The NFL is now one step closer to moving a franchise here to Canada when in the next few days it will be announced that the Buffalo Bills will play 8 regular season and pre-season games here in Toronto at the Rogers Centre.
The schedule of the games will be set up not to interfere with the Toronto Argo's and will take place after the CFL's schedule ends. Tickets will be on a lottery system with Bills and Argo ticket holders getting first crack at the valuable ducats with a rumored starting price tag starting at 250 dollars Cdn.
I hate putting in political observations in this column especially since there's enough dirt and controversy in the business of sports with athlete's behavior that would make
Bill Clinton blush in either envy or embarrassment. But I did want to give you my take on the current election news south of the border. Barack Hussein Obama won in South Carolina with over twice the voting delegates than
Hillary Clinton or the hard luck
John Edwards. Big Deal!
Jesse Jackson won the primary twice in 92 and 96 and his presidential dreams fizzled as quickly as a
Paris Hilton romance. I'm not comparing the blatantly self-serving egotistical Jackson to the infinitely slicker, charismatic, self-serving egotistical Obama, but let's be serious, scratch beneath the surface and you'll find that under all the hype, his speeches are truly bland and annoying as he paints himself a victim of the Clinton's high handedness. Mark my words; you will see the Illinois Senator knocked down a peg or two next week on Super Tuesday when 20 states hold their primaries. The sad fact that the best athlete of the bunch, John Edwards will probably drop out of the race if he doesn't fare well on the 5th. I truly believe that January 20th 2009 will be known as
John McCain day as he will be inaugurated as the new president of the US. In a perfect world I wish that politics would allow for an already courageous Republican McCain to look beyond party lines and choose the intelligent, sincere Democrat Edwards who has bowed out of the Democratic race as a running mate. It'll never happen, but it would change the face of American politics forever and do much to unite deep divisions on all fronts and offer the people the two very best that that America has to offer.
Word is that newly hired Leaf GM has had some very informal talks with captain
Mats Sundin on his feelings on waiving his no trade clause in his contract. Rumor is that the team has had several feelers from clubs inquiring on the availability of the talented 36-year-old Swede, the leading scorer in Maple Leaf history. Like I have stated on several occasions, if Sundin approves the trade my money goes on Sundin joining several high profile Swedes in Detroit where he will have an excellent chance to play for a Stanley Cup winner before retirement.
If the old adage is true that a parent always wants their children to achieve more than they, then ex NFLer
Archie Manning must be one proud papa. While the 13-year-pro had a stellar career as an all star QB he must be absolutely ecstatic with the success of both of his sons, Peyton and Eli, with Peyton leading his Indianapolis Colts to Super Bowl victory in 2007 and younger son Eli leading the New York Giants to the big game against the highly favored New England Patriots in this years highly anticipated matchup. His boys have accomplished more than their 'ole pop ever did on the field starting for 10 years for the sad sack New Orleans Saints and finishing his career with the also ran Oilers and Vikings. No one can deny that the Manning family has become the first family of the sport and both Peyton and Eli on field exploits will dominate for years to come.
Speaking of the Super bowl, no matter how solid the resurgence of
Eli Manning and the Giants have been in the second half of the regular season their job to knock off the unbeaten Patriots this Sunday is a steep undertaking where many don't give them much of a chance of staying within two touchdowns let alone defeating the mighty Pats. A
Bill Bellichuk team with two weeks to prepare is a scary thought especially for a young leader of an overachieving team like the Giants. If they were ever able to pull off the almost unimaginable and knock off the Pats it would have to rank as the biggest single upset in NFL history eclipsing even Broadway
Joe Namath’s promise of and then achieving victory over the overwhelming favorite Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl 3.
I really wanted to congratulate a couple of great kids, who are quickly making a name for themselves on the local fight scene. I have rarely seen kids with such drive and discipline as 15-year-old M
artin Halabis and
Joey Ashkhan both of the Bramalea Boxing Club, who made such a great account of themselves at last week's National Boxing Championships held in Windsor, Ontario. I have followed both kids careers through my friendship with their coaches, who I believe are among the best in the country,
Mike and
Anthony Di Florio and it’s nice to see such dedication from not only the boxers but leadership and direction from their trainers. I know we’ll be hearing a lot from all of them in the near future.
For any of you that are looking for both a great rate and service on a car or truck rental in the GTA area, put down your phonebook and give my great buddy Bogdan Cristescu a call at 416-763-0300. His company Altimate Car and Truck rental is without a doubt one of the most reasonable and professional in the industry. I can personally tell you that they're simply the best.
Until next time.
