New Year

Well, it's been over a month since I last posted. It's been a very busy month in my life. School wrapped up about 10 days ago, and I've been trying to balance work and play this holiday break.

The Canadian juniors are on a roll in Buffalo, pummeling their opponents, hopefully on their way to anotehr gold medal. Hopefully, the ending to this year's tournament will be a little better than what happened last year. Apparently, Canadians flooding down to Buffalo have caused border delays...oh how much we love hockey.

The Raps and Leafs are just chugging along as expected, nothing too fancy going on there. Whether either of them will make the playoffs is probably an unlikely scenario, but people fill the ACC to see them either way. The sports championship drought in Toronto is getting to people here. They're sort of losing hope. When the Jays start their play in April, we'll hear all the cynics come out once again.

In the meanwhile, have a great new year! Looking forward to more sports moments in 2011.

-D

Grey Cup Weekend

It may be Thanksgiving weekend in the US, but it's Grey Cup time up in Canada. The Canadian Football League will crown a champion tomorrow afternoon in Edmonton as the Saskatchewan Roughriders face off against the Montreal Alouettes (who crushed the TO Argos last weekend by 31 points). It may not have the glamour of the Super Bowl, but believe it or not, this will be the 98th Grey Cup final. It's got a much longer and storied history than that of the Super Bowl. In fact, I learned last week that the University of Toronto was the first institution to win the Cup itself. Interesting stuff.

Also interesting is the Raptors run this past week, winning 4 straight games before dropping the last one in Boston. During that stretch, they beat Philadelphia twice, Houston once, and get this, Boston once. Still though, this team is just too weak and too shallow to consistently post streaks like that. They're playing at the ACC tomorrow against Atlanta.

The Leafs, in the meanwhile, have been the subject of much discussion in Toronto lately. This morning, I was listening to the sports radio and they were talking about what would makes this season a sucessful one for the Leafs. Is it making the playoffs? Is it not finishing second last again? Is it developing the young guns? What do you think?

It snowed this morning in Hogtown!! It was only a dusting but very exciting stuff!! Ah, gotta love the winter!

-D

MVP from TO

Canadian boy Joey Votto was named the National League's Most Valuable Player yesterday, joining a very elite club of Canadian major leaguers who have won the coveted prize!

The most exciting thing, I think, is that the man is in fact from right here in Toronto. He went to Richview CI, a TDSB public high school out in the west end of the city. And although he plays for the Cincinatti Reds now, it's always wonderful to see a hometown boy win the most glorious trophy in the league.

Josh Hamilton was named the AL MVP earlier today. A great choice on the writers' part. I've agreed with the major choices for the awards this year. Felix Hernandez and Roy Halladay definitely deserved their Cy Youngs, though it was a tough decision in a year dominated by pitchers!

Was talking to my friend about the future of Roger Federer, who lost to Gael Monfils earlier this month at the ATP Tour Finals. We agreed that it would be very hard for the Maestro to ever regain the #1 position, unless Nadal injures himself and misses out on multiple Slams. Federer is just ONE week away from tying Sampras for the most weeks at #1. Go Roger though. I hope he wins at least a couple other majors before retiring. Australian Open 2011 anyone?

-D

TO Sports

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks at school for me but also a busy couple of weeks in the sports leagues.

First of all, the Toronto teams have just been downright depressing. We thought that the Leafs were off to a mind-blowing start of 4-0-0. They were sitting atop the division. The Leafs spirit was very much alive in the streest of TO. We were GOING TO win the Cup. This was OUR year. And look how that is turning out now...2-6-2 in the last 10 games and an overall record of 7-8-3. But hey, they have won the last two in style, so maybe things will turn around.

The Raptors on the other hand, are performing just as people expected them to. Off to a 3-9 start, the Raps sit in 4th place in the Atlantic Division. This is a blessing in disguise though, I think. They have no pressure or expectations going into this year, and this will be really good, I think, for developing some of the young guns on the team. After losing Bosh, they don't really have a franchise player to build around. Is is Bargnani? Is it Calderon? I don't know.

Felix Hernandez out in Seattle got the congratulatory call from Major League Baseball today as he was named the AL Cy Young Award winner. It's quite refreshing to see an ace from a last place team earn the award based on merits like ERA and WHIP instead of wins. Congrats Felix! The man is like 23 years old! Mark my words, this won't be his only Cy.

And you can also mark my words on Derek Jeter resigning with the Yankees before the visit from Santa.

-D

The World Series

Ah, October baseball at its best.

The World Series has commenced and it has commenced in dramatic fashion. The San Francisco Giants, certainly not prohibited favourites by any means has taken two straight from the Texas Rangers, shutting them down last night 9-0 in AT & T Park.

Matt Cain pitched deep into the 8th and walked off to a roaring ovation. To be honest, I have been quite surprised by San Fran's 2-0 lead in the Series. Lincecum didn't look like the usual Lincecum in the first game. The Giants defense was playing horribly to start off the Series. But still, the offensive outburst has carried them through (20 runs in 2 games). And to have done it against Cliff Lee and CJ Wilson, it's quite amazing.

I'm still rooting for Texas though. I want to see a team that has never won the trophy win it all. On the other hand though, the Giants haven't won since the days of Jackie Robinson. Ah...I love series like these.

-D

LCS

Halladay vs. Lincecum was rather disappointing last night. I expect a match-up for the ages with both hurlers dominating the opposing line ups. Instead, it was only a mediocre performance from both of them. Though the score was close, 4-3 in favour of San Fran, the drama was underwhelming to say the least. Philadelphia fans were really into it though!! I got goosebumps when they went beserk whenever the Phils knocked one out of the park. I wanna see Halladay in the World Series so I'll be rootin' for the Phillies in this one. Oswalt vs. Sanchez tonight. Should be a pretty good one too.

Yanks and Tex tied at 1. Not really surprising since both teams have so much depth. I think Texas will eventually prevail in this one though. Cliff Lee's dominance will be hard to overcome. The Yankees can hit for sure but they NEED CC Sabathia to come through big (unlike in Game 1).

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 4-0-0. Fans here say hell froze over. This hockey city is surely enjoying the run though. Hope they keep it up all the way to March. Then it'll be REAL interesting. I think they honestly can, if Kessel and the first line keeps playing like the way they have.

-D

EPIC.

For more than a decade, Roy Halladay lived in relative obscurity in one of the most cities of Major League Baseball. He labored in Toronto for 13 long years before finally getting his shot at October glory with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Earlier this evening, the Doc took to the mound in the City of Brotherly Love and showed no love to his NLDS opponents, the Cincinnati Reds. He mowed them down in just the SECOND no-hitter in the 128 year history of playoff baseball. In 128 years, there has only been ONE no-hitter tossed. Think about that. Can you say E-P-I-C?!

With this new dose of energy injected into the Phillies squad, I think they should now be considered the favorites for the World Series title. My pick for the October Classic later this month? Phila vs. Tampa. Yes, repeat of 2008. In the meanwhile, I'm rootin' for Halladay's Phils, Bobby Cox's Braves, Joe Mauer's Twins, and Cliff Lee's Rangers. Who are you cheering for?

-D

October Baseball

That was quite an exciting end to the 2010 baseball season.

The Jays took 3 out of 4 in Minny. Jose Bautista ended up with 54 bombs. The Jays had a 10 game improvement over 2009. All the loose knots were tied up for Toronto.

Atlanta secured itself a Wild Card spot. The Rays took the AL East title from the Yanks. San Diego disappointingly choked in the last second. I really wanted to see a one game playoff though. Those are ALWAYS very tense and exciting. But hey, I'm looking forward to the LDS's.

Been really busy these days, preparing for university applications and scholarships and such. Watching sports has really been a stress reliever though. Yesterday morning, I caught live coverage of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. It was great to see some Indian culture on display. Being a Chinese and a Canadian who's seen both his cultures on display for the world, I think I really have an appreciation for these ceremonies now. Though I'm not sure JaiHo was the right choice to end off the ceremony.

Canada is already on the board after Day 1 with 1 gold and 3 bronze. Don't think they'll beat the Aussies though.

-D

50

At the start of this season, did anybody even dare to suggest that Jose Bautista would hammer 30 home runs? 40? 50? Sure he had a hot September last year but having been a journeymen all his life, he surely couldn't hit 50. Well, this afternoon, with one swing of that lightning-fast bat, Bautista did exactly just that.

When he emerged as the MLB home run leader back in the spring, it was a question of whether he could keep his pace. When he hit the all star break and made it to Anaheim for the fest of baseball heroes, people began to take notice. A few days ago, he broke the Blue Jays' club record for home runs in a season. And now, with his 50th, Bautista has added his name to an elite list of sluggers in baseball history.

The Jays as a team though has been riding on his back all year long. Can you believe where the club would be without Jose? When I went to a game a couple weeks ago down at the Dome here in Toronto, the ovation for Bautista was by far the loudest. Sluggers like these tend to fizzle out very easily though. I do hope Bautista's power performance is sustained come April. It's a bring spot in a city that hasn't seen much sports success in a very long time.

I've just been so busy these past couple of weeks with school and preparations for university applications that I really haven't got the chance to talk about Nadal's Careeer GS. It didn't come as a surprise AT ALL. Djokovic played a great second set but Nadal simply overpowered him in the fourth to win it all. I think we now have to consider whether the guard has been officially changed in tennis. Roger Federer is almost 6000 points behind Nadal in the rankings and I think unless Nadal has a disastrous 2011 or gets injured, it will be extremely difficult for Roger to climb back to number 1.

-D

Tennis Cont'd

Well after a fortnight of tennis, the stars in the finals are set to shine.

In just under an hour's time, Kim Clijsters will look to defend her improbable Open title against Vera Zvonereva of Russia. Clijsters pulled off an amazing victory over Venus Williams yesterday in three sets. She looked out of it for the first set but came back with her powerful forehands and acrobatic slides to win the second and third. Of course, she will be the prohibited favorite when she takes the court at 8 PM but don't overlook the Olympic bronze medalist. She's been in this place before, losing to Serena Williams at this year's Wimbledon final in July.

A few minutes ago on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Roger Federer, who I still think is the greatest player ever to step on a tennis court, went down in defeat to No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic. It was appropriately a 5-set match, with Djokovic coming on top 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5. Federer had the match IN THE BAG, wasting two match points before being broken by hitting three unforced errors. The match took over 3 hours and 30 minutes. The result was hugely disappointing for me and I think for most people, they did want to see a Federer-Rafa match up in the final.

Well, I think this match and Federer's overall performance this year shows us that the Maestro is on the decline. He's only won 2 singles titles all year long, one down in Australia and the one last month in Cincinatti. He's consistently losing matches that he had sealed up. He's committing way too many unforced errors (almost 70 today) and just overall looks old and tired. Only rarely does he flash his former form (like against Robin Soderling the other night). After what happened here tonight, I have some slight doubts about whether he will ever win a major again. But of course, this is the great Roger Federer and don't count him out until he retires.

On the other hand, I do think Rafa Nadal will earn a career Grand Slam tomorrow in New York. Djokovic is undoubtedly exhausted after his marathon effort. Rafa went through earlier in straights and has had 4 extra hours of rest. I will be very surprised if he doesn't win.

-D

Tennis Tennis

I've been playing a lot of tennis. I've been watching a lot of tennis. It's all tennis tennis tennis!

We're through the first week here at the US Open and it's been a wild one at that. I don't think I've ever seen so many bagels at a Grand Slam tournament. It seems like everyday, especially on the women's side, somebody is winning 6-0, 6-1. For God's sake, Caroline Wozniacki has only dropped 3 games and she's already into the 4th round!!

My hometown girl Li Na lost in the first round in New York. That was rather disappointing. But still, it's amazing how she is in the Top 10. I can tell you, Chinese sports fans are very proud of her and Zheng Jie.

Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters slammed their way through to the women's quarterfinals earlier today. Rafael Nadal beat Gilles Simon in straight sets on Ashe. Fernando Verdasco looked good today, beating David Nalbandian in straight sets. Sam Querrey also went through to the Round of 16 in straight sets. Andy Murray's in a battle against Stanislas Wawrinka right now, 7-6, 6-7, 1-2, on serve in the third.

My pick for the final, Tomas Berdych, lost in the first round. I think Murray might have a good chance of making it to the final. Though I do admit Nadal's playing really well right now, I still think he's just too worn out from the year with his intense style of play. The Americans keep on saying Mardy Fish or Sam Querrey could have a breakout major here in NYC. I think they need to improve on aspects of their game other than their serve before they can break into the Top 10. What do you think?

-D

Baseball Baseball

The newest issue of Sports Illustrated has the pride of Toronto, Cincinatti first baseman Joey Votto, on its cover. What a wonderful sight that was when I looked into my mail yesterday. Read the article on him too, it was really really interesting!! It's so great to see Votto doing so well right now, batting .326 with 32 home runs and 91 RBIs.

Speaking of big sluggers, how about Jose Bautista? He's up to 42 homers now, 8 ahead of Albert Pujols, who is second in the majors. Bautista's also up to 99 RBIs now. Where would the Blue Jays be without him? Could he be a potential MVP candidate?

Jays have won two straight but barely...phew. Last night, Kevin Gregg blew another save, allowing the tying run to score in the top of the 9th. Thank goodness Aaron Hill came through in the 11th with a walk off single. Today, it was Scott Downs' turn to put the fans on the edge of their seats. In the top of the 9th, Detroit scored three runs to close the gap to 5-4 before Kevin Gregg shut the door on the Tigers.

Hoping to go to one more ballgame before school starts.

Can't wait for the US Open on Monday!!

-D

Late August

Well, this summer has certainly gone by VERY fast. It's already August 23 as we speak. Although I wish this summer could last just a little bit longer, I am excited to begin the new school year come September. Nonetheless, I'll miss these past two months very much though.

It's been rainy here in the eastern part of the continent this week. Montreal's Rogers Cup semifinals and finals were delayed for more than 39 hours. Only this morning did sky clear for play. Caroline Wozniacki, the 2nd ranked female player in the world, took home the trophy this afternoon, beating Vera Zvonareva, 6-3, 6-2. Hardly a surprising result.

Roger Federer added to his illustrious resume with a win over Mardy Fish yesterday in Cincinatti in a three-setter. It's Federer's first ATP Masters Series title in 12 months and his 63rd career championship, 4th in Cincinatti. Is he going to capture his 17th Slam in New York in three weeks time? That's tough to say. I think he very well might. Nadal hasn't been in tip top shape these past two weeks. Del Potro withdrew from the Open today, due to his nagging wrist injury. So, he very well might win for the 6th time in Flushing Meadows.

However, I'm picking dark horse Tomas Berdych to make the final. Last year, I was right about Del Potro, so we'll see this year. Can't wait!

Jays dropped their second straight series, this time in Boston. But hey, that ass kicking of the Red Sox on Friday night, 16-2 was pretty amazing to watch. Jose Bautista might very well finish with 45 home runs this year.

-D

Rogers Cup

Andy Murray is playing AMAZING right now and he just won the Rogers Cup over the weekend here in Toronto. Oh and he beat Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer along the way!

It was an absolutely amazing experience volunteering at the tournament for the second year. I was part of the Pass Control and Outside Courts Committee, which means I was assigned to restricted areas to check for access passes and I also acted as usher on some of the outside courts on the grounds.

I got to watch a ton of tennis on my breaks and had a whale of a time socializing with other volunteers. I also got lucky on the last two days of my shift and was assigned to work near the players' entrance to Centre Court, checking passes in that hallway. There, I got to see RFed, Andy Murray, and Rafa up close. Those were moments I'll never forget. Just so exciting to see the greatest players walking right in front of you!

I was rooting for Roger Federer to win the tournament but honestly though, he didn't play his best at all. Only his first and second matches were breeze-throughs and even his second match I thought could have been better. Tomas Berdych came THIS close to knocking him out in the QFs while Djokovic also pushed him to three. Still though, he did regain his #2 ranking but by the looks of it, it will take a long time for him to climb up to the top again. He is just TWO weeks away from beating Sampras' old record of 286 weeks at #1.

My pick for the US Open...hmm, that's a tough one. I'd love to see Federer win back the title but I also love Juan Martin Del Potro. Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray are both playing amazing tennis right now so it will be another great fight for the trophy. Berdych will be one to watch as well after his performance in Toronto. I don't think Djokovic, with the way he played, will be too big of a threat but remember he is still world #3.

I gotta go with the greatest though. Pickin' Federer but if it's a Rafa-Fed, Murray-Fed, Djoko-Fed, Berdych-Fed, Del Potro-Fed match-up, don't be surprised if the Swiss Maestro's apparent fall from grace continues.

-D

So Close!

Two outs, bottom of the ninth, 1-1 count, Evan Longoria taps a ball by Aaron Hill. The entire stadium shrieks. The doors of history slams into Brandon Morrow's face.

It was THAT close. One more out and he would have tossed the 6th major league no-no this season. It would have been Tampa's gazillionth time being no-hit in the last two years. Well, it didn't happen, folks. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. But surely it was still a HELL of a day for Brandon Morrow, who finished with a stunning total of 17 strikeouts.

Boy was he ever throwing some heat yesterday afternoon! And not to mention that with his one hitter, we swept Tampa, one of the best teams in the league, this weekend! The Jays are surely on a role right now and let's see what they can do with those Boston Red Sox! I say they take 2 of 3.

Going out to the Rogers Cup tomorrow night to enjoy some tennis-Roger Federer's playing!! Should be exciting!

-D

Arencibia/Rogers Cup

Curtain call for JP Arencibia!!

How many rookies get that kind of treatment? Well, if you go 4-5 with 2 home runs, a double and a single, you would in any ballpark! That's what Jays catcher JP Arencibia got today at the Rogers Centre. On top of his 4 hit monster day, Arencibia hammered the FIRST PITCH he faced in the Major Leagues over the left field fence. It was simply incredible. Oh and the Jays won 17-7, with 20 hits, 8 of which were big bombs. Bautista slammed his 34th.

The Rogers Cup opened today in Toronto. I was there for my first shift as a volunteer this year. In addition to 4 qualifying matches, I was able to catch a glimpse of Rafael Nadal, Robin Soderling, Andy Murray, and David Ferrer. It was people and celebs galore. I got lots of good paparazzi shots. I'll post up the pics later!! More fun out there on the courts tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll catch a glimpse of Mr. Federer.

-D

PS. D'you know Djokovic/Nadal are playing doubles together in this tournament?!

It's About Time

After 13 games, more than 50 at bats, Alex Rodriguez has finally, on a sunny afternoon in New York, joined the 600 home run club!

It came against Shaun Marcum in the 1st inning, with Derek Jeter on first base, on a 2-0 count. He sailed it high and deep to centre field where the ball eventually touched down in Monument Park. A-Rod, at age 34, is the youngest player ever to reach that milestone and is just the 7th in MLB history to cross the 600 threshold. All my Congrats go out to him but here's my two cents worth on the situation.

We know A-Rod doped. That he admitted. This milestone is yet another tainted one, something we have seen too often in recent years. It may be true that he may very well break Barry Bonds' record of 762 home runs but there will be an asterisk there always. His home run pace is also slowing, not surprising considering he is now clean. Why else would there be so many no hitters this season in the MLB-it's because hitters are actually clean. I hope it remains that way because after all, it kind of bursts the bubble when you see the asterisk beside everyone's name in the record books.

-D

Trade Deadline

Major League Baseball's annual trade deadline came down at 4 PM this afternoon, capstoning a month that saw a flurry of deals.

Lance Berkman to the Yanks. Austin Kearns to the Yanks. Cliff Lee's big move from Seattle to Texas three weeks ago. Roy Oswalt found a new home in an already pitching-rich Philadelphia (also home to Halladay, Hamels, and Blanton albeit they did give up JA Happ). Danny Haren's move up to LA. No hitter pitcher Edwin Jackson went to the White Sox. Miguel Tejada's trot out west to San Diego along with Ryan Ludwick. Bengie Molina packed for Texas earlier this month. So did Cristian Guzman. This litany of moves is really not very surprising considering the competitive nature of some of the division races to this point in the season.

The Yanks and Rays are fighting for first place. Chicago and Minny are just separated by half a game. Detroit is only 6 games back in the Central too. Philly's just 3 back of Atlanta in the NL East while Florida and New York are 7 games game there. In NL Central, St. Louis and Cincinnati are TIED for first while just 8 games separate first and fourth place in the NL West. It's no wonder so many teams are making moves. August and September will be VERY interesting months to watch.

Got out to another Jays game this week. Went on Monday with a friend. We beat the Baltimore Orioles for the 10th straight time this season and the Jays went on to sweep the O's for the fourth time this year. 12 head to head match ups. 12 straight wins. I think Toronto's winning on the "beat up on Baltimore" front.

-D

Five and Counting

Barely a month after Edwin Jackson laboured through 149 pitches to get his no-no gem, Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays threw a no-hitter of his own, Tampa's first in franchise history, after a slew of games in which they were on the wrong end of history.

Garza faced the minimum 27 batters after inducing a DP after walking a batter with one out in the 2nd. This is the 5th (really the 6th) no hitter in the MLB this season. That's really really impressive considering we have two FULL months of baseball still to go. I think we can very well break the single season record of 7 and I'm still sticking by my prediction that one of the Jays pitchers will do it!!

I don't know about you but I'm just loving these no hitters!! Always love to witness the history and always very interesting to see which pitchers accomplish the feat. Garza is a star in his own right without the no-hitter and I think he will have a productive career by the time all is said and done!

Congrats, Matt!!

-D

PS. I was in Washington, DC all of last week for a week long politics program at Georgetown University. I wanted to see the Nationals play but they were unfortunately out of town. It was a brilliant week though. Hot too, 38 degrees!!

Bob and George

This week has been an eventful one in baseball.

Besides the home run derby (which wasn't all that exciting) won by Big Papi and a more entertaining, but pitcher-dominated Midsummer Classic, two significant deaths rocked the baseball, and more specifically, the New York Yankees community.

Last weekend, long time Yankee stadium PA announcer (and I mean LONGGGGG time-56 years to be exact) Bob Sheppard passed away just weeks before his 100th birthday. Sheppard's voice was a part of every Yankees game for more than a half century and he even worked for the New York Giants at one time. A truly sad passing for a truly legendary figure behind the mike.

Then, on the morning of the All Star matchup, George Steinbrenner, otherwise known as "The Boss" of the New York Yankees, suffered a heart attack and later died. He was age 80. Obviously, it was a TREMENDOUS loss for the Yankees family, as Steinbrenner was no doubt the paternal figure of sorts in New York. He turned the entire Yankees organization around after purchasing it in 1973 and won 7 World Series titles, along with 22 managerial changes. Although Steinbrenner had a negatively notorious reputation with some, his loss is a monumental one to baseball.

More positive news out of the MLB. The National League finally captured their first All Star victory since 1996. So come October, the Senior Circuit will have home field advantage in the World Series for the first time since that honour had been decided by the Midsummer Classic. It was a wonderful game but I think the AL had plenty of chances to get even, especially in the 7th inning on...oh well, the changing of the guard is occasionally nice.

-D

PS. Congratulations Spain but that was a pretty pitiful final, even for a non-soccer fan like me.

Paul

Soccer's not my sport. Really, it's one of the few I dislike. But when billions around the globe are celebrating the World Cup, it's hard not to take notice.

I never really had a loyalty to any country in this tournament. Instead, I found myself cheering for underdogs and intrigued when teams like France and Italy were knocked out early. Now, with the Final Four set for two more final matches, I thought I'd talk a little bit about the 2010 Cup.

Uruguay vs. Germany. Both great teams, as we've seen. Uruguay's the underdog of course, and Germany perhaps the crowd favourite. I think Germany will take it, just based on trend alone. But hey, I'd like to see a country that's not from Europe in the Top 3.

The Netherlands vs. Spain. I don't know why, I always had this sympathy towards the Dutch. Spain has been on a hot run. Their countrymen are expecting a lot. The Dutch have never won. The Spaniards have a reputation as chokers. Should be an interesting match up. Paul the Octopus has picked Spain. If I had to bet, I'd probably pick Spain too but I find myself cheering for the Oranje.

Where will you be watching the Finals?

-D

Live Blogging the Gentleman's Final

11:42 AM: Well, another Championships Wimbledon is over. Until next year then, or rather, the US Open...will Federer take back his title in New York? Or will Nadal break through for the career slam? Or will we see another Del Potro?

11:34 AM: Tomas Berdych receives his runner up trophy. He'll be #8 in the world come Monday. And Nadal lifts his golden trophy, for the second time in his career. This is his 8th major title and of course, he stays as world #1.

11:29 AM: WITH A FOREHAND WINNER, NADAL HAS WON THE WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS. He falls onto the ground. His girlfriend jumps out of her seat. His uncle jumps up. His mom too. His dad. And he does a little somersault on the court. For the third straight year, somebody has pulled off a French-Wimby double.

11:27 AM: Championship point Nadal. Berdych with an untimely error.

11:26 AM: Now we're at deuce. Berdych got surprised by a shot that looked like it was going long.

11:25 AM: A nice drop shot and an ace helps Berdych stay in the game. It's 30-all

11:23 AM: Nadal is two points away from another Wimbledon title. Berdych has to hold but he's down 0-30.

11:21 AM: Nadal holds at love. He's making it look too easy. 5-4, on serve, third set.

11:18 AM: Wow. Unbelievable passing shot from Nadal. 40-30. And with a Nadal shot going long, Berdych holds. 4-all.

11:16 AM: Beautiful winner from Nadal. He evens the 8th game of the third set at 15-all. But Berdych quickly comes down with an ace. 30-15.

11:13 AM: Wicked cross court ends a fantastic rally. Both men running from side to side. Nadal up 40-15. And with Berdych hitting a shot long, it's another hold.

11:12 AM: Is the crowd cheering for the Czech. They roar as Berdych goes up 15-0 on Rafa's service game.

11:11 AM: Game Berdych. He holds at love.

11:09 AM: What a beautiful drop shot from Berdych! And then a beautiful ace. He's up 30-0 quickly. Just don't break. Don't break. Drive Nadal to a tiebreaker.

11:07 AM: Nadal is not giving any chances here. A beautiful forehand winner and he holds again. 3-2, on serve, third set.

11:04 AM: Nadal somewhat disgusted at a bad bounce on the baseline. Berdych holds. 2 games all in the third set.

10:59 AM: Nadal holds, thanks to a couple of errors from Berdych. On serve in the third.

10:57 AM: But he hits a backhand into the net. To deuce.

10:56 AM: Nadal shoots one into the net. Now he's down 30-40. Berdych has a break point opportunity.

10:55 AM: Nice nice forehand from Berdych and he finishes Nadal off with a drop shot to the empty court. 15-30.

10:53 AM: That's a hold for the big Czech. 1-1, third set.

10:51 AM: Oh what a point. Berdych comes up with a huge winner after a great rally. 30-15. And he finishes off Nadal the next point with a nice little smash. 40-15

10:50 AM: Nadal holds but Berdych hits a nice cross court winner to start his service game.

10:47 AM: Wow! Rafa just ran all the way across the court to hit a beautiful winner. Nadal's up 40-15 in the first game of the third set.

10:43 AM: Nadal has three set points. Let's see if he can capitalize. Yes he does as Berdych hits on wide. Rafa takes the set 7-5.

10:42 AM: Nadal forces Berdych to hit a volley wide. Suddenly, Berdych is down 0-30. He has to hold to stay in it. And he just lost another point. 0-40.

10:40 AM: Berdych hits one into the net on the run. We're still on serve in the second set. 6-5 Nadal.

10:38 AM: Oh man, Nadal comes way up to the net and slams one down into the empty court. And with a return long from Berdych, Rafa's up 40-15.

10:37 AM: Wow. Berdych just won an amazing point up at the net to get off to a good start in the 11th game of the second set. Nadal's down 0-15.

10:36 AM: Berdych is up in the double digits with his 10th ace. That's a hold. 5-all.

10:35 AM: Couple of big serves and Berdych is back in control, 40-15.

10:34 AM: Berdych hits a nice forehand but Nadal hooks it wide. It's 15 all. Berdych must hold this one or he will be down two sets.

10:33 AM: Bjorn Borg is on hand, with his signature wavy hair.

10:30 AM: Man, what a rally! Both players going out of the screen to get some wicked shots. Nadal finishes off with a beautiful volley. And he holds at love.

10:28 AM: Nice cross court volley and Berdych holds another one.

10:27 AM: And another one at 120 mph plus. That's Berdych's 9th ace.

10:26 AM: Berdych is slammin' 'em up. 126 mph ace evens it at 15 all.

10:24 AM: Nice return volley from Nadal and he holds. 4-3 Nadal, second set, on serve.

10:23 AM: Nadal hits another one wide. He's making a lot of errors today. But he's still up 40-15 in his service game.

10:20 AM: Another ace from Berdych. And he gets the hold as Nadal returns one long.

10:19 AM: Nice forehand down the line from Berdych and another one cross court wins him two straight points. Those shots left Nadal hanging.

10:16 AM: Another shot from Nadal going JUST long. Hey, I didn't know Lucie Safarova is Tomas Berdych's girlfriend. Nadal just took the game. Still on serve.

10:15 AM: A long rally ends with a Nadal shot going long. Rafa's up 30-15 on his service. And he hits an unreturnable forehand down the line! 40-15.

10:12 AM: Berdych holds another one at love with the help of some Nadal errors and another ace. It's 2-2 in the second set.

10:10 AM: More celebrity sightings. Lindsey Vonn, US Olympic skiing queen, is here to watch the final. She is supposedly a big Federer fan.

10:07 AM: Some wicked shots from Berdych but he can't finish it off, smashing it wide. Nadal up 40-15 and he just took the game with a winner. On serve in the second.

10:06 AM: Berdych getting his shots back now. It's 15 all on Nadal's serve but he's hit a couple beauties in this game already.

10:03 AM: Berdych comes back strong, with a hold at love. He finishes Nadal with another ace. And the sun's out on Centre Court.

10:01 AM: Berdych hits a big shot JUST wide and Nadal finally takes the first game. That's a hold.

10:00 AM: Rafa double faults again, his third of the match! Back to deuce.

9:58 AM: Nadal comes up to the net and Berdych hits one into the net. Deuce 3. And now Nadal has the advantage as Berdych hits one wide off the return.

9:57 AM: Forehand into the net. Berdych has yet another break point!

9:56 AM: A double from Nadal. Advantage Berdych. He better take this freebie. But Nadal slices an amazing second serve. We're back at deuce.

9:54 AM: A great 12 stroke rally and Berdych has a break point, 30-40, in the first game of the second set. And Nadal hits a great forehand winner. We're at deuce.

9:49 AM: And that's that. Nadal takes the first set 6-3, and more importantly perhaps, breaks Berdych twice!

9:48 AM: Another shot long and Nadal has two break/set points. Berdych slams another beautiful ace, tailing away from Nadal. One more set point.

9:47 AM: Down 0-30, Berdych hits an ace.

9:45 AM: Held at love with a wonderful winner. It's 5-3 Nadal.

9:44 AM: Nadal looks like he's getting stronger. 40-0.

9:42 AM: Hey, it's Jacques Rogge, IOC President sitting in the Royal Box, watching today. Should be an interesting tennis tournament in 2012 as the Games come to Wimbledon, as part of the London Olympics.

9:41 AM: Nadal's broken Berdych with a huge cross-court return. He's up a break, 4-3.

9:40 AM: And Berdych saves the first one with some wickedly-angled shots, sending Nadal chasing left, right and centre.

9:39 AM: Interesting stuff now. Two unforced errors from Berdych and he's down 0-30. And wow, Nadal hits an incredible shot on the run. 0-40, triple break point.

9:35 AM: Ace!! 40-0 for Nadal. Ooooo...and then he double faults.

9:33 AM: Berdych finishes off the game with a beautiful cross court winner. Man, Berdych has been playing beautifully. It might be another long one today. 3-2, on serve, first set.

9:30 AM: Danny here watching the Men's Wimbledon live. It's Nadal vs. Berdych today. Nice day in London, another dry one. The commentators are saying it's a bit windy. We're at 2-2 in the first set, on serve, with Berdych serving. Tomas Berdych, of course, beat the Swiss Maestro and Novak Djokovic on his way to this final. Now, we'll see if he can extinguish the last giant remaining to win his first Grand Slam title.

Another One?

Tonight, the FOURTH (but really, it should be the fifth) no hitter in the 2010 MLB season was tossed by Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who went the distance against the Tampa Bay Rays but walked 8 batters along the way. This marks the 3rd time that the Rays have been no hit in 140 games. That's pretty ridiculous! Jackson needed 149 pitches, that's right, 149 pitches to get it done. Pretty crazy night at Tropicana Field. Still though, it is not a good feeling to see your team get no-hit for the 3rd time in less than a year.

Well, after his 11 hour 5 minute marathon, John Isner expectedly crashed out at Wimbledon in second round action today. Seriously, how do you play 4 straight days of tennis at one of the world's premier tournament totalling more than 12 and a half hours and not get tired. Still though, Isner's name will go down in the history books for sure and people will be talking about his first rounder at 2010 Wimby for a LONG time to come!

Halladay shut down the Blue Jays today over 7 scoreless innings. His Phillies, who were the VISITORS in this game IN Philadelphia (you can thank the G20), broke out the bats to smash up Jesse Litsch and the bullpen 9-0. Halladay's performance, let's be honest, is not surprising. I don't mind losing to him but let's hope Toronto captures the last 2 games of this series!

-D

Crazy Day

Well, all in all, it has been a pretty crazy day. Sports and otherwise.

Let's start with the otherwise. Usually, the city of Toronto, my current resident city, is pretty calm in terms of seismic activity. However, a noticeable earthquake rumbled through the city this afternoon at around 1:45. I was walking downtown, buying lunch after playing a couple hours of beach volleyball, so I didn't feel it at all. But afterwards, we got a couple calls from our friends and my dad saying they felt swaying. It turned out to be a 5.0 magnitude trembler, centred about 50 km north of Ottawa. Nothing major, but a jolting experience perhaps for most.

In politics, big tremors were also registered around the world. President Obama fired his Afghanistan commander for inappropriate comments and Australia got its first female Prime Minister in Julia Gillard.

To sports. Stephen Strasburg collected 9 more strikeouts to up his career total to 41, another record for the most K's in a pitcher's first 4 outings. England qualified for the Round of 16 at the World Cup, but perhaps still not performing as well as they'd like or should be. USA qualified along with them, as did the sole African nation remaining in Ghana.

I saved the craziest feat of all for last. Today at Wimbledon, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut faced off in what will go down as the most epic tennis match of all time. On Tuesday night, after 4 gruelling sets, the score was tied 2-2, with the line of 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-7. They had to suspend play because of darkness. More than 24 hours later, the match was still going. Play had to be suspended again at 9:12 PM, with the fifth set tied at 59-59. The crowd gave the two warriors an amazing standing ovation as they departed from Court 18.

The fifth set it self has already taken 7 hours and 3 minutes, longer than the previous record length for any professional tennis match. The most amazing thing is that the two will be back on the court tomorrow at 3:30 British Daylight Time to continue their match. I will definitely be tuning in to see this game, though I have a feeling that it won't last as long as some people wish it will.

By the way, John Isner has served up 98 aces, with Mahut not far behind at 95. Incredible service games and that's why it has gotten to this point.

Her Majesty is attending Wimbledon tomorrow as well. Bet she'll make her way to Court 18 sometime during the day.

-D

On the Diamond and the Grass

The Wimbledon Championships have commenced in London! And boy did it commence with high drama. Roger Federer's opponent Alejandro Falla had match point on the Swiss Maestro in the fourth set before Federer returned to form and righted the ship in 5 sets. It would have been perhaps the most shocking upset ever at a Grand Slam tournament and hopefully, Federer can shake off the rust and cruise on in from here.

Novak Djokovic also needed 5 marathon sets to get through his first round match. Seventh seed Nikolay Davydenko needed just as many, eventually winning 9-7 in the fifth against Kevin Anderson. That match took 4 and a half hours. Last year's semi finalist Marin Cilic couldn't repeat his performance in 2010 as he was sent packing on Day 1. Women's French Open champ Francesca Schiavone lost her first round match in a shocker today but otherwise, the women's bracket moved on as expected with Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, and Elena Dementieva all won their opening matches.

Playing under the roof on opening night, Djokovic finished his match at 10:58 PM-that's a record for Wimbledon and it will be interesting to see whether they'll top that later this fortnight, now that it seems they're more inclined to use the retractable now.

On the baseball diamond, the Jays are off today after an emotional Father's Day game against the San Fran Giants. John McDonald, whose father passed away last week, hit a round tripper as a PH in the 9th, just the 14th home run in his journeyman career. It was an emotional moment for him, an emotional moment for the team, and really, an emotional moment for me as a baseball fan. Such is the power of sports to affect such human feeling with one moment in time.

Saw a really good piece on the pros and cons of interleague play on MLB.com today: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100620&content_id=11408314&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Really hoping to see a Jays-Cards game this week. Just a matter of rounding up some friends.

-D

Strasburg

Well, it's been a long time since I last posted. A lot of things have happened. I had to make an urgent trip to China last week due to a family emergency and I'm now in the midst of final exams for this semester. So it's been a roller coaster ride lately and I haven't been on the blog for a while now.

First things first. Rafael Nadal's 5th French Open title-what a dandy! The man (yes, the man, Rafa's no longer a kid now) captured the championship at Roland Garros wihout dropping a set. The Queen of Spain was there to see him hoist the trophy and you know what, I was cheering for him. He looks like he's back to his pre-injury self. Wimbledon should be a REALLY fun one to watch. Fingers crossed for a repeat of 2008. Federer-Nadal final? Looking forward to THAT!

Last Tuesday night, before I had to catch my flight to China, I had a chance to watch some highlights of Stephen Strasburg's much hyped Major League debut. The atmosphere in Nationals Park felt more electric than Opening Day, the All Star Game and the World Series combined. Mr. Strasburg, at 21 years young, fanned 14 batters with his MASSIVE curve and triple digit heater. I was truly impressed and just by watching his delivery and his poise, I think Strasburg IS the real deal!

His next start out, he faced Cleveland and fanned another 8 batters. Earlier tonight, with President Barack Obama in attendance, Strasburg whiffed another 10 White Sox, to set a record for most K's in the first 3 major league starts. His pitches are just so mind boggling to watch and I definitely would like to see him in person some time.

Here's to an exciting few months of tennis and baseball...

CHEERS!

-D

Reinstate

When you know you've made such a blatant mistake, when you know your action has so deeply affected an entire sport, when you know you've blown the most important call of your career, there is no question that you should do the right thing and reinstate what could have been.

Armando Galarraga's perfect game, and yes, it was a perfect game, last night, was ruined by a missed call by veteran umpire Jim Joyce. On the 27th batter of a perfect night, Galarraga allowed a soft grounder to the right side, and as he ran to cover first base on a throw from Miguel Cabrera, probably experienced the thrill of being on the doorstep of history only to see the door slammed in his face by Mr. Joyce. I saw the condensed game today and to be honest, it was one of the most emotional baseball moments I've ever watched. To see the look on Galarraga's face, I just felt soooo terrible for him.

There is no argument that Galarraga's name should be in the history books of Major League Baseball. There's no argument that he did in fact pitch the 21st perfect game in Major League history last night. And though I do feel for Jim Joyce too, I feel it's the right decision to reinstate that perfecto. Galarraga deserves it. Joyce deserves it. Baseball deserves it.

This would have been the 3rd perfect game in less than a month and the 4th no hitter of the 2010 season. It should have been a historical night at Comerica Park. But to lose it on a call that was SO OBVIOUSLY WRONG (out by at least half a step), it really is a shame.

At the French Open, boy is it ever interesting! Federer's streak of 21 consecutive GS quarters has been snapped. Both Williams Sisters have been sent packing. Djokovic is down. Justin Hein is down. It's going to be a very interseting four days to the final!

My pick to win it all are Nadal and Dementieva. We'll see. Roland Garros is a mysterious place these days!

-D

Something Special

Last night, Roy Halladay hurled the 20th perfect game in Major League history, just 19 days after the last perfect game by Dallas Braden.

Roy's dominating performance in Florida, 27 up, 27 down, earned him a huge ovation even though it wasn't his home ballpark. And could it happened to a more appropriate pitcher? Halladay's earned it. This season, his ERA has been 1.99 thus far, with just 1 bad outing versus the Boston Red Sox. He's already got 5 CGs under his belt, including a 3-hit shutout.

This man is only getting better. And though he is not pitching in Toronto anymore, Halladay is still one of the best in the majors. This is why it's even more a disappointment that he will not be returning to Toronto this year (series moved to Philadelphia).

Perfect games are beautiful things! Think about it. There have only been 20 in the over 100 year HISTORY of Major League Baseball. Yet, we've seen three in a short 10 month span. As well, there have already been 3 no hitters this season. Boy, is it ever an exciting time for pitchers!

I still remember how close Dustin McGowan came to a no-hitter on June 24, 2007 (see, I even remember the date). I'd been sitting on my couch the whole afternoon, watching the game. With no outs in the 9th, Jeff Baker of the Colorado Rockies lined a clean single to right field to break up the no-hit bid. That was pretty exciting. And like I've said on this blog before, I have a feeling a Blue Jay will toss a no-hitter this season. They've all been hot. Brett Cecil was perfect through 3 and 1/3 yesterday.

And what did I say about the Jays sweeping the Orioles?

-D

Baseball, Tennis

The Jays continue to roll along decently in the AL East, sitting just 6.5 back of the red hot Tampa Bay Rays and just 2.0 games back of the Wild Card. They've got a very tough schedule ahead though. After this series with Baltimore, they will play 9 consecutive games against the Rays, Yankees, and then Rays again. There will then come interleague play where all the teams on our schedule are above .500.

This will be a real test of our pitching strength and whether the red-hot offense can last against good teams. Should be interesting to see though, but if they can sweep Baltimore this weekend, it will be a HUGE confidence booster!

Out in Paris, the 2010 French is underway. It has really been an uneventful tournament so far save for some major rain delays. It should be interesting to see whether Nadal can reclaim his clay crown. He retired to Andy Murray in the QFs at the AO in January but he has been really hot on clay as of late, beating Federer at Madrid not long ago.

Nadal-Hewitt match today. That should be an interesting one to see. I've always liked Lleyton. As well, both Zheng Jie and Li Na are out, unable to duplicate their AO magic from earlier this year.

-D

That was Interesting

Well, the Jays certainly made it interesting in the 9th inning with Encarnacion and Lind hitting solo bombs to close the gap from 8-4 to 8-6 in Arizona. Fred Lewis looked like he almost hit one out of the park. But Aaron Hill couldn't connect off Chad Qualls. It was a great game down in Phoenix tonight.

The Jays hit 6 home runs in a game for the first time since 1998. Unfortunately, they were all solo blasts though. Brandon Morrow had one bad inning, but otherwise, the pitching was decent.

I was down at the Jays game this past Tuesday. Four home runs in that game for the Jays, as we beat Minnesota 11-2. Got to see Joe Mauer in action-that was pretty cool. It was school day so there were A LOT of kids around. The weather was gorgeous though!! But I am a bit sad that they moved the Toronto-Philly series to Philadelphia because of the G20. I was really hoping to go see Halladay's return but I guess I'll have to wait one more year. Can't wait to go to more games at the ballpark though!!

-D

Woah!

Woah...what a game tonight at the Rogers Centre!

The Toronto Blue Jays hammered the Texas Rangers by a score of 16-10. By the end of the third inning, the score was already 11-9. The Jays alone scored 8 in the third frame, en route to a win that was highlighted by 4 home runs from Overbay, Wells, Hill, and Lind. That is a very positive sign as the Jays absolutely need those four guys to produce if they want to have a great year. Overbay also went 3 for 3 today, raising his average to .189. He's still one of my favourite Jays and I'm still rooting for him every time up! Mendoza Line, here we come!

Didn't have a chance to talk about Dallas Braden's perfect game yet. There was a great feature on him in today's SI issue. The 26 year old lost his mother to cancer when he was in high school and he was raised by his grandmother, who was down at the game in Oakland when Braden tossed the Mother's Day gem. It was just one of those touching moments in sports last Sunday afternoon.

The Tampa Bay Rays, the team that Braden tossed the perfecto against, had the best record in baseball at the time and interestingly, they have been perfecto'd for a second year in a row now. White Sox ace Mark Buehrle threw one against them last July 23. As well, I learned that 6 of the last 8 perfect games have been pitched by lefties on the mound! So watch out for those southpaws!

How 'bout 'em Montreal Canadiens?! Underdogs once again vs. Boston/Philadelphia? Well, if they keep playing the way they do with that never die attitude, they could very well win it all! Haven't been following the NBA playoffs lately. It's just been a lot of baseball for me!

Going down to the Minnesota Twins game next Tuesday! Very excited to see Mauer and Morneau!

-D

That's More Like It

The Jays have again found their winning ways, capturing 6 of their last 7 and improving to 16-13. We are 2 up on Boston and just 4.5 back of the red hot Tampa Bay Rays.

Today's win was one that you should put a star beside for sure! Down 4-3 in the top of the ninth, with an 0-2 count and two outs, Aaron Hill shot a sharp grounder that Cleveland shortstop Balbueno missed. Then, Adam Lind came to the plate and crushed a two run bomb to the opposite field to take the lead! It was just a beautiful comeback win!!

A couple days ago, Brett Cecil took a no hitter into the 7th inning before giving up a clean single to Jhonny Peralta with one out. That marks the fourth time that a Blue Jays starter has taken a no hitter into the 7th inning this season! It's almost so exciting and nervewracking to watch one of those in action and you know what, I'm gonna be bold and say one Blue Jays starter will pitch a no-hitter sometime this season!

We'll wait and see!

-D

Crack of the Bat

I was scorekeeping at a school baseball tournament today. Felt so good to be back on a diamond, close to some real baseball action. And it felt amazing to hear the cracks of the bat every time the batter made contact. The weather was BEAUTIFUL too. Absolutely GORGEOUS day for baseball!!

The roof was open for last night's Jays game for the first time!! The Blue Jays performance this season has been up and down, much like the weather here in TO these past few weeks. This hasn't come as a surprise to me. They got good players, but are very scrappy. Really, I didn't have much expectations for them coming into this season so I'm just enjoying whatever they do. That 13-12 game against the Red Sox was freakin' fantastic!! I am, however, itching to get down to a game this season!

How 'bout the Padres eh? Every pundit in the country said they would be dead last in the NL West and would be one of the worst teams in the NL. Low and behold, they are first in their division. But hey, the Jays got off to a 27-13 start last year too...

Tonight, two MLB stars return to their line ups from injury. Cliff Lee will make his much anticipated debut with Seattle and second baseman Ian Kinsler is slated to return to the Texas batting order. I like both guys a lot, especially Kinsler. So I'll be excited to see what they got this season!

All those changes to the All-Star Game, they're alright. I don't like the ineligible-if-pitched-on-Sunday rule though.

-D

Wild Night in Baseball

First there was Ubaldo Jimenez, hurling the first no hitter in Rockies history, despite a plethora of walks and a couple of close plays. Then there was the 6 hour 53 minute duel between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals.

The two rare feats made for a great night in the MLB. Ubaldo Jimenez, the Rockies ace who came into the season with ample expectations jumped in celebration as the game finished with a ground out to second. He was throwing heat all night long, with his fastball still blazing at 97 miles per hour in the 8th inning. There have been quite a few flirts with no-no's this season by various pitchers. CC Sabathia carried one with 4 outs to go. Ricky Romero set 21 down before giving up a home run to Alex Rios last Tuesday. And on Opening Day, Shaun Marcum kept the Rangers hitless until 1 out in the 7th.

Later in the night, a friend of mine instant messaged me and told me to tune into the Mets-Cardinals match up. It was the bottom of the 19th inning, with the score tied at 1. Amazingly enough, neither team had scored until the Mets struck first in the top of the 19th inning. All in all, the Mets used 24 of their 25 players, while the Cardinals used 22 of 25. The Cards also used 2 position players on the mound, and put starting pitcher Kyle Lohse out in left field to finish the game. In the end, the Mets won 2-1 in 20, almost 7 hours after the first pitch! Amazing!

-D

Jays Rollin' Along

4-1.

First in the AL East.

Bet none of the pundits expected that!

Vernon Wells has been hot-4 home runs in the first three games. Adam Lind has been smokin', lining singles and doubles left right and centre. Edwin Encarnacion has been on a streak. The starting pitching has been wonderful-fifth starter Dana Eveland hurled 7 and 2/3 innings of shutout ball.

The hitting has been there too. Yea, they only scored 3 runs tonight but look at the two 9th inning rallies! Tomorrow Shaun Marcum gets back on the mound as the Jays attempt to sweep the O's at Camden Yards. His fabulous outing on Opening Day got lost amidst the hoopla over Frasor's blown save. The man took a no-hitter into the 7th inning for God's sake! That doesn't happen everyday, surely not on Opening Day, and even rarer for a pitcher who was making his first start after Tommy John surgery.

Keep the hits coming boys!! Can't wait for the home opener Monday!!

-D

Opening Day

Well, for 28 teams in the MLB at least, it is OPENING DAY!

Last night, the oldest rivalry in baseball, the defending World Champs New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, opened the 99th season at Fenway Park, the first opener played at night. The Yankees opened up a quick 5-1 lead before the Red Sox stormed back to win the opener 9-7.

Today in Washington DC, President Obama trotted out to the mound to throw the traditional presidential first pitch on Opening Day. Though he wore a bright red Nationals jacket, Obama still had that ubiquitous White Sox hat. The pitch was apparently high and wide.

Down in Arlington, Texas, the Toronto Blue Jays just wrapped up their season opener against the Texas Rangers. Our big hitters produced just like we expected they would. Wells hit a two run bomb in the 1st inning. Lind followed it up with another homer in the 3rd and Wells drove in the go ahead in the 8th with the bases loaded. It's also worthy of noting that Shaun Marcum took a no hitter into the 7th inning before Vladimir Guerrero singled and Nelson Cruz homered. HOWEVER, our newly appointed closer Jason Frasor could not hold the line in the 9th, squandering a 4-3 lead, giving up 4 straight hits. It was obviously not how the team wanted to start the season, but there were a lot of positives out of this game.

Can't wait to see Rich Harden on Wednesday.

-D

Gorgeous Weather

It is the 2nd of April and here in Toronto, the thermometer hit a gorgeous 23 degrees today. Tomorrow, the forecast high is 24!! You know what I have on my mind when days like these come by? SANDLOT BASEBALL!!

Went out with a few friends today and hacked at a few balls. Also pitched a little and did a little fielding. It felt so good to get some outdoor exercise after the winter, especially with the sun not too hot and a warm breeze. Can't wait for more days like these during the summer!

I recently became a subscriber of Sports Illustrated magazine. The latest issue, featuring the magazine's prediction for the 2010 baseball season, had Roy Halladay on the cover page. Inside, there was an absolutely fantastic feature on Doc, talking about his worth ethic and his journey as a Blue Jays ace. I definitely recommend all Jays fans give it a read-and Phillies fans too-I really want to go see his return to the Rogers Centre on June 20. But that's also the day that the G20 summit opens in Toronto, just steps away from the stadium. Security will be HELL, so we'll see.

NCAA Final Four matches tomorrow. Duke v. WV and Bulter v. MSU. Who are you cheering for?

-D

Baseball Season

Just a fortnight to go before America's Pastime gets underway once again!

Joe Mauer recently signed an 8 year-$184 million extension with the Minnesota Twins. That is yet another example of how moneycentric baseball has become in the last decade or so. While I have every respect for Joe Mauer and I think he is an absolutely amazing player and that if anyone deserves that kind of money, it's him, I just don't like the idea of paying players-who provide an entertainment-with 9 digit cheques. I'm still not sure whether a salary cap would solve the problem, but without one, this incessantly inflation will be impossible to stop.

The Jays chose Shaun Marcum as their Opening Day pitcher this week. I very much like the move. Marcum hasn't pitched in the majors for a long time because of his injury He's still young, got a lot of potential. It's great he can get to show everyone what he's got.

Can't wait to head out to the ballpark this season-I kind of want to see Roy Halladay's return to TO in June.

-D

"...the wreck of his bracket..."

With the health care drama playing out up Pennsylvania Avenue, President Obama is reportedly spending part of this historic political day "examining the wreck of his brackets..."

Of course, Obama had, like EVERYONE else, picked the Kansas Jayhawks to win the national championship, before that team was stunned last night by the Northern Iowa Panthers in a second round upsset, 69-67. That was just tremendous news coming out of the tournament last night.

Earlier in second round play, St. Mary's upset No. 2 seed Villanova as well, knocking out another one of the contenders. Of course, on the opening day of the tournament, 3rd seed Georgetown had been blown out by University of Ohio, for the first major upset of bracket play. So now, the field is wide open. Who are you picking to win it all? Kentucky? Syracuse? West Virginia? Ohio State?

-D

NCAA/Spring Training

So it's that time of the year again.

MARCH MADNESS is here. First round play in the perennial favourite college basketball tournament will begin tomorrow!! This year, Coach Bill Self and his Kansas team is slated to make another run for the national championship. Standing in their way are competent teams like Villanova, Duke, Kentucky, Syracuse, Georgetown, just to name a few.

If you are interested in President Barack Obama's bracket (remember he picked UNC last year?), here it is: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/entry?entryID=1042011.

I don't usually watch college basketball, but with all the hype around March Madness, I'll be sure to check back in a few times on this tournament.

What I am more interested in is MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!! My gosh-another baseball season is slated to start in just three weeks or so. I am SO excited! Not so much for my beloved Toronto Blue Jays to do something spectacular like play baseball in October, but just in general, the fact that baseball is back is VERY exciting for me.

Since the Jays are in somewhat of a rebuilding year, expectations are not very high for them. I do hope they fare well though. I'd like to see Vernon Wells live up to that 9 figure check we wrote him a few years back. Something will be amiss without Halladay as our opening day pitcher, but this gives the chance for the young guns to show what they've got.

-D

PS. Going to play baseball for the first time this year tomorrow!! Such GORGEOUS weather this week up here in TO.

17

Yesterday was one of the best birthdays I've ever had!!

It was the last day of school before March Break and it was "Formal Friday" at our school. So all in all, couldn't have been a better day to have my 17th!!

I actually didn't sleep well the night before and I had to hand in the biggest assignment of my high school career so far too, but the day more than made up for it!!

My friends did the sweetest things for me after school, surprising me in a coffee shop by giving me a baseball glove.

I had dinner with my parents in the evening and then we had cake. Afterwards, we ended up talking for almost three hours about everything about life. It was the best ending to an AWESOME day.

I don't feel any different to be 17, but I'm just so glad my birthday was so fantastic!

-D

Canada's Game

It's hard to believe that it's been almost a week since the Olympics drew to a close.

I didn't get a chance to update on the Canada-USA gold medal hockey game but you probably have heard that CANADA came out victorious in the end after a tense overtime goal by Sid the Kid Crosby, another person that will for sure be lighting the cauldron when the Games come back to Canada.

It's beyond my skill as a writer to describe what that gold medal, a record breaking 14th for Canada in Vancouver, meant to this country. The TV ratings averaged 16.6 million for the nearly three hour affair, making it the most watched program in this country's history. Keep in mind that Canada's total population is about 33 million. So having 16.6 million people watching that game would be equivalent to about 160 million Americans watching a TV program.

About 80%, or 26.5 million Canadians tuned into the game at some point. That's just absolutely incredible and I don't know what other event would even draw close to the same amount of people.

I'm not sure how to put the Canadian reaction into words but I think this video does some justice to what a victory that was for all 33 million hearts across this land: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHc6VGIK8-I&feature=related

-D

Saving the Best for Last

For the third time in four days, Canada has won 4 medals.

The first one this afternoon came around 5 PM when our men's team pursuit trio beat the United States to snag the men's only medal at the Richmond Olympic Oval. That was Gold #11.

Then, barely 5 minutes later, Jasey-Jay Anderson carved his way to Olympic gold after 4 tries. Anderson made it through 10 runs before crossing the finishing line as Olympic champion. More amazingly, he made up a 0.76 second deficit in the final run. What a moment for him.

Up in Whistler, Lyndon Rush's four man bobsled team missed out on a silver medal by 1/100th of a second. Nonetheless, they do take away the bronze medal, which was also Canada's 24th trip to the podium, matching the record haul in Torino.

Finally, a couples hours ago, Canada's Men's Curling team, led by Skip Kevin Martin, beat Norway 6-3 to win our 13th Gold medal in Vancouver.

What a day it's been-we got to hear O Canada THREE times. We broke the record for the most number of gold medals won by a host nation. We tied the record for the most number of gold medals EVER by any nation at one Winter Olympics. On Wednesday night, Canada was trailing far behind with just 11 medals. Now, suddenly, we might ourselves in third place with 25 medals.

And it's not done yet! TOMORROW-this entire nation will watch what will be the BIGGEST HOCKEY GAME Canada has ever played in. If we win, it will be our 14th Gold medal and 26th medal overall. But more than that, we will have won our HOLY GRAIL.

*Fingers crossed*

-D

10 Medals in 3 Days

Wow!

What a run in these last three days for Canada!

I didn't think they would even crack 20 medals after last weekend's choking orgy, but now, we are guaranteed to tie our medal count in Torino and very likely surpass it.

Last night was just so exciting in Pacific Coliseum. The short trackers of Canada finally broke through for two gold medals. Charles Hamelin snagged the Men's 500 Gold in an absolutely crazy last lap in which two skaters, including Sung Si-Bak, who was leading at the time, fell. Thanks to another controversial disqualification, this time to Apolo Anton Ohno, Francois Louis-Tremblay won bronze.

Then there was the relay, in which Canada ran a PERFECT race. The Men's 5000 M Relay in Short Track is probably the most exciting event of the discipline and it WAS extra exciting to see Canada win last night. The medal ceremonies were held on the rink last night and it was extra sweet to here O Canada played TWICE.

We also won a silver medal in Women's Curling. Probably 98 times out of 100, Canada would have snagged gold, but unfortunately, Cheryl Bernard choked two shots and we had to settle for second place.

More medal action today. There's speed skating team pursuit later this afternoon in Richmond. The Canadian men are guaranteed a silver. The Canadian women were eliminated yesterday by the Americans in the quarterfinals though.

Men's Parallel Giant Slalom Snowboarding is also underway at Cypress Mountains. Michael Lambert, Matthew Morrison, and Jasey-Jay Anderson are all expected to contend for the podium!

Runs 3 and 4 of the Four-Man Bosleigh are also scheduled for today. Canada 1 is currently in 2rd place, four-tenths back of the lead. Canada 2 is in 6th place.

We're also guaranteed a silver in men's curling this afternoon. Hopefully, Kevin Martin will bring us the gold!

More updates in the afternoon! Jam-packed day!

-D

Quadruple Medal Day

In the last few hours, on Day 12 of what has so far been a disappointing Olympics, Canada collected four medals.

First, it was Clara Hughes snagging bronze in her Olympic swan song. It was a huge performance on her part, laying down an Oval Record time of 6'55". But two youngsters from Europe, Stephanie Beckert of Germany and Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic outshined her. Nonetheless, she is now tied with the most decorated Canadian Olympians of all time with 6 medals. She is also the ONLY Olympian in HISTORY to have won multiple medals in both Summer and Winter Games.

Then, there was the exciting quarterfinal men's hockey game between Canada and Russia. When I turned on the TV and saw the score 4-1 for Canada, I was surprised but so happy. In the end, our boys smacked the Russians 7-3! Couldn't have been better. Let's hope they continue that performance!

Then, our Canadian short track relay team, with help of a disqualification of the Korean team, won a silver medal. The top three were all separated by quite a bit of time but the Canadians managed to hold off the Americans for what was initially a third place finish. And it was turned into a silver after the controversial disqualification.

Finally, Canada doubled medalled in women's bobsleigh. Canada 1 and Canada 2 laid down four amazing runs to claim gold and silver. That was a beautiful moment!

Joannie Rochette will do her free skate tomorrow. If she wins a medal, imagine the emotions!

-D

GOLD #6

In less than 24 hours, Canada has struck gold for a second time.

At around 5:30 PM this afternoon, Ashley McIvor won the first ever gold medal in women's ski cross, an event that was held in challenging weather conditions. Despite the wind and the snow, a healthy crowd was there to cheer on Ashley as she crossed the finish line in first place, way ahead of a pack of skiers from Scandanavia.

She will collect Canada's 6th gold medal in Vancouver tonight at BC Place. It will be an amazing celebration, following that horrifically disappointing weekend for Canadians. Can't wait for the ceremony!

I hope we can keep up this pace of collecting old medals!

-D

GOLDEN MOMENT

After a weekend of disappointments, upsets, and crashes and burns...Canada has finally struck GOLD again!! This time, we delivered, and we delivered big!!

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are the new Canadian heroes! What a performance from them tonight!! Absolutely a gold medal performance last night and tonight. What a beautiful moment this is for the two of them. What a beautiful moment it is for this country!

I can't wait for that anthem in a few minutes!

Just simply: WOW!

-D

Canada the Great Choke

Creds to my friend Varun for coining that term.

For the past three days, I've watched one Canadian after another (with the exception of the clutch performers Jon Montgomery and Kristina Groves) crash and burn, quite literally, as they chased for medals.

First there was Mellisa Hollingsworth, though I do sympathize with her. She is one athlete who is NOT making excuses and appreciates the magnitude of her disappointning performance. Then there was Denny Morrison who racked up a 13th place and then a 9th place finish in events in which he was a supposedly a medal contender.

Then there were the short trackers, Charles Hamelin and Francois Hamelin, who went out too fierce and watched in vain as the mighty Koreans and Apolo Anton Ohno sped by to claim the podium. Then there was the Men's Ski Cross today, an event in which Canada was hailed as a potential podium-sweeper. Chris Del Bosco ended up being the only Canadian in the final and fell on a landing close to th finish line. Oh and I forgot about Canada 1 Bobsled who flipped over on the notorious Turn 13 last night, dashing any hopes for a medal.

And tonight, Team Canada was defeated by the Americans 5-3 in what was an exciting hockey game. However, one moment struck me the most. Towards the end of the game, with his team leading 4-3, Ryan Kesler sprinted after the puck and dove and poked it into the empty Canadian net. That was the SPIRIT, I thought, which has carried the USA to their 24 medal performance so far. That was the SPIRIT that was missing for Canadian athletes this weekend.

Let's face it. We are not owning the podium in Vancouver. It will be a miracle if we crack 20 medals.

-D

More Gold Coming?

Melissa Hollingsworth is currently in second place after the 3rd run of the Women's Skeleton. She is the bronze medallist from four years ago and is right now 0.13 seconds back. Can't wait for that last run. Go for Gold Melissa!

Jon Montgomery is also second right now in the Men's Skeleton event. He is 0.29 seconds back-it'll be tough to make up that time in 2 runs. But can Canada get double gold tonight?

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are also starting their competition tonight. Hopefully, Pacific Coliseum will give Canadians better luck this time around.

-D

Another Gold

At around 5 PM today, Canada added to its gold medal total thanks to Christine Nesbitt of London, Ontario. She edged out a Dutch skater by 2-100th of a second. Her teammate Kristina Groves was oh-so-close to the podium and missed 3rd place by 0.06 seconds.

Nonetheless, GOLD is a beautiful thing and Canada has three of them now in Vancouver. I am, however, starting to be a little worried that we will not end up on top of the medals leaderboard at the end of the Games. The United States have just dominated this first week, already having won 17 medals and perhaps one more in figure skating tonight.

People have said Canada's bulk of the medals are supposed to come in the second week but I just don't know how we'll make up for the medals we lost and the medals we won in Torino that we will for sure not be able to win in Vancouver (Buttle's bronze, Men's Skeleton's gold and silver...). It'll be very, very hard but hopefully, we'll be able to pull ahead the Americans by the end.

Patrick Chan's performance was subpar to say the least here in Vancouver. I expected a lot more from the world silver medallist. But he IS just 19 years old and he will probably be back in Sochi in 2014. It would have been nice for him to win a medal on home soil though.

Gotta watch Pluschenko and then get to bed.

-D

What a Day in Vancouver!

Alright, let's do some catch up!

7.3 million people in Canada watched Alex Bilodeau's gold medal ceremony Monday night. What a moment that was!! I had tears in my eyes and goosebumps on my back as BC Place sang O Canada together for the first time.

Then, Mike Robertson came oh-so-close to another gold medal Monday evening at Cypress in the Men's Snowboard Cross. That was a very exciting race and I thought Robertson was going to win the gold for sure. But creds go to Seth Wescott who took advantage of a Robertson gaffe and defended his gold from Torino.

Yesterday, Canada saw its second gold medal in Vancouver from a Vancouverite herself. Maelle Ricker who crashed in the Women's Snowboard Cross final four years ago came back for big-time redemption, snatching the Olympic title with EASE!! I was so happy for her and again I got goosebumps listening to O Canada tonight. I do kind of feel for Lindsey Jacobellis though, choking for the second time in a row.

Three golds for the US today-Vonn, Davis, and just 5 minutes ago, the Flying Tomato-Shaun White. Impressive performances from all three. White was just amazing, doing a Double Cork 1260 on his last jump. A-MA-ZING. Another medal for Canada today, in short track. China won another gold thanks to Wang Meng. Time to get to bed-I'll check back in tomorrow with more Olympic action. I'm lovin' every minute of this!

-D

FINALLY!!!!

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN CANADIAN OLYMPIC HISTORY, A CANADIAN ATHLETE HAS WON A GOLD MEDAL ON HOME SOIL!!!!!

I can already see the headlines tomorrow morning-GOLD FOR CANADA, THE DROUGHT IS OVER, 33 YEARS IN THE MAKING-whatever it is, the wait is FINALLY over. Alexandre Bilodeau, a 22 year old moguls World Cup champion from Rosemère, Quebec snagged the gold with a nearly perfect run down Cypress Mountain.

He was the second last to go but the crowd went wild as the scores went up. Frenchman Colas then came roaring down the hill with a sub-23 run. It was nervewracking to wait for HIS scores, but in the end, a misstepped jump resulted in a major deduction. And as the scores showed him to be in 6th place, the crowd went absolutely beserk!

They chanted Bilodeau's name! They chanted CA-NA-DA! CA-NA-DA! Boy, I even had tears in my eyes!! What an evening! What a performance! I can't wait for that "O Canada" tomorrow night!!

-D

Under the Rain

Under a cloudy sky, fog, and heavy rain last night at Cypress Mountain, Jennifer Heil, the woman that I thought was going to break Canada's gold medal drought on home soil, snagged a silver. She had a great run for sure, but Hannah Kearney of the US (who is half-Canadian by the way) just had a better one.

After her second jump, Heil had a bit of a stumble on the landing but Kearney was nearly flawless, faster, and got more air. Kearney completely deserved it, but I am quite disappointed that our gold medal drought continues.

As for today, long track speed skating will be starting shortly. It's the ladies 3000 M final, featuring a slew of Canadians-Kristina Groves, Cindy Klassen, and Clara Hughes. Groves is probably our best medal hopeful for this event. Klassen, while probably the fan favourite, is not in her best form due to various injuries over the past few years. Nonetheless, that should be an exciting one, starting at 4 Eastern.

Later tonight, there's more moguls action, this time for the men. There are 3 Canadians in the medal mix, the favourite of which for a medal is Alexandre Bilodeau. It'll be interesting to see the Canadian reaction to Dale Begg-Smith, a Vancouverite-turned-Australian who ealier this week said this is not his home. While I like him as a skier, I think anybody with that kind of attitude is haughty and arrogant.

Charles Hamelin had a chance to medal yesterday in the 1500, but apparently, that wasn't even his best event. So hopefully, he'll have better luck the next couple of events.

Check in often!

-D

Let Canada's Games Begin

12:14 AM: Gretzky lights the cauldron in Jack Poole Square. There are tears in the eyes of the crowd that has gathered in the square. What a moment and though it wasn't very dramatic by any means, it is an amazing end to the flame's amazing journey through this country. Just seeing all those people on the downtown streets in Vancouver sums up what the Games mean to this country. The Games of Vancouver have begun! Just imagine all the memories that will be made in the next 16 days...

12:12 AM: Lloyd Robertson and Brian Williams are reminiscing about their own torch runs. It looks like Gretzky has reached his destination.

12:10 AM: It's hard to believe how close they're allowing the the crowd to the truck. They didn't even let us on the road when it came around here in TO. And now Gretzky has gotten a replacement as he continues on this rather long ride to the external cauldron.

12:08 AM: Gretzky stands in the back of a truck, waving to all the screaming supporters that have lined the route. It's one last public leg for a truly public relay. It is quite an amazing moment. Keep in mind that it is pouring in Vancouver and yet so many peope are running alongside the Gretzky.

12:03 AM: Now, Wayne Gretzky will carry the flame to the waterfront to light the external flame. I wonder if this was the original plan or a last minute replacement for another malfunction?

12:00 AM: The Olympic cauldron has been lit inside the stadium in what is an anti-climatic moment. Catriona Le May Doan does not get to light her section of the torch. This was not what I thought it would be...

11:59 PM: There has been a malfunction with the hydraulic system that operates the cauldron. Only three of what is probably four cauldrons has come up from the floor.

11:57 PM: A moment of suspense as all five torchbearers stand in their spots. What will they do? Will they light it together?

11:55 PM: And now the Great One...Wayne Gretzky receives the flame. Now the question is, will he light the cauldron?

11:55 PM: Nancy Greene receives the flame from Nash and a huge ovation to go with it.

11:54 PM: NBA MVP and All-Star Steve Nash receives the flame.

11:54 PM: Hansen passes the flame to Catriona Le May Doan.

11:53 PM: Here comes the majestic music. It's the Olympic torch!!!! The same torch I saw almost two months ago here in Toronto. It looks like Rick Hansen coming in on his wheelchair.

11:49 PM: French singer Garu sings yet another song.

11:48 PM: Hayley Wickenheiser takes the Athletes' Oath in English. Michel Verrault takes the Judges' Oath in French.

11:47 PM: A minute of silence is held for luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. It is a powerful and memorable moment as 60 000 people stand quietly and solemnly for 60 seconds. They lower the Canadian and Olympic flags to half mast.

11:41 PM: The flag-bearing octet arrives at the flagpole, where they stand to watch the Mounties raise the five-ringed flag. The Olympic Hymn is sung. Jacque Rogge still doesn't know the words (see my Beijing Opening Ceremony post).

11:39 PM: Now comes the Olympic flag, carried by: Betty Fox (mother of Terry Fox), actor Donald Sutherland, Formula One driver Jacque Villeneuve, 1948 figure skating champion Barbara Ann Scott, renowned singer Anne Murray, former UN peacekeeping commander Romeo Dallaire, the great hockey player Bobby Orr (who gets a huge ovation from the crowd), and astronaut Julie Payette (who just finished a tour of the International Space Station)

11:32 PM: "Hallelujah" is sung by KD Lang as the crowd romantically waves their flashlights.

11:30 PM: Our Governor General Michaelle Jean bilingually opens the Vancouver Games!!

11:26 PM: Here's Dr. Jacque Rogge.

11:23 PM: Furlong says this is the "proudest night of my life".

11:22 PM: Furlong says with the help of the Olympics flame, we can all aspire to be Olympian. I couldn't have said it better myself.

11:20 PM: Furlong makes multiple references to Nodar, calling on athletes to compete with his spirit.

11:18 PM: John Furlong calls on the world to share the experience of being "a proud Canadian".

11:16 PM: Here comes John Furlong and Jacque Rogge. They begin jointly at the podium to dedicate a moment to Nodar Kumaritashvili, the luger who passed away in the luge accident earlier in the day. It is an appropriate, solemn remembrance.

11:11 PM: A poem of Canadian identity is recited by a man who was reportedly discovered on YouTube and it is an inspiring and passionate one! He sums up what this country is all about. He sums up why my parents came to this country. Wow.

11:10 PM: We move into the part of the show highlighting the modernity of this country. The light streaks on the ground are like car lights on a busy highway.

11:07 PM: It's another light show galore as images of winter Olympic highlights are projected onto a mountain in the middle of the stage with acrobats twisting and turning in the air with skis and snowboards strapped to their feet.

11:04 PM: What a cooperative audience they've got in there, waving their flashlights with perfect effectiveness.

10:57 PM: The prairie segment of the show begins with a boy running along the wheat fields. He is lifted into the air and gracefully glides and twists in the "wind".

10:52 PM: Woah...are those flames on the heels of their shoes and the tips of their violin bows?

10:50 PM: The crowd gives an enormous ovation to the solo tap dancer. Some more dancers join in. It's one heck of a party scene down there on the floor.

10:48 PM: More fiddling and leaves falling. The bright red maple leaves are pretty good looking.

10:45 PM: Man in a canoe suspended high above the stage pretending to play the violin/fiddle amidst falling maples leaves highlight the "colours of fall" in Canada.

10:37 PM: Sarah McLachlan performs "Ordinary Miracle" along with the orchestra. Great song for this atmosphere. Almost every athlete can relate to an "ordinary miracle" sometime in his or her career.

10:34 PM: Seriously, the light effects are amazing. They're so real. First, it was the ice cracking and now the orca whales swimming in the ocean. I'm impressed.

10:31 PM: THAT is one big bear!! Very very cool with the light effects.

10:25 PM: Commercial break across the channels. Been a great show so far. Let's see what else is next.

10:19 PM: "Bang the Drum", a tribute to the athletes is performed by Nelly Furtado and Bryan Adams. They're standing on the "drum" in the centre of the stadium.

10:18 PM: BC Premier Gordon Campbell cracks me up with his enthusiastic flag waving!

10:14 PM: The crowd goes wild as the Maple Leaf enters the stadium! Canada is here, led by flagbearer Clara Hughes. Listen to the crowd. Look at all those camera flashes and waving flags. What an emotional moment. I'm getting goosebumps.

10:12 PM: Listen to the applause as Americans enter. Many Americans probably made their way up to from Washington state. Very warm welcome for that contingent. Vice President Joe Biden is in the stands with his wife Jill.

10:09 PM: Chinese Taipei makes an entrance with their Olympic flag. They send a luger to Vancouver.

10:07 PM: Sweden is sending a huge contingent. And hey look, it's Peter Forsberg holding the flag!

10:02 PM: The Russians want to win 40 medals in Vancouver? I don't think that's going to happen...they'll be lucky to crack 30.

9:59 PM: And here comes another powerhouse-Norway. The Nordic events are pretty much DESIGNED for them.

9:55 PM: Mexico's lone athlete is 51 years old. He's an alpine skiier who hasn't competed in the Olympics since 1994. He IS the oldest athlete in Vancouver.

9:53 PM: NBC points out that Liechenstein has won 9 medals in Winter Olympic history and they have just a population of 34000.

9:52 PM: Latvia is bringing 58 athletes and many of them are likely to contend too.

9:48 PM: The Jamaican Bobsled Team did not make it to Vancouver, but they do send one athlete though, competiting in ski cross.

9:45 PM: Out of 1.1 billion people, Indian sends a meagre 3 to Vancouver.

9:43 PM: Hong Kong has a team of its own?! My dad says she looks like somebody from the north of China, definitely sent by China, he says.

9:40 PM: Germany sure is a colourful contingent.

9:39 PM: Here's the Georgian contingent. A standing ovation from all those in the stadium in memory of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the luger who perished earlier today in training. The Georgian delegate will leave the stadium immediately after marching in. They have those black armbands on. What a moment.

9:35 PM: Look at the dancers on the sides of the entrance, reminds me of Beijing a little bit.

9:33 PM: More flamboyant pants, this time from the Czech Republic.

9:30 PM: Here comes China!!!!!! Much much better uniforms this time around. Han Xiaopeng, the reigning aerials gold medallist, holds our flag.

9:28 PM: Five athletes from Brazil, a nation of almost 200 million... Cayman Islands has 1 athlete and a population of 49000...

9:27 PM: Jacque Rogge is a surgeon?! And wow, Bermuda's lone athlete trots in with shorts on. Never thought that would happen in the Winter Olympics eh? But honestly, they look pretty tacky with those navy blue suits.

9:24 PM: Here comes the first powerhouse of the Winter Olympics. 81 athletes from Austria and theire co-flagbearers are brothers. And hey, look at those colourful pants of the Azerbaijan contingent.

9:22 PM: Love the snow-like surface the athletes are walking onto.

9:21 PM: The countries are here already? The show part of this is done already?!

9:20 PM: They're doing some cool things with the lights. Look at all those flags projected in the stands.

9:19 PM: As we watch the First Nations gather in the centre of the stadium, Brian Williams points out that Canada has more than 350 First Nations.

9:13 PM: The four different First Nations welcome the world by extending out their hands. Those totem poles look a bit robotic.

9:09 PM: Up goes the Maple Leaf. This rendition of O Canada is a bit too pop/romantic for an OC, don't you think? But VANOC CEO John Furlong did say this was going to be an intimate ceremony.

9:07 PM: They've definitely set a majestic atmosphere at BC Place with the pompous music. Look at all the camera flashes.

9:04 PM: What an entrance by the snowboarder!! Simply beautiful!!

9:02 PM: Love the video of the snowboarder carving down what is a pure cliff. Wow! The list of Winter Olympics host cities is a bit out of the place though.

9:00 PM: The countdown has begun! An awe-inspiring video of Vancouver beauty kicks it off.

8:55 PM: It's time to light the cauldron once again. Tonight, in the shadow of the awe-inspiring beauty of Vancouver harbour, the XXI Winter Olympics will be officially opened. It's a project nearly a decade in the making, which has inspired unprecedented Canadian pride. Tonight, all the anticipation comes to an end and Canada's Games will begin. I cannot describe in words, as a Canadian, what I am feeling tonight. Watching the pre-ceremony shows right now, I am already getting goosebumps. Alright, here we go-Vancouver 2010-about to begin.

-D

Pre-Olympic Preparations

First things first, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died during a training run this afternoon in Whistler. It's always sad when somebody dies young (he was just 21), but it's sadder when it comes on the eve of one of the greatest celebrations on Earth. I really think they should give him a moment of silence tonight during the Opening Ceremony. It is just very very tragic.

Speaking of the OC, I will be live blogging it tonight, starting at 9 PM EST. I had such a blast blogging the 08 Beijing Games, and though this time I can't live blog on a daily basis, I will write as many updates as possible.

In all honesty, I am very very excited about Vancouver 2010. It's more special because I got to see the Olympic torch up close. Going to be a very very fun rest of February. My guess for first Canadian to win gold on home soil: Jen Heil. You just wait for it tomorrow night.

-D

Random Chat

Really think Raptors should have won last night's game against Indiana. Bosh and Bargnani combined for almost 70 points. The D was just too weak. 130 points to the Pacers?! That's almost as bad as Atlanta's 149.

The new Leafs looked fabulous last night. But can't judge 'em too quickly though. Dion Phaneuf was agressive and even had an assist. Giguere was solid. Sjostrom also got a point. Hopefully, they'll keep playing like that. I still doubt the Leafs will make the playoffs though. They're too far behind the 8th place threshold. Maybe next year? (So cliché)

SI came out today with its Olympic predictions. They got Canada in second place with 30 medals. I think 30 might just be enough for first in Vancouver. They also have us at 10 golds, which I think is very fair. Can't wait for the games-the countdown is down to single digits now!!!

-D

He Did it Again!

Oh well, both Chinese ladies bounced out in their semi-final matches, but wow-I'm still very impressed with both Li Na and Zheng Jie. Li put on a fight too, eventually succumbing to Serena Williams 7-6, 7-6. Zheng, on the other hand, was blown out in her match, albeit to a very worthy opponent in Justine Henin.

And a couple nights later, Justine Henin failed to complete her comeback story, losing to Serena in a very exciting, three-setter. Henin looked dead in the first set before charging back to take the second. Serena, however, put on the finishing touch by taking the third 6-2. She's now won 5 AO titles-that's also VERY impressive!

And early this morning EDT, Roger Federer took his 16th title with a straight sets victory over Andy Murray. While Murray began to show some form late in the third set, it was too little too late as Federer rallied to an easy victory. This just proves how LEGENDARY Federer is on the court. And though Murray is still missing that Grand Slam trophy on his mantlepiece, I think he will capture it sooner rather than later.

So there's another Australian Open for ya-can't wait for the French. I hope Nadal returns to form and puts on a show in Paris.

-D

Can It Actually Happen...

Wow! What can I say? Another day, another Chinese woman has made the AO Semis.

This is completely unprecedented-having two Chinese players in the semis of a Grand Slam. The excitement is just ineffable! Even sweeter is the fact that Li Na, the player who tenaciously knocked out Venus Williams yesterday, is from my hometown of Wuhan. When she came back to win that third set yesterday, I was jumping up and down!

I'm not saying that it will likely happen, but we COULD, POTENTIALLY see an ALL-CHINESE Grand Slam final. That would be the biggest sporting spectable in China since the Olympics! Fingers crossed that the miracle will happen, but it will be nonetheless very exciting to see Zheng Jie and Li Na take on their semi-final opponents today.

Bold prediction of the day: Marin Cilic will upset Andy Murray once again.

-D

Now Things Are Interesting...

Oh the tennis! Where to begin?

After another high drama day on the courts at Melbourne Park, this AO is headed towards one very interesting ending.

The two highlight matches of the day - Nadal v. Murray and Cilic v. Roddick sure brought out some drama! The Cilic v. Roddick match went 5 sets, Cilic's third of the tournament, and third victory, no less. Roddick found himself two sets down early, but battled back in the next two to tie it up. However, the pain in his shoulder/arm bothered him throughout the match, and Cilic eventually came out on top in a marathoner: 7-6 (4), 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3.

In the primetime match, Rafael Nadal also succumbed to injury. He was never in form as Murray took the first two sets 6-3, 7-6 (2). Trailing 3-0 in the third set, Nadal retired, much to the disappointment of the crowd at Rod Laver. That certainly leaves the door wide open for Federer to add to his mantlepiece.

Justine Henin continued her sizzling comeback run in the women's quarterfinals. She beat Nadia Petrova effortlessly and moved on to the semis. I wonder if this story has the same ending as that last lady who made her comeback on the courts after a two-year absence.

On the other hand, Zheng Jie, from China (woot!), made her second semi-final at a Grand Slam tournament, beating Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-1, 6-3. Now, fingers crossed for that other Chinese player, Li Na (who is from my hometown, no less!) as she plays Venus Williams when day breaks in Melbourne.

Federer and Davydenko will duel it out today as well. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Novak Djokovic are slated to face eachother in a rematch of the 2008 final. Serena Williams is up against Victoria Azarenka in the quarters.

Things are getting real interesting down there in Melbourne...

-D

Down Under in Melbourne

We continue to see some great tennis going on down there in Melbourne.

This tournament has been a unique one-beginning with the Hit for Haiti campaign that was organized in a day's time, which raised almost half a million Australian Dollars.

Then, as early round action got underway, the rain came for a visit (it's January in Melbourne-it NEVER rains!) After the rain came the upsets. Sharapova was given a quick hike by her fellow compatriot Maria Kirilenko. Juan Carlos Ferrero, Robin Soderling, Flavia Pennetta, and Elena Dementieva all bounced by the second round.

Janina Wickmayer, the lady who fought her way into the semi-finals at last year's US Open, had reached the 4th round in Melbourne. Justine Henin, who is playing her first tournament in two years looks to be in great shape, beating seeds along the way to a 4th round berth. Her countrywoman Kim Clijsters hasn't had as much luck, losing yesterday to Nadia Petrova.

On the men's side, no big surprises so far. Del Potro had an exciting 5 setter earlier on, but everything's unfolding as expected. I would love to see Del Potro in the final again, but I really hope Federer will get to add to his 15 titles. That'll be exciting to watch!

-D

Australia!

Can't believe it's that time of the year again!!

The 2010 Australian Open is starting on Monday!

The big stars are lined up for the big show once again and there's plenty of them in action on Day 1, including Nadal, Del Potro, Jankovic, Sharapova, Clijsters, Murray, Safina, the comeback girl Justine Henin, and a whole host of others. Interestingly, Peng Shuai and Zhang Jie are to face eachother in Round 1 (you probably don't care unless you're Chinese).

I think my pick for this tournament's final will be Federer vs. Del Potro again. That should be real interesting to see, but of course, Djokovic and Nadal always have a decent shot. But then again, remember what happened 2 years ago?

How Andy Murray starts his year will also be fascinating to watch. As we remember, he ran out of steam against Marin Cilic last year at the US Open, which was quite pathetic actually.

Otherwise, should be real exciting! Maybe there'll be another story like Oudin?

-D

PS Sorry for not posting for so long. Been very busy with school and other things.