Classic card of the week

Craig Worthington, 1991 Score

Let’s pretend, for fun, that we are not aware that this is a Craig Worthington baseball card we are looking at, okay? Just trust me.



He has quick reflexes and goes well to his left and right, covering a vast amount of ground around third base and throwing with a powerful, accurate arm for the Orioles. Who does that remind you of? Brooks Robinson?

Yeah! I mean, if this wasn’t written in the present tense!

Doug DiCinces?

Not really, but…okay, yeah! It may have helped jog my memory though if you had spelled Doug DeCinces correctly, as nobody, really, reminds me of Doug DiCinces.

You’re wrong on both counts.

WHAT??!!!???!!!!????!!!!!????

It’s Craig

So wait. You’re telling me that the biographical tidbit contained on the back of this Craig Worthington card is about Craig Worthington? I am dumbfounded. This has really caught me off guard.

I also appreciate that I am wrong about being reminded of different baseball players when the author’s intent is to speak of Craig Worthington. In theory, a quick-reflexed, range-having, accurate-arm-boasting third baseman for the Orioles could remind me of Cher, for reasons that are personal and do not have to be explained, and that would be okay. It would also be okay, me thinks, to be reminded of former players who possessed those exact same qualities. I’m just saying.

who wore the mantle of both great Oriole third basemen in 1990.

1) One of them was great. The other was Doug DeCinces. 2) I wish Craig Worthington was forced to play third base while literally wearing a mantle on his back that contained bronze busts of both Brooks Robinson and Doug DeCinces. Then we’d really see how well he could move to his left and right.

He has superb hands and makes everything look easy around the bag, just as Brooks and Doug did.

So…he reminds you of Brooks Robinson and Doug DeCinces? The circle is complete.

I also think that “Brooks & Doug” would be a good name for a country music duo that did not remind people of a different country music duo.

Did you know?
Once, while attempting to bestow on him the nickname “Craig ‘We’re Not Worthy’ington,” Chris Berman accidentally swallowed his tongue.

Walk a Mile in her Shoes

The 2010 Toronto Walk a mile in her shoes (http://www.walkamiletoronto.org/) event had Yonge-Dundas Square filling up with individual and team participants getting ready for the walk which left the square at 12:45pm. The best part was the local home town heroes, the police and firefighters, putting on their high heels and strutting their stuff for the media and the crowd.

The walkers included students, blue and white collar workers and plenty of business people in suits.

More pictures after the jump.

Museums in Toronto

Toronto is fortunate to have several world class museums where you can see artifacts and art from times gone by - and some current stuff as well. The Art Gallery of Ontario building is also interesting with it's curved windows along Dundas Street and it's silver staircase out back facing onto a large city park.

Certainly the changes to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and it's new crystal  facade has stirred up some controversy but inside you will find exciting worlds to visit and it doesn't need a boring building to scare people away (the dinosaurs inside might scare some of the youngsters though).

There is also the Gardiner Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), the Spadina Museum and other Municipal museums, the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Canadian Air & Space Museum, the Bata Shoe Museum, and the Textile Museum of Canada. For those that like museums on the sassy and spicy side there is the Toronto Sex Museum, 

We also have major outdoor art festivals including Luminato and Nuit Blanche. Nuit Blanche, the all night art thing is this Saturday, October 2nd starting at 6:57pm. There are so many installations for Nuit Blanche so you need to review and pick out your primary and secondary locations that you want to visit. You need secondary locations because the crowds are immense and sometimes you don't want to wait forever. Remember that art is in the eye of the beholder because a lot of the time you will say "it's cool, but is it art?" and even if you don't think it is art it still is exciting to spend the night with the crowds of Toronto exploring cool things.

On bulging veins, trains and automobiles

Note: This column appears in the 9/30 issue of The Glendale Star and the 10/1 issue of the Peoria Times

The other day I was driving to work and, as usual, some guy in a monster pick-up truck was riding my bumper. And he was mad at me.

There is a light at 91st and Grand, near the 101. I was making a left onto Grand, and I could tell this guy was too, not because of his turn signal, which he refused to use, but because his vehicle was in my back seat. I had missed the green arrow, and the traffic light was now just green, and so in order to turn I was forced to wait for the oncoming traffic to break.

Now, on these occasions, most people -– and everyone in this state –- moves out into the middle of the intersection to wait, so if the traffic never breaks, the turn can be made after the light turns red. I am honestly uncertain if this is legal or not, but I no longer do this. A couple of years ago, my wife was involved in an accident when she thought it was safe to turn left on a yellow light, but an oncoming car chose to speed up and, eventually, run a red, sideswiping her in the process.

So now I wait at green lights behind the crosswalk when turning left, and if I miss the light, so be it. The thing about this particular intersection is that there are railroad tracks right there, and there is only room for one car to wait safely at the light after the tracks. This guy, assuming that I would wait in the middle of the intersection, as he undoubtedly would have, was now behind me, sitting on the railroad tracks.

It’s difficult for me to explain how ecstatic I was when the light turned yellow and the traffic never broke, and I was forced to stay. I looked in my rearview mirror and this guy was slamming his steering wheel, mouthing words that I assume were very profane in my direction, as he was now caught on the tracks.

Man, I was hoping for that train signal to turn flashing red, and activate the wooden barriers that would have slammed down onto his obnoxious truck. Is that wrong of me? I don’t care. The train never came anyway, but it was enough to watch him squirm for a few minutes.

When I got the green arrow, this guy decided that he was now going to try and tailgate me even more than before, as if that were possible. The only thing that prevented him from passing me was the fact that this area of Grand Avenue is -– surprisingly! –- in the middle of a four-year long construction project, and all traffic is henceforth relegated to one lane.

To counteract his tailgating, I decided to drive no more than the posted construction-based speed limit of 25 mph. I was so happy. Like, inordinately happy.

Then, distracted by the mass of construction cones, and the blaring sun, and this guy’s stupid tailgating, I made an incorrect slight turn in the obstacle course of cones, and stopped right before a giant trench. Meanwhile, the traffic behind me, led by this jerk, zoomed passed, laughing at my idiocy. I even debated getting out of the car and pretending I was a construction foreman, like I meant to do that. Yep, looks like the guys dug the trench. Nice work. Better head out.

But instead I sat there, marveling at how I live in a state where the tailgaters and speedsters always win, and the speed cameras and common driving decency always lose, and the construction never ends. And just then, I heard the blaring horns of the oncoming train.

Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer

I have heard of the Ride to Conquer Cancer but today I found out about Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer benefiting The Princess Margaret and presented by Boston Pizza. To promote the event there was a road hockey game at Yonge-Dundas Square with members of the media battling celebrities which came down to a shoot out between the two teams. The media was in black and celebrities were in red jerseys and Carlton the Bear was a goalie, oh yeah, the celebs kicked ass.

Paul Henderson launched the event while attending celebrities included Curtis Joseph, Scotty Bowman, Kurt Browning, Jake Gold, Dennis Maruk, Billy Talent and many others.

The Road Hockey fundraiser is scheduled for next year on October 1, 2011 and will be an all day tournament.  "This Dawn-to-Dusk fundraising event will feature an unprecedented number of spirited road hockey games, as well as musical acts, celebrity appearances, interactive activities, food and beverages, and so much more! If you enjoy a challenge, being part of a team and donating your time and effort to an amazing cause, this is the event for you."


See more pictures after the jump.

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony

As someone who grew up watching Bugs Bunny and all those Saturday morning Looney Toons I was pleasantly surprised to see that Bugs Bunny at the Symphony will be coming to the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts on April 9, 2011.

Their website says "Tickets as low as $38. Don't miss this showcase of classic Warner Bros Looney Tunes projected on the big screen, with their exhilarating original Carl Stalling scores played LIVE by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.

This brand new edition features beloved classics like What's Opera, Doc? and The Rabbit of Seville, new additions such as Tweety's Circus and A Scent of the Matterhorn, plus special guests Tom and Jerry in The Hollywood Bowl, The Flintstones, and Scooby-Doo! Don't miss these, plus many more favourites in this 20th Anniversary concert of Warner Bros' cartoons on the big screen with live orchestra! See more information about the show by clicking here."

I remember that Bugs ended up bringing the symphony building down in one cartoon so hopefully the rebuild of the Centre will be beefed up to avoid this type of calamity when it has a grand reopening on October 1, 2010. I would also like to see if the singing frog and Leopold will be at this show.

More suds in Berczy Park fountain

Walking by the Berczy Park fountain I noticed some bubbles along the sidewalk and in the road. I followed the trail back to the fountain and, aha, found the source. Someone, or something, had placed soap in the water and like a big washing machine the churning water had soon created a cloud of bubbles.

This also happened in 2008 and 2009. I don't believe in coincidence so I think it is just someone, probably a broke University student, doing their laundry - once a year.

NCTS Champ 2010 #17 DJ Kennington

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCTS) 2010 Championship title was awarded to D.J. Kennington of the #17 Castrol Edge car. D.J. (second from the left) shares a laugh with some of the other NCTS drivers during recent qualifying laps for a race at Barrie Speedway, he later went on to win that race. The NASCAR website says that as the Champion he "earned a starting spot in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, the prestigious post season event that has earned the title as 'the Daytona 500 of short-track racing."

from left to right: J.R. Fitzpatrick, D.J. Kennington, Ron Beauchamp Jr., Scott Steckly and Mark Dilley

Here are some pictures of D.J. during a 2008 race in Cayuga when his sweet Castrol ride was a little green.

Fallorama

Saturday brought some rain and clouds but I thought I would check out the Fall colours anyways. I headed north and my first stop - the Cheltenham Badlands. The Badlands, with their rolling orange hills and white stripes, surrounded by a forest of colours is a perfect way to start the adventure.

With an early start and the possibility of rain we did not have to battle the crowds on the hills. As Fall continues it's steady progress Caledon and it's natural attractions will fill up with thousands of people.

We continued our journey north towards Collingwood, stopping along the way when we found some nice views of the red, orange and yellow leaves filling the deciduous trees.

In Collingwood, which is located on Georgian Bay, the adjacent Niagara Escarpment is made for hiking (and for marriage ceremonies). So we journey upwards and explore the Bruce Trail and the top of the Blue Mountain Resort and Ski Hill. Blue Mountain has a lot of bike trails and they have a ski lift running. For $7 you can ride the ski lift which has been converted to a pedestrian lift with special bike racks and so down the hill we went. You can ride down for free and then buy the ticket to get back to the top.

It is incredible what they have done to Blue Mountain. The resort is full of condos, stores, restaurants and bars. There is a pond where you can rent pedal boats and relax on Muskoka chairs. The place was humming with action and a wedding party played a giant chess set in a friendly battle of the sexes.

Filming at City Hall

Movie crews spent all day setting up at City Hall to shoot in Nathan Phillips Square on September 24. It is always surprising how much stuff is necessary to make movies. From snacks to makeup, film dollies and rails, lights and reflectors and all the people needed to staff and act - it's like a small army. I think the director was using a small lens to frame the upcoming scene while the camera gear was being readied for the new location.

The movie business is a lot like the army, hurry up and wait, and I think the boredom must get to the actors sometimes. Though the interest of the people who pass by is intense, people stop, look and continue on their way. Speaking of films my Youtube Channel is almost at 1 million views!

I think they must have pulled miles of cables under the raised floor of the square. This worker was dressed for getting in the crowded and messy underground space.

Skipping in TO

Swiss Natural had a double dutch skipping team out on Queen Street West - if you skipped they would donate $1 to Breakfast for Learning. It was fun to see people stop along their busy day and start jumping and some, like this lady, were very good and I think it brought back some happy memories of younger times.

CBC News

The CBC Live! in Yonge-Dundas Square continued with more celebrities as the newscasters had a meet and greet. Jacquie Perrin shares a laugh with Heather Hiscox, above, while Dianne Buckner talks to a fan below. News Anchor Dianne is also the host of the fabulous show Dragons' Den which is a tv program where people try to get the stars of the show to invest in their companies. The stars were going to show up later in the day, along with the casts of Being Erica, The Tudors, 22 Minutes and many others.

Speaking of news, CBC radio did a live broadcast from the square and they did interviews and even had entertainment. Singer Aline Morales of Brazil and her group performed several tunes for the square full of people - she has such a beautiful voice.

Steven and Chris

The CBC show Steven and Chris taped in Yonge-Dundas Square during the kick off to the Culture Days celebrations which run from September 24th  to the 26th. They definitely have a lot of fun taping the show and it was great to see Debbie Travis as their fist guest of the day. (Steven is on the left and Chris is on the right in the above photo).