Till Bits

Whether or not he wins the Spink award and enters Cooperstown, Bob Elliot did some HOF mittenstringing today with his piece on l'affaire Richmond:

The Jays recalled the 28-year-old, one start before Olympic rosters had to be filed, had him start twice more and then demoted him to triple-A Syracuse on Friday.

Jays management appeared surprised when some Canadians reacted angrily to Canada going into the Olympics without its best starter.

Only arrogance or a failure to understand this country, or both, would allow management to not know they were walking into a sandstorm, or whatever it is Mr. Lahey and Randy say every 10 minutes on the Trailer Park Boys.

When the Colorado Rockies didn't allow Jeff Francis to pitch in the 2004 Olympics how many people in Denver cared? Canadians cared about the loss of Richmond.

Wow, I'm Canadian, I love baseball, and I didn't care at all. Who knew that JP Ricciardi's job is to stock the Canadian national team with talent? You know, if the Yankees really were 'America's Team' they should have lent America Jeter, & A-Rod!

This is the reality of an Olympic baseball tournament in the middle of baseball season, as outlined in a good piece by Jeff Blair today. Guys aren't available. The priorities of MLB clubs and national teams are different. Just because JP runs the only team in his particular country should not mean that he has to play by different rules than every other GM in baseball. While we're at it, why not send Matt Stairs? The Canadian team could use a bat.

If you have ten minutes to waste (you're here, aren't you?), check out the latest from Mike Toth. No, come on, do it!

Two fun games to get you through this eyestabber - 1. Count how many of his predictions, well, aren't. (start with #1 and work down). 2. What is the most awkward segue in the piece?

This?

And enough about Michael Phelps.

I'm partial to Don Phelps, the long-time coach of the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

At least he didn't go with Fred Phelps.

Or this?

A playoff team by default, but the Sens window of opportunity has already come crashing down on their fingers.

10. At least the Senators have fingers. Toronto, meanwhile, has just one Finger,

I predict a Sportsnet website editor will be arrested for aggravated assault by Christmas.

And hey, it wouldn't be a Cox Bloc joint without something about the Leafs! Well, it would, it just wouldn't get any comments. And we do have a special treat today so careful not to soil your blue and white jammies. Remember TSN spokesmelon David Pratt? Maybe from his days rockin' Port Alberni at CJAV? No? He and professional mousse receptacle Don Taylor currently host the drive time sports-talk show here in Vancouver (a recent poll question was devoted to 'what to do with the homeless during the Olympics, in which the gruesome twosome proposed opening the bars all day, opined that poor people had no right to live downtown cause the real estate is too valuable, and mused that with no homeless around, people would miss the heroin delivery. Classy). That ring a bell? No? Oh, how about this - he was the guy who got canned like tuna by the Province this summer for plagiarizing Rick Reilly - all because he "wanted to get out of the office before 12 on a Saturday." Yeah, that guy!

Anyways, his firing coincided with months of inactivity on HIS TRULY OUTSTANDING BLOG THAT NEEDS TO BE WRITTEN ENTIRELY IN CAPITALS FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND ITS GENIUS. But he's back (or Dave Pratt is  - it's hard to tell) with a brilliant take on the Sundin saga. One read of this and we can all agree - we'd all be better off "watching Batman" (if you know what I mean) than checking out Pratt's DOMAIN OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

1967!