Saturday, May 2, 2009

Super Saturday

"Super Saturday" was a ginormous success, so without further adeu let's break it all down...

A big congratulations to both Scott McHenry and Ivan Brown, two members of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, who have been drafted into the Canadian Football League. There were some tense moments for the two guys as they waited for a phone call while doing drills at Spring Camp. The crowd erupted when word spread that they'd been drafted. Both guys are class acts and I hope they see a ton of success in the CFL.

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Spring Camp isn't even officially over yet I already can't wait for Training Camp and the beginning of the CIS Season. The Huskies could have a really good season but there's a big question mark surrounding their running game if Dathan Thomas misses the year due to last season's knee injury. The poor guy tore all his ligaments in the knee and is doubtful for the upcoming year. The only good news is that he won't lose a year of eligibility as he'd be a "red shirt".

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Across town the Saskatoon Hilltops has undergone a bit of a roster turnover due to both graduation and players moving up to the CIS. Quarterback Jordan Penner returns for a 6th Season and there's definitely no questioning the depth in that position. Their run game will also be interesting to see, as they have this rookie who has stepped into the spotlight during Spring Camp. Andre Lalonde is a pretty big guy and has certainly impressed the Blue & Gold coaching staff. His first big test is Sunday's Blue & Gold scrimmage.

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I bet you wish you had bet $1,000 on "Mine That Bird" at the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. In the second biggest upset in derby history, "Mine That Bird" stunned the crowd at Churchill Downs to win the "Run for the Roses" and made our country proud as its a Canadian-bred horse!

All eyes will be on "Mine That Bird" as it heads to "The Preakness Stakes" en route towards the "Triple Crown".

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Sid the Kid took on Alexander the Great in Game One of the Eastern Conference Semi Final. To no one's surprise the game lived up to its hype and both guys were a factor for their teams. Crosby had a goal and was a plus one while Ovechkin had a powerplay goal and was a minus one.

The story of the game, however, was the unbelievable save by Simeon Varlamov late in the second period. It is quite possibly the save of the playoffs.



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Over on the West Coast, for the second time in their series, the Vancouver Canucks blew a 2-goal lead against the Chicago Blackhawks. Up 2-0, the Canucks seemed to get a little too comfortable and with Sami Salo having left the game with injury the young Blackhawks took over and stunned the Canucks with a 6-3 win.

As my buddy Jaye put it, the Blackhawks are playing "with no fear" and that's a scary thought for the Canucks. This is shaping up to be a great series and could very well go the distance.

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I'm not a big tennis fan but the emergance of Rafael Nadal and the intense rivalry between Nadal and Roger Federer is something that simply can not be ignored. Their unforgettable battle at Wimbledon last year was an instant classic and one for the ages - it's also available on DVD at HMV. Believe it or not, I'm seriously considering picking it up.

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And finally tonight, it's amazing - scratch that - a miracle that no one was killed in Dallas this afternoon. A wicked storm blew through the Dallas area and with winds of 105 km/h, the roof of the Dallas Cowboys practice facility collapsed during a rookie mini-camp. 12-staff members were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Check out this amazing video shot during the collapse.



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