, wasn't a bold pick by any means but current Diamondback Zak Greinke and Clayton Kershaw solidified the dominance the Dodgers experienced but conversely, the White Sox who I THOUGHT(incorrectly of course) were a young, developmental team would be led by the nucleus of Chris Sale, who in fairness was a solid commodity for the ChiSox, Alexei Ramirez who flopped harder then Joe Blandisi did for the Devils the other night and is no longer a member of said organization because of it, and Jose Abreu who once again projects to be a building block for the 2016 season. The team under Robin Ventura never gelled but showed signs of improvement but clearly was nowhere near a post-season baseball entity. The off-season acquisitions of Brett Lawrie and 2015 All-Star Todd Frazier will help but as I've developed a clearer head, I won't be delusional enough to propel them into a playoff position this coming season again. Below will entail a quasi-comprehensive prediction list featuring division by division rankings, major award winners, miscellaneous predictions including quirky observations like the first manager to get fired. After the divisional rankings are complete, based off of how I have the standings playing out, I will complete my playoff bracket accordingly. Enjoy!




Key:


Numeric value beside team=seed in the playoffs
W=represents Wildcard


American League East:

1.Boston Red Sox(3)
2.New York Yankees
3.Baltimore Orioles
4.Toronto Blue Jays(sorry Jay fans, including myself)
5.Tampa Bay Rays


American League Central:

1.Cleveland Indians(1)
2.Kansas City Royals(W2)
3.Minnesota Twins
4.Chicago White Sox
5.Detroit Tigers


American League West:

1.Los Angeles of Anaheim Angels(2)
2.Seattle Mariners(W1)
3.Houston Astros
4.Texas Rangers
5.Oakland Athletics




National League East:

1.Washington Nationals(3)
2.New York Mets(W1)
3.Miami Marlins
4.Atlanta Braves
5.Philadelphia Phillies


National League Central:

1.St.Louis Cardinals(1)
2.Chicago Cubs(sorry Cubs fans, you didn't prove the Back to the Future prophecy)
3.Pittsburgh Pirates
4.Milwaukee Brewers
5.Cincinatti Reds


National League West:

1.Los Angeles Dodgers(2)
2.Arizona Diamondbacks(W2)
3.San Diego Padres
4.San Francisco Giants
5.Colorado Rockies(No Rock-tober this go around)


Playoffs:

Wildcard Matchups


Kansas City over Seattle
Arizona over New York Mets


Divisional Series

Kansas City over Cleveland=five games
Boston over L.A Angels=four games


St.Louis over Arizona=five games
L.A Dodgers over Washington=five games


Championship Series:

Boston over Kansas City=six games


St.Louis over L.A Dodgers=seven games




World Series:

Boston over St.Louis=six games.




It's official, the Boston Red Sox will win( or apparently won't judging from my discredited track record) the 2016 World Series.



Individual and Miscellaneous

AL MVP:Robinson Cano(second baseman property of the Seattle Mariners)
NL MVP:Bryce Harper(outfielder property of the Washington Nationals)


AL Cy Young:Danny Salazar(Cleveland Indians)
NL Cy Young:Jacob DeGrom(New York Mets)


AL Rookie of the Year:Aaron Judge(New York Yankees)
NL Rookie of the Year:Corey Seager(Los Angeles Dodgers)


AL Manager of the Year:Terry Francona(Cleveland Indians)
NL Manager of the Year:Mike Matheny(St.Louis Cardinals)

First Manager Fired:John Gibbons(Toronto)

Home run title, combining both American and National League:Bryce Harper(Washington Nationals)

Gallardo we trust

Spring Training for America's pastime is right around the corner, in fact some Pitchers and Catchers have already begun to report to their organizational facility. The arrival of Spring Training usually coincides with the completion of the "Free Agency Frenzy", but one name particularly remains unsigned, and that is pitcher formerly property of the Texas Rangers, Yovani Gallardo. With my luck, and I'm led to believe that he and the Baltimore Orioles are well immersed deep into negotiations so after I spend a hearty amount of time sputtering my thoughts he'll probably have already signed with the O's but that's okay because theirs a bigger injustice at hand here, and that is what on earth has Gallardo done to be considered a "secondary"piece? I classify him as a secondary piece only because players who remain unsigned into February aren't usually, and I stress the word usually as there are sometimes exceptions labelled as top tier commodities Is Gallardo the exception to this rule, or is he a victim of respective Major League Baseball General Managers overlooking his true worth and forgetting what he truly is, and that's a certifiable ace on most Major League teams.  If you don't cosign the fact that Gallardo has this kind of potential then I'm forced to seriously question your baseball expertise but would appreciate if you took the time to  follow my reasoning and maybe, just maybe can change your opinion on this Fort Worth native who will instantly transition the Orioles to a contender.


I don't know about you, but my first experience viewing Yovani Gallardo was a positive one. He came onto the scene with the lowly Milwaukee Brewers in 2007 and for that reason I can sympathize with those who don't or can't differentiate the success of the pitcher weighed against the dysfunction of the team that he plays on which aside from a C.C Sabathia second half splurge, have been heaped in dysfunction the last decade and a half. Once known as a strike-out machine, having reached over two hundred K's in four consecutive seasons, he's now developed the repertoire of pitching to contact, excelling at maximizing comfortable ground ball outs. After construing what I just wrote, you may be surmising that I'm contradicting my plead for more respect but au contraire as to me what this signals is a sign of maturity and knowing his body. Sure, strike outs are down evidenced by only tallying one hundred and twenty one in 2015 while suiting up for the Texas Rangers but adaptability in professional sports is paramount and because he's turned the big 3 0 earlier this winter he and the potential suitors know that he'll become more and more of a finesse pitcher and live on location. Like in real estate, pitching is all about location, location, location. General Managers should look no further than the 2015 post-season where we bore witness to Kansas City Royals starter Edison Volquez have a tremendous October and how you ask? He hit his spots, the Edison Volquez of 2009 and 2015 manufactured wins in two completely different ways but at the end of the day it doesn't matter how it gets done, if the pitcher has that intestinal fortitude and can win in a business where only winning matters, you stick with him. I maintain Gallardo and Volquez will enter 2016 with similar projections, so if Dayton Moore(Royals General Manager) constructed a world champion with pitchers like Edison on staff, it's perplexing why more general managers weren't lining up to secure the services of Yovani.


In society, we're all guilty of mimicking the feats of yesteryear, and the Yovani Gallardo of 2015, particularly late in 2015 onwards to the playoffs was virtually unhittable. I know this first hand as living in Canada we're flooded with Blue Jay baseball and were enthralled in their magical playoff run which paved way for the infamous bat flip seventh inning moment in game five of the ALDS against Gallardo's Rangers. Jays fans have Rangers manager Brian Bannister to thank for  the ALCS advancement as he made the foolish decision, and I could've dedicated the entire entry to this, of starting lefty Cole Hamels in the fifth and deciding game.  The fact that he's a lefty should've stapled Hamels to the bench due to the Jays lineup raking on southpaws and secondarily to that in game one of the series Gallardo stymied the Jays home run heavy order. For myself personally, that whole lead-up to the fifth game I was certain it was setting up for a Gallardo-Stroman duel but Bannister left me for a fool in his, to reference the always popular hindsight, incorrect decision. Channeling this back to Gallardo's current free agency status I'm left to wonder whether that season defining snub ruined any further relationship with the Rangers. He's from Texas, as his native Fort Worth situates right outside Dallas so conveniently re-upping in Arlington could've appeased family stability. Facts are facts though, multiple insiders who I trust and are privy to the negotiations have narrowed this down to a one horse race as because of this, I'm going to analyze the impact Gallardo will have on the Orioles.


The Baltimore Orioles relied heavily on their offensive escapades a year ago, enlisting in a game plan that conjured up a similar recipe to how my beloved Blue Jays cooked up their own storm, but lacked one key ingredient:pitching. Chris Tillman and Ubaldo Jimenez took unforeseen steps back. For Tillman, 13-6 and a 3.34 ERA in 2014 but complimented that successful campaign with a disastrous 11-11 mark, and trust me if it wasn't for the likes of Manny Machado and Chris Davis, we may start to drawing comparisons to the happy go lucky but ultimately unlucky Drew Hutchison with eleven wins being an impossibility. Much more will be needed out of Tillman especially with the off-season loss of Wei-Yen Chen who just like Lebron James has lifted his talents to South Beach. The acquisition of Gallardo provides the O's with a legitimate ace. Most pendants judging from the lack of reported love this off-season pertaining to the prospects of Yovani , will still have the pre-season polls negating the Orioles pitching prowess but I totally expect the ground ball seeking Texan to compile fifteen plus wins on what I believe will be a much improved club.


Looking for a fantasy sleeper? Looking for a Cy Young darkhorse? My support for Yovani may go overboard but trust me folks, join me in repeating "Gallardo we trust"

2016 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Preview

After getting some decent feedback pertaining to my 2016 Saskatchewan Tankard preview, I've decided to endeavour into creating a preview for the upcoming Canadian women's Championship being hosted in Grande Prairie,Alberta.  I will follow similar guidelines by ranking teams from one through eleven and then creating a separate ranking featuring teams who have the unfortunate task of navigating through the relegation tournament. I hope you thoroughly enjoy and feedback is encouraged. Due to the tradition of ranking the curlers in descending order, I'll continue down this path.








11.Team Newfoundland and Labrador(Stacie Curtis) Stacie Curtis, formerly Devereaux, is known for having much success in  the junior ranks, having triumphed to a Canadian Junior title in 2007 has struggled to get her feet planted in the women's game. In a province that has been primarily dominated by Heather Strong, the loss of her sister Laura out west opened the door, perhaps permanently for Stacie to reign supreme and become the consistent representative of this dwindling curling province. I look at the roster that Stacie has compiled for this year's event and this particular thought has come to mind. In years past, Curtis had brought forth cagey veterans, some will surmise over the hill cagey veterans such as Heather Martin which take a toll on the sweeping limitations the team then has. Martin may of been a fantastic shooter back in 1991, but as a reminder we now live in 2016 and I give her kudos for organizing a foursome that won't lack in the sweeping department. They live on the rock which will naturally restricts her bonspiel possibilities and for that reason alone as sad as reality dictates, her winning one game will be viewed as an achievement.



Skip:Stacie Curtis
Third:Erin Porter
Second:Julie Devereaux
Lead:Carrie Vautour


10.Team New Brunswick(Sylvie Robichaud) One of my favourite game shows as a child was "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" and the citizens who reside in New Brunswick are asking themselves, "Where in the World is Andrea Crawford?" After a very brief stint that saw Andrea Crawford move to Alberta to play alongside Val Sweeting, Andrea for all purposes disappeared from the curling community leaving her third Rebecca Atkinson forced to fill the vacancy with former rival Sylvie Robichaud. It's been a successful partnership as this foursome has now won the last two New Brunswick championships. Normally, you wouldn't consider a 4-7 record as a commendable showing but the mark they set last year in Moose Jaw may be difficult to replicate. One game stands out and that was their draw sixteen upset over then Team Canada, 2014 Champion Rachel Homan. The way in which New Brunswick defeated Team Canada validates my belief that replicating that 4-7 record of a year ago may prove to be herculean. It wasn't so much a match where New Brunswick won, it was moreso an outing where our defending champs beat themselves, Jenn Hanna knows the feeling! I firmly believe this group has the talent to avoid relegation but anything more substantial would render this blogger speechless.



Skip:Sylvie Robichaud
Third:Rebecca Atkinson
Second:Marie Richard
Lead:Jane Boyle


9.Team Ontario(Jenn Hanna) As a general statement, a ninth place finish from an Ontario representative in any National Championship would be construed as extremely disappointing but this could very well be Jenn's ceiling in this event.  I watched both the semi-final where they edged Jacqueline Harrison and in the final where they pulled off the improbable upset over Rachel Homan at the Ontario Provincial Championships courtesy of Sportsnet. The fact that I had a front row seat in front of the tube I was able to form some pretty strong opinions and it doesn't take a rocket scientist, or I don't believe so anyway to ascertain that by no means is Jenn a deserving representative. Some questionable strategic decisions from both the aforementioned Harrison and Homan down the stretch paved the way for her national advancement. All that aside, she's the lucky one that has received the privilege of dawning the Black and Red colors in Grande Prairie, and that deserves recognition in itself. Prior to qualifying for this years National Championship, her previous claim to fame was falling victim to the "shot", the in off double by Manitoba's Jennifer Jones that led her to the teams first Scotties title. A Jones-Hanna rematch seems very unlikely. It's somewhat fitting that the Championship is being held at Revolution place as a societal revolution may be required to propel the Hanna rink into this years playoff. To put a more positive spin on this team, as I realize I've been quite negative thusfar and I'll admit  that team third Brit O'Neill is one to watch next week. A sharp shooter and a very strong sweeper has me wondering if this will be O'Neill's coming out party?




Skip:Jenn Hanna
Third:Brit O'Neill
Second:Steph Hanna
Lead:Karen Sagle


8.Team Quebec(Marie-France Larouche) When dissecting the landscape of the Quebecois curling scene, you tend to forget the amount of success Larouche was able to forge up in the early to mid 2000's, and even before that as a very accomplished junior curler in the late nineties. We've bore witness to diminishing numbers in the Quebec womens provincials, which conceivably should've favoured Larouche's yearly chances but has succumbed to Lauren Mann in recent years. Well....Larouche is back and better then ever right???? Not so fast, as although if you qualify for a Scotties out of Quebec you deserve mad props but I just don't know how much gas is in the tank this team has. Here's my opinion on Marie-France, the modern game has passed her by. Her penchant throughout the years has been her eloquent draw and touch game and while still important with the abilities of most to drastically manipulate rocks today, if you can't throw the high hard one accurately, something that's never been part of her repertoire,you're already behind the eight ball. The other minor issue I've taken over the years with Marie-France is her "unique" at the loss of a better word, strategical concepts. I've seen her in past Scotties skip herself into big enough messes that she gives the bi-daily messes Browns (former) quarterback Johnny Manziel finds himself in a run for his money in the mess department. She's a confident skip with the mindset that given any circumstance, she can draw the can to avoid disaster. Back in 2004, in a simpler game this holds validity but my fear for her is that the game has got too complicated for her to require the end saving draw after the end saving draw. Tough sledding for Team Quebec next week.




Skip:Marie-France Larouche
Third:Brenda Nicholls
Second:Annie Lemay
Lead:Julie Rainville


7.Team Northern Ontario(Krista McCarville)  Without question, the most difficult team to prognosticate at this years Scotties. I'm honestly unsure whether I've pegged this group too high or far too low. Krista took a substantiated leave from the game as other life priorities got in the way which no one will fault but questions do arise to whether or not the nucleus she's compiled can hang with Canada's top ladies teams. The answer to that question should be yes as she valiantly knocked off heavy favourite Tracy Fleury out of Northern Ontario. I just labelled Tracy Fleury as the "heavy favourite" but I think we, myself included have to assess truly how big of an underdog McCarvillle was in this provincial championship. Granted, a four team event essentially secured her spot in the final but this is also the same McCarville who back in late 2009, albeit with a different squad came soooo, sooo close to becoming our countries Olympic Representative. Cheryl Bernard gets all the accolades for her steady play that week in Edmonton leading onto Vancouver, but the script for which I'm following now could be totally different. What if she was the victor? Does she escape Annette Norberg and win Gold? Is the leave of absence kiboshed? Is she viewed as one of our countries better teams in 2016? All intriguing questions to be sure, and one's that will forever be pondered but as we live in the present, can McCarville regain the previous almost golden form and play the role of spoiler or maybe even Cinderella next week. Her competitors will quickly explain to me if the glass slipper fits.




Skip:Krista McCarville
Third:Kendra Lilly
Second:Ashley Sippala
Lead:Sarah Potts


6.Team Prince Edward Island(Suzanne Birt) Fact: Please forgive me for a Western Bias here, but if Suzanne Birt(formerly Gaudet) lived in Western Canada she'd be widely considered the best individual thrower in today's game. No one has ever questioned Suzanne's individual skills, well some may not feel as strongly as I do, but the team in front of her has always left more to be desired. Is it my own clouded perception or does it seem like a McPhee is on her team, leaves her team, is on, leaves, so on and so forth? Robyn Green is back alongside Suzanne which is partly why I've chosen to rank their chances higher than most.  Green is an excellent hitter, a trait that is representative of the entire Island foursome.  By now, opposition is aware the way you beat Suzanne is by engaging in a feel game as she has no qualms firing a rocket down the ice and letting the angles do the talking. Birt would comfortably play every game to a 2-1,3-2 score and probably be in the playoffs because of it . As evidenced by the #6 ranking, the expectation is that the Islanders will fall just short of the playoffs but them making a playoff appearance wouldn't surprise me. Suzanne once won a Lotto Atlantic windfall(forgive me if I'm butchering the lottery corporation organization's title) and as someone who is no stranger to winning the random lottery here and there, the odds may not be in the favour of Suzanne this time around.




Skip:Suzanne Birt
Third:Robyn Green
Second:Meaghan Hughes
Lead:Marie Christianson




5.Team Saskatchewan(Jolene Campbell)  The game of curling needs fresh blood. Watching the provincial final that pitted Campbell against Stefanie Lawton, my pre-game thoughts were, "Here we go again", as if to concede that a Lawton win was an inevitability. I'll be honest as much as I give credit to Jolene for the provincial title, very much like Ontario I can't help but feel that the sluggish play of Lawton contributed to the result. The host network TSN will be all over this team as Russ' daughter Ashley plays third and in all actuality they'll receive more attention then they deserve but don't take that as a slight as for me, and quite possibly I'm homering my home province but playoffs are completely realistic. If they don't get intimidated by the moment, they'll sooth by the naysayers, but channeling back to my original premise, will the inclusion of a Howard on the team lead to heightened attention, the kind that conceivably could effect on-ice performance? We shall see.




Skip:Jolene Campbell
Third:Ashley Howard
Second:Callan Hamon
Lead:Ashley Williamson






4.Team Nova Scotia(Jill Brothers) I'm a self admitted bit of a reality T.V junkie, so just imagine my fandom when back in 2009, the now extinct Score Television Network produced a sports reality show, in search of Canada's next sportscaster. Two of my extreme passions sandwiched into one, it instantaneously became my favourite show, my go to if you will. It was that show that the surname of Brothers rings hollow for myself. Paul Brothers, husband of Jillian was declared winner that very first season and I suppose it provided a level of inspiration to venture into sports a little more extensively and maybe one day be full fledged into the Sport Journalism industry. Useless factoids aside, Jill Brothers is a name that I can guarantee nobody else views as a playoff contender which surprises me because after all she is now the general of the former Heather Smith-Dacey rink,  a team that was a thorn on the side for all competitors in a couple Scotties Tournament of Hearts. I'll take this time as well to pat myself on the back as most in the curling community had pencilled in Mary-Anne Arsenault to be the bluenoser entry, but my gut said Brothers would surprise and I expect pleasantly stellar results for Jill and the ladies heading into the event.




Skip:Jill Brothers
Third:Sarah Murphy
Second:Blisse Joyce
Lead:Teri Udle






3.Team Manitoba(Kerri Einarson) A Jennifer Jones-less field aided their chances this playdown season and they certainly capitalized on a weaker Manitoba provincial. These four had a remarkable beginning to their curling season as they reigned victorious in the first ever Grand Slam tier two event taken place in Truro,Nova Scotia. As a side note, I'm puzzled why all Grand Slams don't have a tier two event but that's a discussion for another day. What impresses me most about Kerri is her stoic demeanor under intense pressure. Judging off of facial reactions, you'd have no idea if she was playing a provincial final or a run of the mill Wednesday Open league game which is a good tell tale sign for a skipper. Kevin Koe won in first trip to the Brier, no reason why Einarson can't accomplish the same feat in Grande Prairie.




Skip:Kerri Einarson
Third:Selena Kaatz
Second:Liz Fyfe
Lead:Kristin MacCuish




2.Team Alberta(Chelsea Carey) Three Manitoba teams in the Scotties? Just kidding as I'm not naïve enough to not understand that relocation in our sport is just the nature of the beast. They knocked off the all mighty Val Sweeting in the final so that in large part gives them all the ammunition to go out and win the title. This entire team sans team second Jocelyn Peterman has been to the dance before, Carey a bronze medallist in 2014, Amy Nixon has been to the "show" three times but is better known for her 2006 Olympic escapades, while lead Laine Peters won the 2012 Scotties title playing lead for the rumbustious Heather Nedohin. The second, although lacking experience in the women's game, skipped Alberta to the 2012 Canadian Junior title,  so she's got game.Peterman particularly, and I know I've already sung high praises for Ontario third Brit O'Neill earlier, in my books is trending to be the break-out star of this championship. Her successes as a skip don't go unnoticed and the wealth of youthful exuberance will be an overwhelming asset for the veteran Carey rink. Can they get past the legend Jennifer Jones? Would make for a compelling final.






Skip:Chelsea Carey
Third:Amy Nixon
Second:Jocelyn Peterman
Lead:Laine Peters




1.Team Canada(Jennifer Jones) This well oiled machine is revved up and ready to put a licking on the rest of the competition. The late iconic Sandra Schmirler in an interview given in between her 1998 Olympic Gold medal in Nagano and her tragic 2000 passing stated that after her Olympic heroics, her and the rest of her team got burned out and lost the drive to compete. This interview stood out for me, not only because what was said but who said it and the power of the words Sandra delivered. I've always wondered if a rink like Jones will get burned out and lose that drive because let's face it, they've reached and conquered the pinnacle of this great sport, what's left to give? I suffice to say that the Rachel Homan team is the most talented in our country but no one will ever question the fact that Jones is the most determined. The ferocious mentality she takes out with her onto the ice is unprecedented and is intimidating for fellow opposition. You could make the argument that this type of mental edge is good for at least a point per game. Some have implied this as an overall summarization  is a weaker field and while it could be better, Jones isn't guaranteed the title but if played well anything short of a final appearance will be an egregious disappointment,






Skip:Jennifer Jones
Third:Kaitlyn Lawes
Second:Jill Officer
Lead:Dawn Askin






Relegation Field(descending order)




 
4.Team Nunavut(Geneva Chislett) Without having any knowledge pertaining to the Chislett rink, I will direct my thoughts to the gratitude that for the first time we will be sending a Nunavut representative to both the Men's and Women's championship. They will play their three relegation games, all three of which will end in gruesomely embarrassing losses, but we can't diagnose the impact of having a Nunavut rink solely on wins and losses. Our sport desperately needs growth, something I've touched on a few times and one of the only ways to grow is increased participation. Look at the Toronto  Varsity Blues Canadian interuniversity men's football program. From 2003 through early 2008 the program suffered through forty nine consecutive losses. Did the team just quit and sulk? No, the program kept working and developing and finally brokethrough against the University of Waterloo. I thoroughly hope that the coaches and support system of the Nunavut rink has prepared them for the inevitable. The more games you get in, the more apt you'll become and just like in this year's past Canadian juniors where both genders representing Nunavut won a game for the first time, and that time, not sure when will come if the curlers dedicate themselves to the sport and put in the necessary practice.






Skip:Geneva Chislett
Third:Denise Hutchings
Second:Robyn Mackey
Lead:Jenine Bodner




3.Team Yukon(Nicole Baldwin) The only team in the field to my knowledge that's utilized the residency snafu which allows one import who doesn't otherwise live in your province/territory to play for your squad. That import happens to be Steph Jackson-Baier who hails from British Columbia. The surprise heading into the year was that the young and up and coming Sarah Koltun rink were taking a hiatus this season to focus on education. Nobody can fault young individuals such as the entire Koltun rink wanting to focus on school but what that did was open the door for someone like Baldwin. As obvious as it is that Nunavut will be finishing fourth in the relegation event, to me it's almost as obvious that these ladies will be finishing third. I wish them the best of luck and as only one member  from the Yukon four will grasp,1/4 of "Team Saskatchemewan"(Kelowna summer spiel reference) sends their best wishes as you endeavour on what surely will be a memorable few days in Grande Prairie.




Skip:Nicole Baldwin
Third:Steph Jackson-Baier
Second:Ladene Shaw
Lead:Rhonda Horte




2.Team Northwest Territories(Kerry Galusha) I was torn between who I should reward the number one seed in the relegation event, and by process of elimination you can figure who that was honour was given to*cough, B.C, cough*. Now I let the cat out of the bag that I have the Northwest Territories losing to the British Columbians  in the relegation final, let me explain why. When I assess the plight of the Galusha rink, I worry that the haunting memories of losing last year's relegation event may be too steep to overcome. The difference this year is they have  a fighting chance as the only reason Tracy Fleury and her Northern Ontario were there last year was due to a ridiculous technicality. Not to sound like a Debbie downer, but there selection of the coach is perplexing to me. It's clear that they didn't watch the Ontario provincial semi-final as if you read my Ontario thoughts earlier in this entry I spoke strongly that Jacqueline Harrison lost the semi-final more than Hanna won, well part of that was due to poor advice from "coach" John Epping. I respect the year John Epping is having on the Grand Slam circuit as his results can be deemed admirable but in his brief coaching history, at least from what I've witnessed has been suspect at best.




Skip:Kerry Galusha
Third:Megan Cormier
Second:Danielle Derry
Lead:Shona Barbour




1.Team British Columbia(Karla Thompson) I recall watching last year's provincials on Sportsnet and leaving petrified with the level of play I was witnessing. That final between Sarah Wark and Patti Knezevic was mind numbing, featuring missed shot after missed shot. It was of no surprise that Knezevic got her province relegated which right here and then is what makes the relegation system flawed, why should a team like Karla Thompson  be penalized due to Knezevic's shortcomings from 2015? The quick answer is they shouldn't and thank goodness relegation is going away in a couple years. As much as I was left with my jaw dropped, and not just dropped, I mean dropped needing some kind of medical procedure to correct the issue, conversely I was impressed with what I saw out of Karla and company. I know their was a lot of chatter on how they managed to overcome a seven point deficit in the 1 v 2 against Kelly Scott but to me that screams resiliency.  What I also took away from the final where they again faced off against Scott is they're all excellent hitters. Once a lead was built, it was abundantly clear a trip to Grande Prairie was in the rearview mirror. As a clarification, I expect this team to win the relegation and after further thought will slide them between the rankings of Robichaud and Hanna.


Skip:Karla Thompson
Third:Kristen Reckseidler
Second:Tracey Lavery
Lead:Trysta Vandale


Well, there it is folks. I hope you enjoyed reading this opinion piece and like mentioned in the top, feedback is encouraged.

A Canadian Celebration

There are very few celebrations in Canadian sport that in 2016 remain uniquely and unequivocally  Canadian. The Grey Cup is the event that stand outs for most Canadians as the Canadian Football League, league in which awards the Grey Cup, has had a prestigious history, you grow up in Canada and surely you have some affiliation or story pertaining to the yearly event. After watching bits and pieces from the National Basketball Association which claiming that I watched a semblance of a game I generally consider unbearable is a remarkable feat, but back to my tangent, from watching the game tonight I took issue with the entertainment in the lead up to the game and further yet the anthems. Now you're asking yourself, what's the tie in to the Grey Cup? The tie in, and the reason I brought the Grey Cup into the equation is because their's a bigger cultural and societal faux pas that us  Canadians seem to wrongfully accept and that is not celebrating sustainable, billboard material talent in our home grown sporting events.

The 2016 NBA All-star game is being hosted in Toronto, Ontario. The principle of an all-star event such as this is to market and celebrate the& great basketball players of this era, which the Association did and have always done a masterful job of doing. The heroes in the basketball community, such as Lebron James, Klay Thompson and fellow splash brother Steph Curry who has some ties to the greater Toronto area got out in the community, connected with the local media and embraced the event for what it is, a showcase to the wonderful fans. The basketball players undoubtedly fulfilled their end of the bargain but the question in peril is did the organizing committee fulfill theirs?

I'm going to construct an argument that goes for all Canadian sporting showcases, such as the aforementioned Grey Cup but will use specific examples from this weekend's All-star game to make my case, and that is why do we restrict ourselves primarily to Canadian acts at the expense of luring in global acts that are more deserving of the moment? The  Canadian national anthem tonight sung by Nelly Furtado has got a lot of flack as I've perused through twitter, some even drawing hilarious comparisons to the infamous 'O Christmas Tree' melody based rendition in a Las Vegas CFL game back in the early nineties. The rendition although quirky isn't drawing my wrath so much as why out of all possible acts was Furtado granted with such a humbling honour? Was this the 1996 All-star game or 2016 because the height of Furtado's stardom happened then and it's been all downhill since. This game was brought to Toronto by Tim, the former President of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, a conglomerate that brings in a wealth  of finances along with the duel effort of telecommunications networks Bell and Rogers with the assumed financial assistance of the league itself, and all the league could muster up was Furtado? That's a joke and all parties should be embarrassed. Sting for the half-time show? I'm not convinced Sting in 2016 is substantial enough headline material for a local Elementary school talent showcase, let alone a professional sporting all-star extravaganza. Over exaggeration, sure but the implied point remains and that is in a sport where revenue is endless, give the fans something they enjoy.  As a disclaimer, I will admit that the timing may not have been ideal as the Grammys take place tomorrow(Monday the 15th) but nonetheless the expectation is to secure top acts with long advancement notice.

The all-star game is a yearly one-off, an event that only came to Toronto for the first time this year, so the hope is they will learn from their mistakes and up their entertainment game when the city of Toronto is fortunate enough to host this event again but I feel the need to discuss the misnomer that most Canadians have and that is just because you host an event does NOT mean you need to have a Canadian headliner. The Grey Cup is guilty ever as recent headliners have as a general rule been Canadian citizens. The necessity of this could be fiercely debated but my opinion is that you bring over the best act possible, Canadian,American, Swedish, Dutch, Chinese etc etc...bottom line is it doesn't matter. It's factual that a lot of Americans view the Canadian Football League as Pop warner, jokish football but we must examine why. Crummy football? The football admittedly isn't top calibre but the uniqueness of our game conceivably should draw fans in. I have a different thought on why Americans have the sometimes correct opinion pertaining to our league and it draws a parallel to the thesis of the article, and that's  how we brand our showcase event, the Grey Cup. When audiences tune in to the night, particularly those who won't give a flying patootie about the league from June-November and see the likes of Imagine Dragons, Carly Rae Jepsen, Justin Bieber and Hedley, what thoughts filter in their head? As the old adage goes, "just get them through the door and they will stay" aptly applies to my logic here as in television terms, attract a Bruno Mars to play your half time show and the non CFL supporter may stay tuned in and learn our Canadian game. 

The Super Bowl doesn't restrict itself to American propaganda, The World Cup of Soccer doesn't restrict it's entertainment to that of the particular hosting nationality, what did us Canadians do to have such strict ground rules when celebrating what should be a great day in Canada? The answer, nothing at all.

A National Championship of sorts

If we harken back to the 70's and 80's, which is long before my time, and watch some highlight videos of past Canadian Men and Women curling championships, the few that exist online anyway, you'll easily ascertain that the curlers during that tenure played in front of  packed, some would say rowdy venues. One video that stands out for essentially all curling enthusiasts is the 1985 Labatt Brier to where which Northern Ontario's Al Hackner made a cross ring double to defeat Alberta's Pat Ryan in the old Moncton Coliseum.  It was certainly an iconic moment, but why? The shot, like all curling fans would agree is held in great prestige due to the magnitude of the moment, but let's also as fans of sport dig a little deeper on what makes the Iceman's shot so memorable. Taking nothing away from the skill that it took to pull of the Brier clinching shot, but let's face it, in the modern day of curling we see that type of shot on a game to game basis. Is it possible, eluding back to my original hypothesis, that the reason the shot holds such fan fare was how the players, and more importantly the fans embraced the moment?  In a compact facility that was the Moncton Coliseum, an eruption ensued, something that is unforeseen is National Championships today. The fans acted as if Paul McCartney of the Beatles just took the stage for the encore performance. Full credit goes out to Hackner for embracing the moment and running with, a small part why you ask most people with a remedial understanding of the sport and ask them to name a few curlers, the name Al Hackner will surely be brought to the forefront.  National Championships have become stagnant throughout the years, through no fault of the curlers though because the calibre of play has substantially improved, which pendants will argue has hurt our sport while others will say it's helped but nonetheless speaking from a purely historical perspective because as I mentioned I wasn't around to witness a live curling event in the 70's and 80's, the atmosphere has changed, you go to a curling event and I know certain groups are trying to change this, but we've slightly lost that entertainment edge How to get it back...keep reading and I've conjured up an interesting proposition that at worst will make some great food for thought.


The Scotties gets played in Montreal, albeit in a smaller center which I thought was a brilliant idea, allowing the long time fans to reminisce what it was like at Brier and Scotties back in the hay day, reverting back to my previous example of the Moncton Coliseum. The Brier is being played in Ottawa this year. Big markets=electric atmospheres? Not so fast. Montreal has the Canadiens which will always be the voice of the city, whether playing at home or the road, and Ottawa has the Senators and that will make the Brier back page paper conversation. The game of curling needs to locate newer, more passionate fans, and as unconventional as they may sound, and goes against every principle a National Championship stands for, but is it time for this to grow into a global event, and judging from what was  a massively successful, Las Vegas hosted Contenental Cup, Vegas baby? In what was meaningless curling, the crowd was engaged and I can guarantee that was incentive enough for curlers to want to play. Like any good athlete will vocalize, the more boisterous the crowd, the easier it is to get the adrenalin flowing. Is Vegas a viable option for a  National Championship, the upper hierarchy at Curling Canada will vehemently say no but let's explore and I'm sure by the end I'll have you all believing this is  a superb idea. Okay, I probably won't but I'd appreciate if you keep reading.....

The climate of Las Vegas has transitioned in recent years. A touristy destination by nature, however the reason I'm suggesting the climate has changed from an interest perspective is because  I'm under the premise that Nevadans are open to trying out new things, ie the recent continental cups compounded with their recent desperation to land a National Hockey League franchise. Ten to fifteen years ago hockey in Vegas would've been an absurd, laughed at idea. Have a hard time believing what I'm selling, if in doubt just check in with Sportsnet and the Fan 590's, Bob McCown, about as pessimistic as a person as they come, he's been skeptical pertaining to the plausibility of hockey in Vegas to this day and this is coming from a long time resident of Vegas but even he I think would be in agreement that citizens of Las Vegas could get behind watching the BEST curlers in the world . I can only imagine the snarky remarks he'd gesture my way if I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with him about hosting a curling National Championship in his former home city. I think in society generally speaking, we're more open to trying new things, so based on that observation what is stopping Curling Canada in even giving this a one year attempt to avoid the stagnancy recent championships have become? Revenue? Understood but I firmly believe the amount of Canadians who would be enticed by the idea of booking a week off to head to Vegas to watch curling(gamble and golf as well but you get the idea) would alleviate the valid concern that you lose your loyal,local fan base.When taking into account the amount of our native land that would travel down along with Americans who I maintain would have a large sense of intrigue, it would certainly offset increased travel costs.

On behalf of Curling Canada, I've looked after the fans, they'll come in flocks, need not worry. The last concern in this marvelous proposition is would the players get behind it? Too gimmicky? Takes away from winning a national title on home soil? Lack of general recognisability? All valid concerns sure, but any curler who may feel the idea of playing in Vegas puts this game in a poor light is in my books someone who isn't wholeheartedly getting behind the fact that we MUST find a way to grow our sport. The National Football League, a league that only boasts American franchises in recent years has held regular season games in London, England and Toronto with one purpose, to grow the game. This is an outstanding comparable because in the U.K, even the most well read fan will have no idea who Miami Dolphins linebacker Cameron Wake is,newsflash people.....the only way the U.K will ever know who Wake is and how he plays is by watching them. Las Vegas will have no idea who Northwest Territories skipper Jamie Koe....actually allow me to take that back as if the stories I read are correct about his, shall we say eccentric partying ways, I'm sure he's blazed through the Vegas strip once or twice. Back to a more serious note, you understand the comparison I'm trying to make, no one in Vegas/America will know who these curlers are unless they're exposed to them. Curling Canada may be under the opinion that the forefront their main focus has to be grow the game in Canada, particularly at a junior level but by exposing our best to lesser known curling parts, the long term benefits will exceed the maybe more immediate, cost related negatives.

Crazy idea, maybe, maybe not, but this blogger is ready to see our game take a leap of faith, and what better way then for our curlers to leap onto the blackjack table, err I mean American ice.