Road Trip!

Just got back from Jays/Braves game at the Skydome (ahem...Rogers Centre)...great one too. We won 9-5, attendance an average 28 518 but the highlight of my day was getting a Chipper Jones autograph. I had to do some serious squeezing and shoving, but eventually Chipper to sign my ticket stub. Thanks alot Chipper, you're a very nice and patient guy.

Otherwise, tomorrow, I will be passing the Baseball Hall of Fame on my way to Williamstown, MA. Heard the museum is huge, but I won't have much time to absorb it all in. Following that, my family and I will be visiting Amherst, Boston, Providence, New Haven and finally, the Big Apple! Can you say road trip??

So, if I DO find the time in the hotel to post up some updates, I will. Trust me, this trip will be an amazing one at that.

-D

Stranger Things Have Happened

If there are any tennis fans out there who love to root for the underdogs, this Wimbledon tournament is no short of a tailor-made extravaganza. First it was Djokovic, then Sharapova, Roddick, and now as Day 5 is tucked away to bed, the shockers keep on coming.

Now, don't worry, the Fed Express engraved his name into the Round 4 bracket without a challenge, winning in straight sets over Marc Gicquel 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. But his female counterpart couldn't claim the same bragging rights.

Ana Ivanovic, fresh off her feel-good victory at Roland Garros, stunningly fell at the hands of world #133, Chinese talent Zheng Jie. The final line couldn't have been more embarrassing for Ivanovic as she was defeated in just 72 minutes, 6-1, 6-4. The world number one committed 17 unforced errors and only converted 1 of 7 break points. On the contrary, the lady from Sichuan hit winner after winner before sealing the deal. She celebrated with a solid fist pump that will carry her into the Round of 16.

On the men's side, #5 seed David Ferrer was sent packing after bouncing out of Wimbledon against unseeded Croatian Mario Ancic. Ferrer helplessly watched 23 breakneck aces speed by him and was totally ineffective, having not able to convert a single break point. The cumbrous 24 year old Croatian had reached the Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds in London before but missed last year's tournee due to glandular fever. "Super Mario" as they call him, won in 4 sets, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(3).

A day after her sister advanced to join her in the 3rd round, Serena Williams moved one step ahead into the 4th round with a victory over Amelie Mauresmo. Mauresmo, who was champion at Wimbledon just 2 short years ago, was visibly annoyed with an injured thigh. You could see it in the scoreboard. After putting on a commendable warriors performance in the first set, forcing it to a tiebreak in which she lost, the veteran Frenchwoman listlessly threw away the second set by a score of 6-1. Serena, on the other hand, was jaunty all day.

Other big losers of the day include defending female runner-up Marion Bartoli and men's #11 seed Tomas Berdych.

Day 5 proved again that no one can afford to blink at Wimbledon...just as the weather is unpredictable in London, you never know what's going to happen on the Court.

-D

Tennis Fest-Wimbledon Style

You know the train of summer has pulled into the platform when they're playing tennis over in London. That's right, the traditional and storied Wimbledon tournament has returned for its 131st year.

It always seems to get more and more exciting, doesn't it? Last year, we saw Rafael Nadal push the limits of Federer in the finals while Venus Williams hoisted the champion's trophy, stunning the pundits. This year, although it's only Day 4 of action, we've already seen some mesmerizing tennis.

In today's action on the courts, the betting lines looked pretty lopsided. But by late afternoon in London, there were probably some very hefty prizes being handed out. For one, the world's 154th ranked woman, Alla Kudryavtseva, made sure Maria Sharapova would be back to Russia before she is. As we say here in Canada, Kudryavtseva "owned" the world #3, winning 6-2, 6-4 in just 84 minutes. Only one sentence can sum up this match: Maria Sharapova was simply horrible.

And here we go again...Andy Roddick has been eliminated early in Wimbledon. This time, it was at the hands of philosophical Serbian player, Janko Tipsarevic, who if you remember, was the guy that forced Federer's heart out his throat taking Roger to a breathtaking fifth set at the 3rd round of the Aussie Open. The #6 seed, Andy Roddick had his massive serve going early, but Tipsarevic was agressive with it and countered with some great serves of his own. The difference maker was the mentality between Janko and Andy. Tipsarevic was psychologically tough but Roddick...let's just say he gets pissed pretty easily. The final line on this one: 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, 7-6.

Bowing out with Roddick on this day was fellow Yankee James Blake. Blake, the #9 seed fought hard with German veteran Rainer Schuettler but couldn't pull the trigger. Schuettler eventually made Blake pay the price in a grueling 5 setter, 6-3, 6-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Now for the expected news, the British faithful watched as their boy Andy Murray defeated Belgian hopeful Xavier Malisse in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Rafa got tested early by phenom Ernests Gulbis but returned to form, sending the Latvian home by a score of 5-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-3. The Spaniard moved on to the third round.

Female defending champion Venus Williams used her mighty muscles to sweatily claim victory over British #1 Anne Keothavong in a 104 minute battle. Williams struggled somewhat in the first set but was able to dominate in the second, winning 7-5, 6-2.

Richard Gasquet was cruising against fellow Frenchman Sebastian Grosjean 6-2, 6-2 before the latter retired.

Dinara Safina won her match with ease, defeating Taiwanese player Su-Wei Hsieh 6-3, 6-2.

World #2 Jelena Jankovic blew by her opponent Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-3.

And perhaps the most confusing match of the day by the competitors's names, Wozniak vs. Wozniacki concluded with the Danish latter emerging victorious over the Canadian former 6-1, 6-1.

It was a pretty windy day on the courts and that breeze was a welcome for some...and not so much a benefit for others...oh well, that's Wimbledon for ya.

-D

Home Sweet Home

It was the offensive ignition they had been waiting for all season long...

...and it came on the perfect night, Cito Gaston's long time coming return to the Dome as manager of the slumping Blue Jays...

And boy what a night it was...Toronto scored a remarkable 14 runs on an even more impressive 22 hits, the most they've stringed together in more than 5 years. For the first time all season, it seemed like the Blue Jays finally figured out how to hit with authority. To say they pounded starter Bronson Arroyo is an understatement; we absolutely destroyed the guy and owned him. Every one of the starting 9 collected at least 1 hit and in Scott Rolen's case, 4 RBIs as well.

Scoring 6 times in the first inning and 5 more in the second, the Blue Jays took off with breakneck speed and never looked back. It's nights like those that make the manager grin from ear to ear. Cito Gaston was no exception. Paying tribute to the fans and commenting on the offensive outburst, Gaston said after the game: "It gives you goosebumps. Tonight was a special night for me. It's just great to be back."

With every writer burying their heads in the offensive outburst, AJ Burnett's dazzling start couldn't have been more overlooked. Come on, the guy threw 8 innings of 1 run baseball, something he had been struggling to do as of late. Last night was a tremendous break for him and he needed it to silence the critics. Not only did the bats break out big time last night, AJ must've also felt good for what he did on the mound. He deserved it.

Looking back on the calendar, last night was exactly one year to the day that Dustin McGowan came to the doorstep of history, carrying a no-no into the 9th against Colorado before settling for a one hit shutout. But one year ago, who would have had the instinct to predict that Cito Gaston would be back in the managerial chair right now? A year ago, Gaston was only an icon of the past, a hero who's name was instilled into the Level of Excellence. A year later, he has been excellent indeed.

-D

Welcome Back, Cito!

He did it...

JP gracefully fired Gibby...

..not only that, he boldly re-hired Cito Gaston (I stress the "RE").

Now, we all know what Cito did in Toronto from 89-97, winning 681 games and 2 glorious World Championships, but can the 64 year old apply the magical turn around potion again in 2008?

Well, look at it this way, the 1989 Jays was one that had Lloyd Moseby, George Bell and Jesse Barfield manning the outfield. On top of that, Tony Fernandez was our wicked fielding shortstop while John Olerud played with his famous fielding helmet at first. Fred McGriff led the AL with 36 home runs that year. It was a roster that also encompassed the great Dave Stieb, Jimmy Key, both Duane Ward and Tom Henke. Yes, Jimy Williams was horrible at the managing post, but maybe it's the players who don't get enough credit for that absurdly remarkable turn around in 89.

Fast forward to 2008...the Jays in the present funk just does not compare with the massively underachieving 89 team. Perhaps Roy Halladay and Dave Stieb are comparable in some ways, but Lyle Overbay is not a John Olerud. Eck and Johnny Mac are amazing shortstops, but not nearly as amazing as Tony Fernandez. I doubt anyone on this team can reach 36 homers this year and besides, BJ Ryan's inconsistency may just offset that stat anyway.

I have nothing against our starting rotation this season. Up to this point, Halladay, Burnett, McGowan, Marcum and Litsch have combined to put on a fantastic show of pitching. Sure, there were a few inconsistencies here and there, but you can't expect them to hurl like all stars every time. However, one guy certainly deserves an all star berth and that's the stud Shaun Marcum. Marcum has the second best ERA (2.65) in the American League and looks to get better every fifth day. Otherwise, Doc Halladay's 2.90 ERA ranks 5th in the league and Jesse Litsch is at #15. Collaboratively, these three hurlers have a grand total of just 13 wins. I'm not a baseball historian, but when was the last time that ever happened?

Someone wrote in today's Toronto Star: "You can't fire the players, so the manager takes the responsibility." There's no better quote than that and as bad as this stretch has been, Gibby has taken the brunt of the frustration. I've never liked him that much nor was I disgusted with him, but I do feel bad for the man. Of course, the best wishes go out to him and the rest of the "former Blue Jay coaches". While I have the utmost respect for Cito Gaston, the fate of this club rests with everyone on the bench. Cito can be the master of strategy, but it's up to the players to execute.

While this change in coaching staff may bring some short term success, it's time for the front-office to step up and build a contender from the bottom up. Hey, while we're in the flashback spirit, here's a suggestion...

HIRE PAT GILLICK!

-D

The King of Clay

For North American tennis fans who hoped to witness an exhilarating 5 setter in Paris or for those who missed their 9 AM alarm, the French Open finals were no less than a great disappointment yesterday. But for Rafael Nadal fans, this is an entirely new level of euphoria. In what was an incredibly lopsided match up, the Nadal-Federer rivalry experienced an amazing new turn in Roland Garros 2008.The final line was 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in favour of Nadal and considering who he beat, that is an absolutely stunning victory!

In what was the second most lopsided French Open final ever, Rafa hoisted the shimmering French Open trophy for the 4th straight year, and with 19 past champions on hand, dented the bumper of the Fed Express. The man, barely 22 years old, has already been proclaimed by some as the King of Clay. I don't know if Bjorn Borg is happy with that, but the Catalan-tongued kid deserves all the credit he can get. For god sakes, he didn't drop a single set in this tournament!

Restraining his usually emphatic celebration after winning the match out of respect for Federer, Nadal shyly took to the stage, embraced Borg, lifted the trophy and posed for the photographers. It was visible that Nadal was more grounded than usual. It was almost like a 12 year old winning his first tournament. Rafa was so courteous and embarrassed that in his 3-language victory "speech", he even apologized to Roger for the magnitude of his win.

Federer, on the other hand, was humbled as any 12 time Grand Slam champion would be after a demoralizing loss, perhaps realizing that the tennis world is finally creeping up on him. Roger Federer not winning a Slam in more than 9 months...when was the last time that ever happened? Well, I guess you can't have the best of everything. Glory won't last forever and Roger knows it. You could see it in his eyes yesterday. Even after a massacre defeat like that, he showed utmost class to reporters, his opponent, the fans and officials. That is the true spirit of a champion.

Did we really expect anything else out of this French Open tournee? Frankly, I didn't, Nadal had the trophy in his hands even before it began. And so now we move on to Britain and its infamous rainouts. Could Roger come back from losing 6-0 in a set for the first time since 1999? Will he add a 6th Wimbledon title to his resume? Or can Rafa carry his momentum across the English Channel? Maybe, Djokovic will enter the picture this time...or the emergence of another Jo-Wilfred Tsonga.

According to Bjorn Borg, it's Rafa's year! We'll see about that... ]

-D

Here We Go Again!

The head-turning sport of tennis over its winding course of history has seen many amazing rivalries. First, there were the two courtly Queens on the court, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova who faced eachother in 14 Grand Slam finals in 15 years. There was the US vs. Sweden episode in Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg. Borg also had his share of memorable duels with McEnroe, most notably in the 1980 US Open. And hey, don’t forget Monica Seles/Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi/Pete Sampras.

In the 21st century, you’d have to be awfully naïve to not realize that the next great tennis rivalry is already in its prime. This weekend, the pair will go tete-on-tete again at the Roland Garros in the second Grand Slam of the year. You know who I’m talking about, talented Swiss Roger Federer and pugnacious Spaniard Rafael Nadal are set to meet for the 17th time in pursuit of a major tennis trophy as well as the 4th French Open session and counting.

On clay, Rafa is an almost unblemished 8-1 against the Fed Express, whose dominant grip on the tennis world has been greatly challenged this season. For the first time in 10 consecutive Slam tournaments, the world #1 bowed out ahead of the finals at the flabbergasting Aussie Open this January. As for Nadal, he has been excluded from the finals since Wimbledon of last year. But as the pundits expected (without too many surprising twists this time), Rafa has been playing some of the best tennis of his life in Paris the past 2 weeks with zero lost sets and will be going for his 4th straight Roland Garros title.

Roger Federer has been on the pinnacle of the tennis skyscraper for 227 weeks in a row now and Rafa #2 for more than 110 weeks. If there’s anyone out there who doesn’t think this rivalry ranks in the Top 3 most fierce yet friendly in tennis, perhaps sports history, they need to tune in tomorrow morning into NBC! I certainly will be ‘cause I never get bored of it. The energy that Nadal excerpts into every stroke is an absolute contrast to the calmness of master Roger. Federer’s shots are so accurate and deceptive, no one can “defend” against them.. well.. no one except Nadal, of course, who definitely has Fed’s #s in Paris.

Every time Nadal and Federer play against eachother, it’s like the Yankees facing the Red Sox. And tomorrow morning, even former legends like Bjorn Borg will be on hand to watch that new tennis rivalry renewed for the 17th time.

-D

Milestones at PoS

It's happened! 1000 HITS ON THIS BLOG!

You know, I've tried my hand at blogs/radio shows before and by far, Perspective on Sports has been the most successful of them all.

I started at about this time exactly an annum ago and it just feels so great to keep it going knowing people actually read it.

Of course, in the course of that year, I had some breaks and dejections. There were no posts from July to December of 07, but I guess that's just a rookie's lack of effort. As well, this is the 51st post on this website and expect to see that number balloon!

Keep the hits coming...I'm lovin' it!

Speaking of hits...how bout 'em Jays eh? A huge win at Yankees Stadium where the bats were once again fabulous! Rod Barajas...are you kidding me, this guy is batting like .380 in the last month. But I think Joba Chamberlain had some butterflies in this stomach too last night. A guy's first start doesn't mean anything and if the gnats stay off him this year, Joba can become a true fireballer!

Really, I couldn't care less about who gets to parade around town with the NBA trophy. I never much liked Boston or LA anyway, but for those who do care, this will be an amazing final with so much history between the two franchises.

Sharapova out at the Roland Garros?? (Gasp)

Looks like that kid Nadal still hasn't lost a touch on the red stuff. Fourth title? You bet! (I've said that like a million times this week)

OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA! You're the man, Barack! Finally, after 5 long months of this state and that state voting and caucasing, we are done with the bickering and pastor accusations...time to move on. This election has been the most exciting and stimulating in history and by the time November comes around, who knows what the electoral college map will look like! Watch out, McCain 'cause this kid has the power!

Who knew there was such a thing as "anesthetiologist"??

Time to watch some baseball!

-D