Torchfever

So last Thursday, the glorious Olympic torch came to town! And thanks to VANOC organizers, the torch route went right through my neighbourhood!

But even more exciting, a Grade 12 student at my high school was a torchbearer along the route not too far down from our school. A lot of us went down there to cheer him on. Even a ton of teachers came too. It actually was a really big deal for all of us!

To see the Olympic flame on TV is one thing, but to see it in person is quite another. It was about 4 in the afternoon when our torchbearer came out along with the rest of the torchbearers along that particular stretch. Everyone was so excited. We were taking pictures, waving flags...it was true Canadian pride at work.

And then we made our way out to where Imad (our torchbearer) was supposed to begin his run. After more picture taking, the police cars and torch motorcade started coming down the road. Everyone was jumpy and restless. And then came the flame. I got goosebumps watching the exchange, and it wasn't from the cold either.

The most exciting part of the day was actually running alongside Imad as he jogged his 300 metres. It was quite epic to see the 50 or so supporters that came out, all running alongside him. As I was running, I was thinking to myself: This is soooo cool!!

So after about a minute or two, Imad finished his run. He passed the flame on to the next torchbearer. And all of us just stood there in awe, not able to stop ourselves from smiling and cheering. This experience was just so awesome for everybody. I mean, when's the next time any of us will be able to run alongside the Olympic flame?

-D

Roy Halladay/Olympic Torch

Today, Roy Halladay ended his Blue Jays career by putting on a Phillies cap in front of a plethora of inquisitive reporters. I can't say I was surprised but I'm very happy Roy's not in the AL East. Hopefully, he'll get a run at a championship that he so deserves but hopefully, when the Doc makes his return to the Rogers Centre perhaps next summer, the fans will give him a standing ovation even if the cap he tips will be a Phillies.

Cliff Lee was traded to the Mariners in the Halladay deal. That should make the West very interesting. Speaking of the West, Hideki Matsui signed on with the Angels for a one year deal today. John Lackey and Mike Cameron both signed with the Red Sox. I don't expect the Jays to compete next year, but hopefully, their year will come. Boy is a lot happening in baseball!

Tomorrow, the Olympic torch is set to be relayed not too far from where I live. On top of that, we have a student from our school who will be running the torch. That's really really exciting and we'll definitely be there to cheer him on!! In the evening, I will also be making my way down to Toronto City Hall for the celebration event.

Will post pics of the exciting stuff later!

-D

Recapping My 2009 Predictions

So this year, on January 2nd, which actually seems like yesterday, I posted 10 predictions on what I thought might happen in the world of sports in 2009.

Well...let's see how I did.

1. With the why they're playing, Team Canada will win the World Junior Hockey Championships.

Canada indeed did, capturing their 5th straight Junior Hockey Title! In a short few weeks, we'll be looking at Team Canada on the ice again, trying for their 6th consecutive gold.

2. Brian Burke proves to be the magical potion for the Toronto Maple Leafs, turning that team around, and bringing them to the playoffs.

The Leafs were...well, the Leafs once again this year. They failed to make the 2008-2009 postseason, and though Burke has made some significant moves, it's probably doubtful that they will make the postseason next April. But who knows, we've bounced back from a 0-7-1 start and are now only 5 points out of the 8th playoff spot.

3. The Boston Celtics, lead by the Big Three, repeats as NBA Champions.

They were good, but not good enough, as the Orlando Magics beat them in a tough and exciting series in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. This year, it looks like they are good again, but potentially not good enough. But you never know what might happen down the road.

4. Usain Bolt will break his own World Record in the 100 M Sprint...again. Do I dare say at the World Athletic Championships in Berlin?

I was so happy that Bolt proved me right. Boy, that man is just so fast-shaving more than .1 of a second off his own record. The new mark is now set at 9.58...how low can he go?

5. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal continue to rule the tennis world, splitting the four grand slams. Federer takes the Aussie Open and reclaims Wimbledon. Nadal takes Roland Garros and breaks through in Flushing Meadows.

Nadal had a fabulous start to the tennis season, but an injury bug bit him hard, forcing him out early at the Roland Garros and missing the entire Wimbledon tournee. Federer did win 2 Grand Slams, but it was the French and the Wimbledon instead of the Aussie. Nadal met with kid star Juan Martin Del Potro in the semis in New York and succumbed to the eventual champion in straight sets.

6. In the 2009 World Aquatic Championships, Michael Phelps goes with a less rigorous program and takes home 4 gold medals.

He did go with a less rigorous program and still walked away with 5 golds. Now that there seems to be some competition in the swimming arena, London 2012 should be really fun.

7. The National League, after more than a decade, finally takes the MLB All Star Game in Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

The NL players went down in defeat again. The AL team struck first, then lost the lead, before retiring 18 straight NL batters and squeezing in 2 runs of their own. It was the shortest ASG in 21 years, at 2 hours and 31 minutes. At least we saw President Obama throw out a first pitch.

8. Japan wins their second straight title in the World Baseball Classic.

YES THEY DID!

9. Liu Xiang audaciously comes back from his defeat at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to reclaim the World Champion title, beating Dayron Rubles by a hair.

Liu Xiang's Achilles heal is still recovering from the 2008 injury he suffered in Beijing. So even though he didn't get to run on a track against Rubles this year, you can be sure that Liu will be back in shape for 2010.

10. Nastia Liukin once again beats her teammate Shawn Johnson at the 2009 World Gymnastic Championships for the Women's All-Around gold medal.

Yes, it was the Americans atop the podiums but it wasn't Liukin and Johnson. Instead, Bridget Sloan winning the gold and Bridget Bross winning the silver.

So this year, I went 3-10. That's better than '08 and come 2010, I'll be pumping out 10 more of those predictions.

-D

It's December!

There's like three weeks left in 2009! That's unbelievable.

It's also quite unbelievable that the Leafs are catching up to the Raptors' record! Though if the Raptors can play like they did last night against the Bulls, I think the Leafs might have a hard time keeping pace.

The Roy Halladay rumours are still circulating. There's talk that he may be traded to the Yankees for Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes. That would be a fatal mistake for Alex Anthopoulos. If Doc is to be traded, then the least he could do is send him out of this division so the Jays aren't victims of their own boobytraps.

There's a lot of Olympic fever right now in Canada. The torch is making its rounds through cities and towns across this great land. I think this weekend, the flame is in Montreal. In a short 10 days time, it will be in Toronto!! I'm really excited, and last night, I found out something that almost made me pee in my pants.

As it turns out, VANOC just released their detailed street route of the torch relay in Toronto last Friday. I took a look at it, and on Thursday, December 17, the torch is slated to go right by where I live. Now, that's exciting! It will be after school's out too, so I definitely look forward to making the 5 minute walk to see the torch go through my neighbourhood.

There will also be an event that evening at Nathan Phillips Square, which should be really exciting and jam packed with people. Plus, it'll be the second last day of school before the holiday break! Can you blame me for being excited?!

-D

P.S. When's it gonna start snowing here in TO?

Things Could Be Worse

The Raptosr have been playing like a bunch of high school kids lately. Listless. Banging shots off the rim. Giving up leads. Not helping out their best player even when he was taunted by a muscle-flexing Paul Pierce.

With a record of 7-10, the Raptors are perched, surprisingly, second in the Atlantic Division, behind the mighty Celts of Beantown. But winning just 40% of the games just isn't going to cut it. Both the Central and the Southeast are very strong this year. And yes, some say the November schedule was tough, but what does it say when the Raps lose by 39 points to Charlotte?!

But hey, things could be worse. Just look at the Nets and the Timberwolves, who have lost 16 and 15 straight games respectively. I truly have hope that the Raptors can make the postseason this year, after a dismal and messy year last season.

They only way they can do that is if they play like they did against Cleveland on opening night, and not lose to teams like Memphis and Charlotte again.

-D

The November Life

It's November...nothing much's goin' on.

School's been keepin' me busy.

Toronto sports teams gives me headaches. Jays aren't doing anything-though there are rumours that Halladay might be on his way to the Cubbies. We'll see how that one goes. I'm not familiar with who the Cubs have to offer, but personally, I don't expect the Doc to stay here long, despite wanting him to.

Other than that, it's really quite boring around here. It's November 20th already and it still hasn't snowed yet. Maybe that means we'll get more snow later on. It's actually so warm, it doesn't feel like winter's approaching at all. Except, it does get dark around 4:30 now.

Well, gotta get back to homework.

-D

Time to Catch Up

Wow, it does NOT seem like 11 days since I last posted.

Last week, I was sick in bed in 4 days with a bad headache and shingles. I had to miss quite a bit of school and it's quite labourous to catch up. We also held a school dance last Thursday and it went very successfully.

Last week was also important to the sports scene in Toronto. Two Fridays ago, the City of Toronto was awarded the 2015 Pan Am Games. That's a great victory for this city. We lost the 2 Olympics in 96 and 08, and some say this is like consolation prize. I see it as a step towards hosting an Olympics somewhere down the road though.

Some people think we should bid for the 2020 games, but I personally think we'd have no shot 'cause that would be just 10 years after Vancouver. 2024 is a more realistic goal, but I won't be surprised if we make a run at 2028. That seems so far away-but organizing an Olympics is a big thing and I think Toronto will be host to one one day.

-D

Thuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh Yankeeeeeeeeeees WIN!

27 outs to the 27th title.

It was an pretty easy ride for the Yanks, with the help of World Series MVP Godzilla, of course, to clinch their 27th franchise title, the most in pro sports history!

So I was right on with my prediction-but I'm still disappointed the Phillies lost-they were such a lovable team of Utleys and Rollins and Hamels and Happs and Felizes. But this wasn't meant to be their year. The Yankees just outpitched them and Brad Lidge's blown save was the turning point of the series.

Great job though to the Yankees gang-it's always nice to see a good group of players win what they deserve. It's amazing that Pettitte, Posada, Rivera, and Jeter now have 5 World Series rings!! FIVE!!! And hopefully one day, great guys like Teixeira, Cano, Melky, Damon will have just as many!

Congrats to the Yankees! Love 'em or hate 'em-they are the World Champions of baseball!!

-D