Hate to start any column about anything political, but I just finished watching the South Carolina Democratic debate on the tube last night . All I can say is that I truly hope that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama keep knocking the hell out of each other and give the voters a chance to see that the third person on the stage (I don't count Wolf Blitzer) John Edwards is head and shoulders above those two twits in ideas, sincerity and charisma. He’s truly the only one up there that appears to look and sound presidential. I really think he is the only Democratic candidate that will give John McCain a run for his money.
Up until the overtime period in the Giants-Packers NFC showdown on Sunday, my vote for player of the year was none other than Packers QB
Bret Favre. He led them to an amazing 13-3 season, picked up several individual records along the way and generally played like a man 10 years his junior. In that overtime quarter, he took the youth thing too far because I know a lot of high school QBs that wouldn't have attempted such a bonehead pass that resulted in a Giant interception that put them in field position for the game winning field goal that knocked out the Packers 23-20 . Best of luck to
Eli Manning and company who have their work cut out for them February 4rth when they face the perfect New England Patriots for footballs’ greatest prize. Who do I predict in this interesting match up? I truly believe that the 0 will remain in the Pats won lost column when they clobber the outmatched and outgunned Giants—who only a month and a half ago were knocked as a bunch of also-ran losers by their own Big Apple fans.
The Maple Leafs have announced the hiring of 72-year-old
Cliff Fletcher back for a second go around as team GM and have announced that they are giving
John Ferguson the long overdue pink slip. Now the biggest question is just how much clout are they actually going to give Fletcher and will he be given the room to operate freely without having to answer directly to team President
Richard Peddie, who sources say may not be getting the same support from the MLSE board of directors as he did in the past. As for Ferguson, he will be hard-pressed to find another job in the big leagues for a long time so he might have to go the minor leagues to find steady employment. Does any one know if the Florida Panthers are looking for someone on the cheap?
Just a little something I noticed watching some late night infomercial the other night. I spotted 92-year-old fitness guru and spokesperson for formaldehyde
Jack Lalanne, who pitches a juicer that bears his name. First of all that commercial must run thirty times a night on our local station. While suffering from chronic insomnia, I have seen that Lalanne's incoherent rambling on two stations at the same time. Why not advertise something that will help us finally hit the sack, or would that be cutting in on their profits? Like offering us a best of
Ben Mulroney tape. Just shove that in the VCR and I guarantee you that till knock you out faster than a three-hour late date with
Pam Anderson. Actually I'm regressing, for the main observation about Jack and his juicer that I felt was quite interesting is, that while his co host
Carol Alt and his wife Elaine make up some pretty appetizing juice mixes and taste all of them, you never see a single drop touch the lips of old' Jack. Sounds weird if you're praising the virtues of this healthy lifestyle choice and never sample the goods yourself on national TV. All I can say is what my own doctor, Mory Gutman told me so long ago: "If you can eat the fruit, don't touch the juice"
It just seems that every time I go to write a new column, I have to send out my condolences to a fallen comrade. First
Don Chevrier,
Jim Hunt,
Milt Dunnell and now
Don Wittman. Without a doubt one of the greatest sports commentators in the business anywhere, Don passed away Saturday in Winnipeg after a long courageous battle with cancer. Don was one of those lucky guys that had a role in so many of the great moments in Canadian sports history of the past 40 years. From calling so many of
Wayne Gretzky's record breaking feats, to being one of the greatest CFL voices ever to his tragic reporting at the 1972 Munich Olympics when a group of Arab Terrorists (who else?) kidnapped and executed 13 innocent Israeli athletes. At one point Don reportedly got so close to one of the masked criminals that he could look him straight in the eyes. The greats in the industry are getting fewer and fewer, and I hope that all that are in the business (myself included) take a look and learn from these great role models. In a time that is loaded with self promotion and the hype that comes with being a media personality, remember that its professionalism, hard work and knowledge that will give you a long and successful career. Don Wittman was the ultimate proof of that. All our condolences to his family for their profound loss.
For any of you that are looking for a great rate and service on a Car or Truck rental in the GTA area, put down your phone book and give my great buddy Bogdan Cristescu a call at 416-763-0300. His company Altimate Car and Truck Rentals Inc. is without a doubt one of the most reasonable and professional outfits out there.
I can personally tell you that they're simply the best.
Until next time
