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An Oil Slick

Move over ‘Genie (Bouchard) , Milos (Raonic) and Brooke (Henderson), there’s a new young kid (star) on the block, and most track and field experts feel the sky is the limit for him.

Move over ‘Genie (Bouchard) , Milos (Raonic) and Brooke (Henderson), there’s a new young kid (star) on the block, and most track and field experts feel the sky is the limit for him. Meet track star Andre De Grasse (20), Canada’s newest and fastest-rising sports hero who just took bronze in the 100M at the World Championships in Beijing, China; the 100M was won by non-other than Usain Bolt. This is by far the most famous and popular event in Track and Field, with the winner widely acclaimed as the “fastest man in the world”, and now De Grasse is among the top three. He is only the third Canadian to ever run the 100M under 10 seconds, and he’s done it five times now. Trivia time: name the other two speedsters to accomplish this amazing feat.

Because of his meteoric rise on the track and field scene, the question he faces now is; does he return to USC (University of Southern California) where last month he won the NCAA 100M and 200M, for his final year of eligibility, or does he turn pro and start to reap in the big money (he’s been offered seven figures by a shoe company). I should also mention that a Canadian won gold in the pole vault and silver in the heptathlon, but these events do not draw or peak the public’s interest, therefore they are not attracting many offers ($$).

FYI, ‘Genie, whose fortunes are sinking faster than the Canadian Loonie, or the Saskatchewan Riders’ playoff hopes, lost once again in the first round in Connecticut while Brooke Henderson failed in her attempt to win the Canadian Open, but did play well enough to bank $20Gs. She has two events to make enough dough to play in the upcoming five-event Asian Swing, which equates to a chance to win big money.

this year’s Tamarack golf tournament at Clear Lake was once again a huge success. Unfortunately for a few, it ended on a sour note as rain cancelled three of Saturday’s final matches. In a controversial decision, the organizers decided the winner would be the higher-seeded player, based on the qualifying rounds. This is not right nor fair, both players should have been declared co-winners.

The Brandon Cloverleafs finished with a 1-3 record at the Nationals in NB, but what really bothers me is their roster, as only five ‘Leaf players made the trip out East, the rest were pickups from other teams around the province. If less than a third of your team wants to go, what ‘s the point; why go at all? It should be embarrassing to the players, the team, and also to the league. I mentioned in last week’s column that maybe it’s time for a merger, let’s have one senior league in this part of the province. It would generate tremendous interest throughout Westman, plus it would provide for some good baseball.

The Blue Jays continue chalking up “Ws” and are tied with the Yankees for top spot in their division as they seem to be running on all cylinders. Everything seems to be going their way, let’s hope it continues.

Remember back in May when we finally won the IIHF World Hockey Championship when we beat the Russians 6-1? Do you also remember the team, lead by comrade Ilya Kovalchuk, leaving the ice BEFORE the gold medals were presented and our national anthem played? Well, the IIHF has fined the Russians $85Gs (Nyet!!) for their actions, a paltry sum. Half a million would have taught them manners, eh?

If you are still following the “Deflategate” saga, it’s in the hands of a judge and the Golden Boy is going to win over the NFL “idiot”, Goodall. Trivia answer, Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin.

Until next time...

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