Friday 31 July 2009

Rolen for Encarnacion

Has JP gone out of his mind?

Scott Rolen...arguably our best hitter right now, has been traded to the Cincinatti Reds for who? Edwin Encarnacion? Some career .267 hitter and a couple mediocre pitchers?

I'm sorry, but I just don't see the point of this. I seriously think JP Ricciardi isn't taking his job seriously and his record of consistent lapses in judgment is evidence of that. If the Jays want to become a competitive team, they need to get rid of JP. His skills are no where near Theo Epstein's or Pat Gillick's. He just doesn't know how to play the game.

Otherwise, Peavy to the White Sox...should be fun to watch how he carries them. Orlando Cabrera to the Twins. Victor Martinez to the Red Sox. Looks like the Indians are in serious rebuilding mode now.

David Ortize tested positive for steroids? I'm frankly not surprised at all. How else does a guy go suddenly from 10 home runs over the first few years to 31 homers in one year? I hope he handles it with class, but really, like I've always been stressing, baseball needs to look forwards, not backwards and I really hope Ortiz is clean now.

-D

Monday 27 July 2009

The TTC Student Card Policy Petition

I'm currently trying to convince the Toronto Transit Commission to change their policy on the Student Discount Card.

Click on the URL to sign our petition: The TTC Student Card Policy Petition

Here's the actual text of the petition:

To: Mr. Adam Giambrone, Chair of the TTC
Mr. Joe Mihevc, Vice-Chair of the TTC
Members of the TTC Commission Board

In our society, there are few causes more noble than that of serving the people.

In our beloved City of Toronto, there are few organizations that serve more people than the Toronto Transit Commission.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is one of the busiest transit systems in North America, serving more than 1.5 million riders daily. That amounts to nearly half a billion every year. The TTC charges $2.75 for regular adult fare, but fortunately, it has a reduced price for the benefit of students aged 13-19, who pay only $1.85. No doubt, this attracts a huge number of secondary school riders. In 2002, the number of riders paying student fare was 10 700 per day. However, the TTC also has a policy requiring all who pay student fare to carry a "TTC Student Discount Card". If they do not have one, students are required to pay adult fare. These Discount Cards are available for $5, and must be renewed annually. It does not apply to Seniors, who can pay the same reduced fare with a valid Photo ID.

While we are grateful for the student discount from the TTC, the policy of the Discount Card is, in our view, preposterous. There are many other forms of identification that the TTC could accept as proof of age, including but not limited to: School Photo ID, Driver's License, and Health Card. Also, by only requiring students to buy a Discount Card, the TTC is cultivating a culture of cynicism, subtly suggesting mistrust in our age group.

In addition, the TTC is a crown corporation. Its foremost goal should not be to make profits, but instead, serve the people of Toronto to the best of its ability.

Therefore, we, the undersigned riders of the TTC, propose the following OPTIONS for the Commission to consider:

1. Eliminate the TTC Student Discount Card and accept a valid, updated School Photo ID as proof-of-age.

This option has already been adopted by most transit commissions in the Greater Toronto Area: York Region, Durham Region, Mississauga, Oakville, and on GoTransit. Furthermore, many, many major North American cities have a similar policy, including, but not limited to: Windsor, North Bay, Halifax, Dallas, Denver, Calgary, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.

2. Issue the TTC Student Discount Card, for free, for all students.

This option would show that the TTC is serious about attracting student riders. Again, this type of policy exists in many North American cities, including, but not limited to: Hamilton, Houston, and Vancouver. We believe that a slight change, such as in one of the two options above, will make the entire system work more conveniently and efficiently.

Not only is the card unnecessary, it is tarnishing the image of the TTC as a money-grabbing corporation. Students are in near unanimous agreement that the process of getting this card is simply a waste of time and it is clear that the cons of this policy greatly outweigh the pros. The change we are seeking will not create unforeseeable consequences.

Therefore, we implore the TTC to do what would serve the people right.

There is no cause more noble than that!

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Hope you'll support our cause!!

-Danny

Friday 24 July 2009

What's Better than a No Hitter...

A PERFECT GAME!!!!!!!!

That's exactly what Mark Buerhle hurled yesterday, in front of a delirious crowd at US Cellular Field. The first reaction I got when I read it in the paper this morning was: didn't that guy pitch a no-hitter already? Yes he did, and so he becomes only the 6th player ever to have pitched a no-no and a perfecto.

No hitters are rare, but they still happen once or twice a year. But perfect games have only been pitched 18 times in Major League history. That is elite company indeed!

I can't imagine what it's like to be in the stands during that game, as each batter was mowed down. Like I said, the fans went delirious after the final out. I would be too if I was there! I remember watching Dustin McGowan carry a no-hitter into the ninth inning in Toronto a couple years ago. The emotions I felt, the emotion of watching history...there's nothing to describe it. It's why I love baseball!

Congrats to Mark Buerhle! He got a call from the President. How cool is that?

-D

Sunday 19 July 2009

World Aquatic Championships

The swimmers and divers have finally gotten their time on mainstream media with the commencement of the World Aquatic Championships in Rome, Italy

This weekend and into mid next week, the divers will be going at it in the pool. Since this is the World's, there are 1 m, 3 m and 10 m events. China is NOT going to sweep the golds in Rome, because they've already lost a couple to the Russians and Mexicans. I do hope the Chinese do well though. The Canadians, led by Alexandre Despatie have already won a bronze (10 m men's synchro). Another highlight to watch will be Tom Daley, the 15 year old from Team GB. Always loved the guy's style, and combined with his age, int'l competitions with him are always interesting.

The Blue Jays won behind Doc Halladay this afternoon in a quick game, final score being 3-1. We are still below .500 right now and I think the team's performance between now and the trade deadline will really determine whether Halladay stays or goes. I would love to see him at least complete the season here in Toronto!

I have an orientation session for volunteering at the Rogers Cup of tennis in Toronto next month. That should be an amazing experience, though I do prefer to see the men in action though. Nonetheless, I've nothing to complain about.

-D

Wednesday 15 July 2009

ASG

Was it Obama's night? Was it Carl Crawford's night? Was it Pujols' night? Was it Stan Musial's night?

After all the pomp and hype, after all the ceremonies and tributes, the 80th Major League All Star Game was one of the best in my memory.

They sure know how to throw a good party in St. Louis, inviting the President and all those every day heroes. It was nice to see an almost completely new generation of all stars-Mauer, Bay, Utley, Fielder...these guys will one day join the ranks of Mays, Mantle, Musial, and Aaron.

The game itself started off with a lot of excitement. It was special seeing Roy Halladay on the mound as the starting pitcher. It was even funnier watching him go up to the plate. Hey, he fouled two pitches off. What more can you ask for?

The AL scored 2, then the NL came back with 3. The AL tied it. Carl Crawford leaped at the wall to prevent the NL from going on top again. Then the AL scored the go ahead on a sac fly and Mariano Rivera came in to close the door. No wonder they call it the Midsummer's Classic.

-D

Friday 10 July 2009

Turkoglu to Raptors

I heard whispers of this news last week but now it's official:

Hedo Turkoglu is coming to the Toronto Raptors. This makes me feel very optimistic about our team. I know one player can't bring a championship, but I am very pleased that Bryan Colangelo made this move. I didn't like the Kapono trade in June, but Turkoglu is definitely a talent to be had! It was a complicated trade at that too, four teams, about 10 players, cash, and draft picks.

Jays...lost again. Even Halladay couldn't stop the bleeding. *Sigh*

-D

Thursday 9 July 2009

Back from DC

What a week it has been!

Last Wednesday, I set out on a family vacation to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and a few good universities in the area.

The trip itself was just amazing-so many sights we saw, so many things we experienced. DC is a fantastic place. I highly recommend anyone with a remote interest in history and politics to visit the city. There's really no experience like it. The city is filled with national institutions, museums, and memorials. I loved it!

Phila was less interesting. Independence Hall was fun. Philly Chinatown had some good restaurants and I had a cheese steak in the suburbs of the city. I also saw Georgetown, George Washington University, University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore, Princeton, and Cornell. Some great schools. GWU, Georgetown and Swarthmore were my favourites.

Back to sports, I watched the latter half of the fifth set of the men's epic Wimbledon final last Sunday. That was some match. I was surprised that Federer was pushed so far by Roddick, but of course, it's more exciting this way. Still, no match will ever mirror last year's Nadal-Federer final in London. There can be no more rain delays and that cuts down on the potential drama.

But again, I don't think anything will equal this year's amazing fifth set. Thirty games is just preposterous-and in a good way because it was exciting. Roddick gave Federer a ride for his money, and he had to earn it in style. This is why Wimbledon is so great. US Open in about 6 weeks. From all the action we've seen this year, I can't wait!

Jays released BJ Ryan yesterday. Good move-the guy has been useless all year long and the young arms are coming up. As for the Jays losing 8 of their last 10, this pretty much kills their chances at making the postseason. Being 9 games back at the break is never a good thing because all the good teams usually gets better once August and September rolls around. We should take this as a rebuilding year to build more depth for future years which means no big moves at the deadline.

-D