Gold Medal
The SWBL once again showed why they are the premier senior baseball league in the province as they won their second gold medal in three years at the AA Senior All Star Provincials held in Stonewall. The team went undefeated in the tournament, beating the Elmwood Giants in the final game with Virden's Curtis Plett going the distance, throwing a seven hitter. The team was made up of players from 7 of the 11 league teams and goes to show just how talented some of these south west Manitoba players really are. The AA Senior club championships, comprising of six teams, starts in two weeks, once again in Neepawa.
League Playoffs
Round two is now underway with Boissevain meeting Deloraine in the South while Hamiota is playing Oak River in the North. Both best of 5 series promise to be exciting but it'll be a challenge for the Royals to knock off the Centennials while the Red Sox and Dodgers series should go the limit, flip a coin, it's that close.
The Open
If you turned on the tv last weekend to watch The Open but instead you thought you tuned into the "Tiger Woods Show", you weren't alone. As usual, he garnered by far the most attention and coverage on this side of the pond as he tried to ascend the throne that he alone once totally controlled for a decade. But alas, it was not to be but at least he was in serious contention, finishing only three strokes behind the winner, tied for sixth place. On the other hand, whether you like it or not, we have to understand that the majority of golf fans want to see as much of Tiger as possible and the tv ratings don't lie. When Tiger is in a tournament, it has been proven that tv ratings go up over 40%, something that networks and sponsors simply can't ignore.
Anyhow, congrats to Italy's Francesco Molinari who flew under everyone's radar but whose steady, consistent play allowed him to win the 147th British Open and take home the Claret Jug, emblematic of the world champion golfer of the year. Carnoustie, like most top notch UK courses, looks pretty ugly by North American standards with its barren treeless landscape, dull brown grass and numerous pot bunkers but it actually proved to be quite a fitting challenge for the best players in the world, as shown when the top two ranked players, DJ (Johnson) and JT (Justin Thomas) missed the cut.
CFL
Former Heiseman winner (2012) Johnny "Football" (Manziel) has been traded from Hamilton to Montreal, even though he hasn't taken a single snap under centre this season. This only goes to show everyone how desperate the Alouettes really are as they continue to struggle offensively in all categories. Manziel is definitely an upgrade over Drew Willy, brings star power to a lacklustre franchise begging for a superstar and will certainly provide the party faithful with hope. If he can show even a glimpse of his past greatness, his wizardry, his agility on the turf, he will improve Montreal's chances of moving up the ladder. All he ever wanted was chance to prove himself, so now he has that chance, the pig skin is in his corner. Personally, I'm pulling for him, he brings excitement to the game and that's never a bad thing.
NHL
For some unknown reason an arbitrator, in his drunken stupor, has awarded the Jets' young D-man Jacob Trouba a one year $5.5 million contract but if his play doesn't improve this season, I don't think he'll be around next year. He's shown in the past that he wants out of town, (remember he sat out a number of games at the start of last season demanding a trade), so grant his burning desire, get the bum out of town while trying to get a decent return for this egotistical piece of meat.
Until next time....
