Apologies for the delay in this Link Train post; I was planning to run it last night as per usual, but life got in the way and prevented me from finishing it until now. I should hopefully have another one ready at the normal time tonight, and perhaps even a piece of my own before then if all goes well. As always, leave links for upcoming editions in the comments, or send them to me via Twitter, Facebook or e-mail.
Video Of The Day: Deep Purple - Highway Star
One of the all-time great driving songs, this song also was one of the first real hits in the hard rock/heavy metal vein (along with Led Zeppelin's Communication Breakdown and Black Sabbath's Paranoid). It's the first track from Deep Purple's seminal 1972 album Machine Head, one of the most influential hard rock albums out there. Moreover, it shows off Jon Lord's incredible use of the Hammond organ. If anyone ever tells you the organ has no place in rock, make them listen to Deep Purple for a while.
My Links:
- My weekly CFL column, The Whole 110 Yards, is up over at The Rookies. I break down the past week's action, preview this coming week's games, and discuss the ultimate CFL road trip and the brief existence of the Sacramento Gold Miners [The Rookies].
The Best Of The Intertubes:
Football:
- Instead of a doctor, Marc Bulger is going to consult Kurt Warner on how to return from injury more quickly. Dr. James Andrews must have been too busy with Favre [Sportress of Blogitude].
- My Rookies colleague Skating Tomato previews the Buffalo Bills' season. They are the Buffalo Bills, so I predict moments of brilliance followed by eventual soul-crushing defeat [Style Points].
- A nice Steelers Daily Six Pack from Frank Mineo, featuring Isaac Redman's celebrations, Jeff Reed's pranks, Mike Wallace's Madden workout and more [Behind The Steel Curtain].
- Oh yeah, and some guy named Favre did something [Vikings Throne].
Baseball:
- Bob Elliott has a good take on the Jays drafting nine Canadians, but only signing one (he is Tony Fernandez's son, though, which is cool). [Canadian Baseball Network].
- Michael Harrison weighs in on the Jays' failure to sign three of their top four draft picks [Blue Jays Way].
- Jeff Blair on how not trading for Halladay may keep the Red Sox out of the playoffs. [The Globe and Mail].
- Eyebleaf makes the valuable point that it's nice to see the Jays going over slot on their later picks, even if they couldn't get it done at the top [Sports and the City]. Personally, I'd rather see them lock up the top picks and then sign as many of the rest as possible, though.
- Oh, and the justification by J.P. Ricciardi on why he finally decided to start going over slot years after he should have started? “I think because everyone else was doing it.". I love that our general manager uses high school popularity contest logic to make baseball decisions. [Shi Davidi, The Canadian Press, via The Globe and Mail].
- Speaking of Ricciardi, Cam Hutchinson of The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix has a nice bit on him in his most recent sports humour column. "A woman in Norwalk, Conn., who spent $2,000 to stage a dinner to honour herself as 'Nurse of the Year' has been charged with reckless endangerment and criminal impersonation for pretending to be a nurse. In sports lexicon, this is comparable to J.P. Ricciardi masquerading as a MLB general manager." I firmly endorse this sentiment.
Soccer:
- Adam reviews Fox Soccer Channel's Champions League coverage so far [Avoiding The Drop].
- Jason Davis reports that San Antonio might be interested in an MLS team again. [Match Fit USA]
- Andy Hutchins isn't impressed with Bill Simmons' recent foray into soccer writing. I liked Simmons' piece and thought he made some good points, but Hutchins brings up some interesting ones as well. [The Rookies]
Basketball:
- Washington Wizards' centre Brendan Haywood made some rather stupid homophobic comments about Stephon Marbury on Hardcore Sports Radio Monday. [Transcribed by Tas Melas, Sports Radio Interviews].
- Kelly Dwyer has an excellent takedown of Haywood's comments [Ball Don't Lie].
- A fantastic take on the matter by Kevin Arnovitz, who explains what it's like to be a gay sports journalist and invites Haywood to discuss the issue with him [TrueHoop].
- Sarah has an interesting post on the subject as well, exploring the comments on Dwyer's piece [Hornets Hype].
- In lighter NBA news, Lang Whitaker has a good review of the first episode of Shaq Vs., which saw The Big Diesel take on Big Ben (Ben Roethlisberger). Samer Ocho Cinco also looked at this over at The Rookies. [Slam Online].
Hockey:
Brandon Worley looks at the question of if Tom Hicks' financial troubles will affect the Stars [Defending Big D].
Greg Wyshynski takes a look at the Sharks stripping Patrick Marleau of the captaincy [Puck Daddy].
Vance wonders why the Islanders have three expensive goalies and not much else [Bangin Panger].
Yankee Canuck introduces us to Vancouver's new prospect, Michael Ward [Nucks Misconduct].
That does it for today's links. As mentioned above, I should have more tonight. Thanks for reading, and be sure to send me your tips and links!
Showing posts with label Kelly Dwyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kelly Dwyer. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Link Train: Fear Of The Dark
It's time for another instalment of The Link Train. As always, leave links for tomorrow night's segment in the comments or send them to me via e-mail or Twitter. All sports-related submissions are welcomed. Thanks for reading!
Video Of The Day: Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark
I'm a huge Maiden fan, but this was a song that didn't really make much of an impression on me the first time I heard it on the eponymous album. It was cool, but it didn't particularly jump out at me. I then heard them play it live at Toronto's Air Canada Centre in October 2007 (still probably the best concert I've been to; you can check out some photos from it on my Facebook page and it became one of my favourites. This song is just epic live, particularly with a good crowd like the one at their headlining set at the 2001 Rock in Rio festival (which turned into an impressive live album) above; it sends chills down your spine to hear a crowd that large singing the intro in unison.
My Links:
- My weekly The Phoenix Pub column targeted the mental side of sports this week. I tried to explain why I'll always be more impressed by a Greg Maddux, a Wayne Gretzky, a Brian Bannister or a Y.E. Yang than a Nolan Ryan, a Usain Bolt or a Tiger Woods. It's not necessarily that their feats are any better or any easier, but the mental aspect makes them more relatable, in my mind.
The Best Of The Intertubes:
Baseball:
- Kevin Kaduk has some good thoughts (and a killer headline) on the much-anticipated signing of first-overall pick Stephen Strasburg [Big League Stew].
- Also on Strasburg, but funnier; Jon Bois of The Dugout examines what his plans for all that money involve. They include a fleet of aircraft carriers covered in pennies [FanHouse].
- Tyler Kepner has a great piece on the meeting of current Yankees' bullpen coach Mike Harkey and the Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. during the ongoing Yanks-Mariners series, 22 years after the Mariners made the decision to draft Griffey over Harkey. He also goes into the opposition of then-owner George Argyros and how Griffey eventually became crucial to the construction of Safeco Field (and thus, the survival of the team in Seattle). Well worth a read [The New York Times].
- Ian Hunter has some good thoughts on Toronto relievers Brandon League and Jesse Carlson [Blue Jay Hunter].
Football:
- The story of Tom Cable allegedly punching assistant Randy Hanson, then being cheered on by his team with "Bumaye, Cable!" (a reference to the Ali-Foreman Rumble in the Jungle) would be completely unbelievable if we weren't talking about the Raiders [Gregg Rosenthal, Pro Football Talk].
- However, it may not be as ludicrous as first thought. ESPN is reporting that no punches were thrown, based on Cable's denial to Mark Schlereth and the description of the incident former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah obtained from a source. According to Jeremiah's source, Hanson spoke profanely to defensive coordinator John Marshall. Cable got upset and pushed Hanson's chair, and he fell and hit his jaw. That would fit with the facts and comments that have come out so far, and sounds much more reasonable than Cable slugging a guy. [ESPN, Twitter]
- Matty I breaks down the Dolphins' 12-9 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has good things to say about former B.C. Lion Cameron Wake's pass-rush ability [The Phinsider].
- Jared Allen... on Twitter? [Sportress of Blogitude].
Soccer:
- Magnakai Haaskivi breaks down tomorrow's Champions League television schedule [Avoiding The Drop].
- Why Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov might not be the best choice for your fantasy footy team [Never Captain Nicky Butt].
- The always-excellent Chris Nee looks at Saturday's Toronto FC - D.C. United game and concludes that D.C. may be in trouble [Chris Pontius Blog].
Hockey:
- Sean Zandberg has the audio of general manager Mike Gillis' radio interview on The Team 1040 this afternoon. I listened to the interview over the airwaves on the drive home today, and it's pretty good. He had some interesting comments on new signing Sergei Shirokov (who I wrote about here), his desire to add another offensive defenceman and the progress of the Roberto Luongo contract negotiations [Nucks Misconduct].
- James Mirtle has the latest on the Thrashers' ownership mess. Yes, more NHL teams are running into major problems! By my count, the current list includes the Coyotes (fully embroiled in bankruptcy court), Predators (partly in bankruptcy court), Stars (broke owner thanks to the Liverpool mess), Lightning (broke owners who hate each other), Islanders (having massive trouble getting a new arena) and Thrashers. Any I'm missing? [From The Rink]
- David Rogers on how this summer has seen St. Louis improve dramatically while Central Division rivals Chicago have struggled [Frozen Notes].
Basketball:
- Kevin Arnovitz on three teams that might surprise people this year [TrueHoop].
- James Borbath breaks down the Roko Ukic-Amir Johnson trade [Dino Nation].
- Kelly Dwyer thinks said trade is "a steal of sorts" for Toronto [Ball Don't Lie].
- New Score Sports Federation colleague Nat brings you her top ten "DAYUM!" moments from last season [Heels on Hardwood].
Other:
- James Brown and First Derivative interview Robert Littal of Black Sports Online [The Phoenix Pub].
- Andy Hutchins on Usain Bolt's dominance [The Rookies].
- Joe Posnanski has a tremendous piece on Tiger and Yang [Joe Blog].
- Ailanthus Altissima somehow manages to continue to find interesting things to write about college sports despite the offseason. Most impressive. This week's subject: should players with criminal records be eligible for scholarships? [The Phoenix Pub].
Video Of The Day: Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark
I'm a huge Maiden fan, but this was a song that didn't really make much of an impression on me the first time I heard it on the eponymous album. It was cool, but it didn't particularly jump out at me. I then heard them play it live at Toronto's Air Canada Centre in October 2007 (still probably the best concert I've been to; you can check out some photos from it on my Facebook page and it became one of my favourites. This song is just epic live, particularly with a good crowd like the one at their headlining set at the 2001 Rock in Rio festival (which turned into an impressive live album) above; it sends chills down your spine to hear a crowd that large singing the intro in unison.
My Links:
- My weekly The Phoenix Pub column targeted the mental side of sports this week. I tried to explain why I'll always be more impressed by a Greg Maddux, a Wayne Gretzky, a Brian Bannister or a Y.E. Yang than a Nolan Ryan, a Usain Bolt or a Tiger Woods. It's not necessarily that their feats are any better or any easier, but the mental aspect makes them more relatable, in my mind.
The Best Of The Intertubes:
Baseball:
- Kevin Kaduk has some good thoughts (and a killer headline) on the much-anticipated signing of first-overall pick Stephen Strasburg [Big League Stew].
- Also on Strasburg, but funnier; Jon Bois of The Dugout examines what his plans for all that money involve. They include a fleet of aircraft carriers covered in pennies [FanHouse].
- Tyler Kepner has a great piece on the meeting of current Yankees' bullpen coach Mike Harkey and the Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. during the ongoing Yanks-Mariners series, 22 years after the Mariners made the decision to draft Griffey over Harkey. He also goes into the opposition of then-owner George Argyros and how Griffey eventually became crucial to the construction of Safeco Field (and thus, the survival of the team in Seattle). Well worth a read [The New York Times].
- Ian Hunter has some good thoughts on Toronto relievers Brandon League and Jesse Carlson [Blue Jay Hunter].
Football:
- The story of Tom Cable allegedly punching assistant Randy Hanson, then being cheered on by his team with "Bumaye, Cable!" (a reference to the Ali-Foreman Rumble in the Jungle) would be completely unbelievable if we weren't talking about the Raiders [Gregg Rosenthal, Pro Football Talk].
- However, it may not be as ludicrous as first thought. ESPN is reporting that no punches were thrown, based on Cable's denial to Mark Schlereth and the description of the incident former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah obtained from a source. According to Jeremiah's source, Hanson spoke profanely to defensive coordinator John Marshall. Cable got upset and pushed Hanson's chair, and he fell and hit his jaw. That would fit with the facts and comments that have come out so far, and sounds much more reasonable than Cable slugging a guy. [ESPN, Twitter]
- Matty I breaks down the Dolphins' 12-9 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has good things to say about former B.C. Lion Cameron Wake's pass-rush ability [The Phinsider].
- Jared Allen... on Twitter? [Sportress of Blogitude].
Soccer:
- Magnakai Haaskivi breaks down tomorrow's Champions League television schedule [Avoiding The Drop].
- Why Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov might not be the best choice for your fantasy footy team [Never Captain Nicky Butt].
- The always-excellent Chris Nee looks at Saturday's Toronto FC - D.C. United game and concludes that D.C. may be in trouble [Chris Pontius Blog].
Hockey:
- Sean Zandberg has the audio of general manager Mike Gillis' radio interview on The Team 1040 this afternoon. I listened to the interview over the airwaves on the drive home today, and it's pretty good. He had some interesting comments on new signing Sergei Shirokov (who I wrote about here), his desire to add another offensive defenceman and the progress of the Roberto Luongo contract negotiations [Nucks Misconduct].
- James Mirtle has the latest on the Thrashers' ownership mess. Yes, more NHL teams are running into major problems! By my count, the current list includes the Coyotes (fully embroiled in bankruptcy court), Predators (partly in bankruptcy court), Stars (broke owner thanks to the Liverpool mess), Lightning (broke owners who hate each other), Islanders (having massive trouble getting a new arena) and Thrashers. Any I'm missing? [From The Rink]
- David Rogers on how this summer has seen St. Louis improve dramatically while Central Division rivals Chicago have struggled [Frozen Notes].
Basketball:
- Kevin Arnovitz on three teams that might surprise people this year [TrueHoop].
- James Borbath breaks down the Roko Ukic-Amir Johnson trade [Dino Nation].
- Kelly Dwyer thinks said trade is "a steal of sorts" for Toronto [Ball Don't Lie].
- New Score Sports Federation colleague Nat brings you her top ten "DAYUM!" moments from last season [Heels on Hardwood].
Other:
- James Brown and First Derivative interview Robert Littal of Black Sports Online [The Phoenix Pub].
- Andy Hutchins on Usain Bolt's dominance [The Rookies].
- Joe Posnanski has a tremendous piece on Tiger and Yang [Joe Blog].
- Ailanthus Altissima somehow manages to continue to find interesting things to write about college sports despite the offseason. Most impressive. This week's subject: should players with criminal records be eligible for scholarships? [The Phoenix Pub].
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