New Weekly Sports Blog!

(Ignore that shitty Argos shield and the TFC thing plz)

I've been looking for a reason to dust off this ol' blog since Big Brother ended.... uh 2 months ago.  Food reviews have been few and far between because god damned McDonald's keep re-hashing old concepts (btw I reviewed their "latest" burger in April 2013 ) They've also been too busy trying to convince people that their food isn't made from defective cows and cancerous chemicals to come up with something new and delicious (that isn't a fucking wrap or salad).  I also claim I am too busy... busy doing what you ask? Well it's not being gainfully employed that's for sure.  It's watching sports.  I LOVE sports.  I watch sports on TV 5 or 6 nights out of the week, so why not do a weekly recap of what my teams have been up too? For those unaware I am a diehard and unabashed supporter of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, Buffalo Bills and Hamilton Tiger Cats, you may think I am some kind of masochist for liking those teams...relax there Jian Ghomeshi it's called loyalty, and I will forever be loyal to these franchises.  I am going to try to do one of these posts every Monday.  First up, my beloved Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs frustrate the bejesus out of me.  How can a team look so dominant against the Bruins, a superior team who have a recent history of kicking the shit out of the Leafs, to the egg they laid on Saturday against the Sabres.  Yes that Buffalo Sabres team which will finish last in the NHL, there are many mens league teams around that would put up a better fight against the Sabres than the Leafs did on Saturday night.  That loss really left a bad taste in my mouth, but really the Leafs haven't been that bad before that, I like the way that the troglodyte Randy Carlyle has finally learned how to roll 4 lines (made easier by not having any goons on the team).  Plus Phil Kessel has been amongst the NHL elite...again.  Still the guy gets absolutely no respect by the shitty mitten-stringers in the Toronto media who call him fat, who are all over him like flies on shit when he goes in a slump.  After the disaster of a game on Saturday the usual horde of media arseholes stuck their cameras in Phil's face wanting his reaction, and he didn't want to talk and said "Get away from me" which caused them all to get their panties in a bunch.  They all took to twitter saying he wasn't a leader, and how offended they were.  Go fuck yourselves fellas, what is Kessel going to say anyway?  Kessel is paid to play hockey (or 'hackey' as he puts it) not give you vultures a quote. Quotes from any athlete post game win or loss are useless anyways, do you really need to hear the same shitty cliche over and over?  Long story short Phil Kessel is the best player in the NHL and the Toronto media can go fuck themselves.

The Week Ahead: vs. Nashville (11/18), vs. Tampa Bay (11/20), vs. Detroit (11/22).  That's a pretty tough schedule against 3 decent teams (except Detroit, fuck the Red Wings).  If they played like they did against Buffalo it could be a very long week in Leaf land.  Hopefully the team that demolished Boston shows up.

Toronto Raptors 

I love the Raptors.  Since the Rudy Gay trade last December the Raps have been easily one of the best teams in the NBA.  I have always loved basketball and the Raptors but I do admit during the lean Bargnani years I didn't watch them a hell of a lot, but this current team is worth watching night in and night out.  The Raps are off to an impressive 8-2 start and are first in the Eastern Conference.  Last week they kind of stuttered a little bit, they demolished the 76ers (perhaps the worst team in NBA history... down there with the Vancouver Grizzlies) but then barely beat the Magic, lost to the Bulls and beat the Jazz.  That Magic game was kind of frustrating because they really had no business winning the game, but the bench stepped up massively to help secure the victory.  Lou Williams and James "Neck Tattoo" Johnson (PS what the fuck does it even say? I can't tell) have provided much needed depth off the bench, and helped secure that win against Orlando.  The Raps had one shitty quarter against the Bulls on US National TV and that cost them the game, the Raps have been known to take a quarter off or get off to a shitty start here and there, against an elite team like the Bulls that is going to cost you every time.  I fucking love Kyle Lowry, he could well end up being the best player in Raptors franchise history, the best part is, he didn't bolt to another team like so many other Raptors have done, he WANTS to be a Raptor and chose to stay here.  Bestill my beating heart.

The Week Ahead: vs. Memphis (11/19), vs. Milwaukee (11/21), @ Cleveland (11/22).  Memphis is the top team in the NBA right now... wouldn't it be funny if they were still in Vancouver?  Vancouver/Toronto leading the NBA! That will be a tough test, Milwaukee should be a cake walk, but the Cavs game on the 22nd should be the game of the week.  The Cleveland LeBrons are off to a slow start, but they will be competing with the Raptors for Eastern Conference supremacy for the rest of the season.

Buffalo Bills

Oh god the Buffalo Bills, this team is concrete proof I will stick with a team no matter how mediocre, how frustrating or how shitty they are.  The Bills season got off to a decent start like they always seem to, before they descend into mediocrity and miss the playoffs... again.  The Bills have one of the best D-lines in football, and one of the best Defense's overall, but that offense.  Someone wave a skunk in front of it because they stink.  Last week they could have easily beaten the Dolphins but they settled for field goals in the red zone and basically had their playoff hopes dashed.  BuzzFeed put a good list of why it sucks to be a Bills fan, check it out here.  The Bills haven't made the playoffs since the Music City Miracle game on January 8, 2000.  I was in Grade 12 and had a full head of hair, Bill Clinton was President, Jean Chretien was Prime Minister, and they wont see a playoff game until at least 2016.  Good lord that's a long fucking time.

The Week Ahead: vs. New York Jets (11/23).  Big fucking deal, they should win but it's too little too late.  Besides Sunday at 1:00 I'll be at the Ti-Cats game....

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

2014 is the year I fell back in love with the Tiger-Cats.  I moved back to my beloved hometown of Hamilton this year, and I have seen every Ti-Cat home game this season.  In my decade away from home I was always a Ti-Cat well wisher, but I really didn't pay too much attention to them (they were also absolutely dreadful throughout that time), in non-CFL cities in Ontario nobody really gives a flying fuck about the CFL, and the league is openly mocked.  Going to Ti-Cats game is a blast, especially at beautiful new Tim Hortons Field, I wasn't living here for all the bullshit surrounding the stadium, and I do think they fucked up by not putting it at the West Harbour, but now that Tim Hortons Field is finally built it's something the City of Hamilton can be proud of.  Obviously after a season in a half in the wilderness in fucking Guelph and at McMaster the team is thrilled to be in their new home, as they are undefeated there so far.  The Ti-Cats won the East Division with an 9-9 record (editor's note: lol) and are hosting the Montreal Alouettes for the chance to go to the Grey Cup.  Already Montreal players like Duron Carter (son of former Vikings WR and current ESPN dickhead Cris Carter) and Bear "Shits in the" Woods are talking shit, the Ti-Cats have so far haven't descended to their level, but rest assured the Box H hecklers will.  Where I sit at Tim Hortons Field is a mere 9 rows behind the opponents bench, well within heckling distance, and these assholes are going to hear it for sure on Sunday.  Heckling at Ti-Cats game has been a Richardson Family tradition for years, and I am more than happy to be a part of it now.

The Week Ahead: vs. Montreal (11/23) in the East Final.  I'll be there drunk and heckling.  Go Cats!!

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are actually my first sports love, when I was a kid they were the best thing going, winning World Series, making the playoffs, packing 50,000 fans a game into the futuristic SkyDome, they were the envy of the baseball world..... since then what the fuck happened??  When I thought about this blog, I really didn't have a shit load to say about my Blue Jays as it is the off-season, other than the fact that Rogers are shitty cheap owners, and I was getting sick of Alex Anthoupolus, but what do they do? Go ahead and sign catcher Russell Martin and my faith has been slightly restored.  This has been far and away AA's biggest free agent signing, and it really came out of nowhere.  I like the move, Martin is an upgrade at catcher (sorry Dinner Navarro) and from what I hear he is a good guy to have in the room.  I don't put a lot of stock in leadership intangible bullshit, but there was a lot of whispers about how broken the Blue Jays Clubhouse has been the last couple of years.  I don't think AA is done making moves either, he has already jettisoned Adam Lind and Anthony Gose, and he tends to do more work with trades than with free agency, so I am fully expecting that there will be another trade on the horizon.

The Week Ahead: Hopefully some more big moves! 

Well that's it for the first week of this, I probably won't talk about all 5 teams every week (especially when the teams are in their respective off-seasons) but I plan on keeping up this Monday tradition.  Hit me up on Twitter @HDH2112 if you have anything to say about this!