The Pursuit Of Leisure

100% correct, 50% of the time. A tongue in cheek look at culture both high and low.

Friday, June 29, 2007

The 401.

- The 401 is being closed down between Belleville and Napanee today due to Aboriginal protesters. If any other group of protesters tried to shut down the singly biggest traffic artery in the country would they be allowed to?

- The NBA draft was unusual last night for a number of reasons, but mostly because most teams took players that actually made sense for them. Here are some random thoughts from the draft:

What the hell were the Celtics thinking trading the No. 5 Wally Szerbiak and Delonte West for 32 year old Ray Allen. Danny Ainge has screwed this franchise so badly die hard Celts fans can only laugh to keep from crying.

Isiah Thomas actually pulled off a great trade getting Zach Randolph from Portland in exchange for Channing Frye (who stinks) and Steve Francis (who is selfish and has a bad contract). The problem is that Randolph has had a tonne of off the court problems, which is not likely to stop now that he is in NYC. This has the potential for a 10 out of 10 on the unintentional comedy scale.

Portland had a phenomenal night. They got Greg Oden as the franchise center, got rid of Randolph and his legal problems (even if it was for Francis), picked up Ruby Fernandez, a decent shooting guard, from Phoenix, and then got the vastly underrated Taurean Green and the solid Josh McRoberts in the second round. If they get anything of value when they trade Francis (there's no way in hell they can let him line up with all these young guys) this goes down as one of the best nights in draft history.

Joakim Noah was the luckiest guy in the draft when he got drafted by Chicago. If he was a top five pick he would have been viewed a few years down the road as a complete disaster because he can't score at all and will get out muscled for rebounds. By going to Chicago though, he can easily be a decent 7th man and play good defense without the expectations.

I'm glad the Raptors did not trade Jose Caledron to get someone else's pick. He is a much better point guard than T.J. Ford and should be starting next year.

- Sam's officially shuts its doors tomorrow. Sniff Sniff.

Happy Canada Day Weekend Everybody.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Nicole Kidman



In honor of her turning 40 years old last week I proudly add Oscar winner Nicole Kidman to the esteemed list of Pursuit of Leisure Hotties. Not only is Ms. Kidman stunningly, can't take your eyes off of her attractive, she is also the best dressed woman in Hollywood when on the red carpet, and carries herself with a class and dignity that is reminiscent of Grace Kelly.

Maybe the most impressive thing about Nicole however, is that she never allowed herself or her children to be brainwashed into the scientology cult by that freak Tom Cruise.

This And That.

- This can't really be the way Larry O'Brien envisioned his first year on the job going. His Chief of Staff Walter Robinson, whom I have always thought pretty highly of, has resigned six months into the job.

- One of my 5 favorite actors turns 41 today. Happy Birthday John Cusack.

- I'm very excited about Cate Blanchett reprising her role as Queen Elizabeth I again for The Golden Age. And Ms. Skeelo will no doubt be thrilled Clive Owen plays Sir Walter Raleigh.

- Is it weird that I'm pumped for the NBA draft tonight? This year's draft may turn put to be better than the one with LeBron, DWade, Carmelo and Bosh a few years ago.

- So You Think You Can Dance is back on Fox, which means I have to watch TV three hours a week this summer. This show really is entertaining as hell and the group of girls is much better looking than last year. With 16 dancers left I'm picking Anya, Sarah, Pasha and Danny as my final four with Sarah winning the whole thing.

- The CFL season starts tonight but don't expect a preview here. I rank the CFL below the Pro Bowling Tour and just above Tier 3 Japanese basketball in terms of pro sports legitimacy.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Ready To Roll

We're now at the point of the year where Government shuts down for 9 weeks, which leaves me with a lot of time to get back to paying attention to this site.

- I realize I am late on this but what in the hell were the Flames thinking hiring Mike Keenan? This guy has not had any success since winning Mark Messier's cup in '94 and has a reputation for pissing off his best player and playing mind games with goalies. In other words, he's going to drive Iginla and Kiprusoff out of town after next season and the Flames will be a 65 point team.

- So the bill to taxpayers for the extra police patrolling Elgin St. during the Sens playoff run is expected to be just under 600K. I find that completely ridiculous. There was no reason for the extra police. It's Ottawa for Christ Sake! The worst that could have happened was 20,000 people simultaneously breaking out pads of paper and pens and writing briefing notes.

- I'm tired of hearing how the Yankees will wake up and make a run at the playoffs. They can't catch Boston and will have to win at least 92 games to edge out Detroit or Cleveland for the wild card. They are currently 36-37, which means they would have to go 56-33 the rest of the way. Not happening. No way.

- Occasionally I see a post so damn good I wish I had thought of it. This one comes from the great Babes Love Baseball and matches MLB players and their potential celebrity mistresses. The Curt Schilling-Anne Coulter pairing is absolute genius.

- This from ESPN's Bill Simmons on Gary Bettman's speech before Friday's draft:

"Ladies and gentleman, we're coming off another wonderful season highlighted by the most damaging TV contract in professional sports history and a finals between an obscure Canadian team and the 357th biggest market in the United States. And now, we're about to introduce a 5-foot-9 American kid who's built like Bailey from "Party of Five" as our first pick. I couldn't be happier -- 15 years ago, David Stern sent me to the NHL to ruin this league and I have delivered in spades. Thank you, thank you very much. Thank you, you're too kind. And now, the 2007 draft!"

He also noted after the sixth pick that "we're now six-for-six for two-parent families at the NHL draft -- a higher total than the last five years of the NBA draft combined." You gotta respect a comment like that.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Back In Action.

I've been away for a while and only have limited time today to ever engrossing strategic planning meetings so here goes:

I saw a couple of movies before my surgery that I didn't have time to review because of the surgery. Now that it's been a couple of weeks since I saw them I can't really give them a full review so I'll just say Pirates 3 was pretty good. It has a great cast and all the actors seem to genuinely enjoy playing their parts, which more than makes up for the very average script. Keira Knightley is given a bigger role and she does a great job in scenes with heavyweights like Geoffrey Rush, Johnny Depp and Chow Yun-Fat. If you do see it make sure to watch through to the end of the credits to see the final scene. 7.5/10

The other movie I saw was Knocked Up, which was absolutely hilarious. The chemistry between Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl is fantastic and the way their relationship plays out actually makes it believable. Paul Rudd is also fantastic as Heigl's brother in law who has his own troubled marriage to deal with. This movie is every bit as funny as The 40 Year Old Virgin. 9.5/10

- If the Leafs can actually move Bryan McCabe than I take back everything I ever said about John Ferguson Jr. The news that they are trying to trade him really makes me wish that Mike Milbury was running the Isles because he would have taken his stupid contract in a heartbeat.

- I have to agree with the usage of pacman as a verb. In Pacman's defense (likely the only time you will ever hear me use those words), he may not have with his entourage at the time of the shootings. But he , and athletes in general, need to disassociate themselves with their posses. The hangers on have nothing to lose and can only bring down the careers of the athletes they hang with.

- Jim Ballsillie is not doing himself any favors by already negotiating deals with the City of Hamilton and pre-selling tickets. The NHL has not even approved the sale of the Predators to him yet and that arrogant little bastard Gary Bettman certainly does not want things shoved down his throat. Ballsillie has already been screwed out of the Penguins and Bettman would screw him again just to spite him, whether him buying the team is good for the NHL or not. While the 6 Canadian teams would be happy to have the team move to Hamilton, the US owners are not yet ready to give up on the southern US now matter how pointless it is.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Thanks For Visiting.

I'm on temporary hiatus due to laser eye surgery on Tuesday. Recovery is very boring - no watching TV, no reading, no exercise because I can't get sweat in my eyes. But at least I can lay in my basement and listen to afternoon baseball games. And today I can listen to the US Open, which is probably going to be every bit as exciting as it sounds.

For the record my pick to win the Open is Geoff Ogilvy, last year's winner, to repeat. He hits it long and usually straight and won't panic when the winning score looks like it will be about +3.

Hopefully I'll be back in action by Tuesday.

Anybody reading this who has my home phone number is welcome to call. About the only thing I am allowed to do is talk on the phone.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Marineland May Be Discriminating.

- My business trip to Toronto took me to St. Catharines this week. I took the opportunity to visit Niagara Falls and the Casino there Thursday night. Marineland is not too far from the casino, in fact only about 1 mile. Yet there was a large sign outside the casino that said "This Way To Marineland" with a large pointing finger indicating the way, beside which read "1 MILF". Now either the youth of Niagara are having fun with the sign or Marineland is only allowing children with very hot mothers through their turnstiles, which will eventually lead to a very nasty lawsuit.

- A few big birthdays today. Happy 44th to Johnny Depp, who has proven himself to be the best actor of his generation. Happy 26th to Natalie Portman, the best actress of her generation and without question a future Pursuit of Leisure Hottie. And Happy 46th to great Canadian actor Michael J. Fox.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

NBA Finals Preview.

I was 1-1 in the conference finals bringing me to 9-5 overall. My analysis of the finals will be like the series will be - very quick.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs were able to beat a self-destructive Pistons team that needs to be blown up in the east finals because nobody on the Pistons was willing to put a body on LeBron James. The tougher than sandpaper Spurs will not be so charitable. Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan will both pound LeBron, at least as much as you can pound the 240 pound manchild, and make him work very hard for his points. The Cavs have no answer at all for Duncan who will just kill them in this series. Nor do they have an answer for Tony Parker or Manu Ginobli. And Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is the best in the NBA and is a huge advantage against the Cavs Mike Brown who is a lousy coach. This series won't even be close.

Spurs in 5 based on LeBron stealing one.

The Once And Always Mighty Ducks.



I can't believe Emilio Estevez coached a Stanley Cup champion before Pat Quinn or Bryan Murray.

- The Sens didn't choke in this series, they just got beat by a much better team. And as much as I loathe him, Hats Off to Daniel Alfreddson. He worked his ass off the entire series. Even when he wasn't on the scoresheet the first two games I thought he was working hard, he just knew he had to do it alone because Heatley and Spezza were shell shocked. Alfie's shorthanded goal last night was great and showed he wasn't going to quit. Even when he stupidly shot the puck at Niedermayer it was out of frustration, which is more emotion that Heatley, Spezza or Redden showed.

Until Spezza and Redden (and to a lesser degree Heately) show they need to win, I mean REALLY NEED to win, the Sens can't win the Cup. And I don't think either one of them will ever show that desire. The next time these guys go in the corner and come out with the puck consistently against players their own size will be the first.

- I'm in Toronto on business this week and yesterday had lunch at the Armadillo at University and Front. I was alone and decided to sit at the bar and low and behold Don Newman was sitting beside me (I recognized him, not the other way around). I had a nice chat and a pint with Mr. Newman who is a really down to earth guy and apparently a big baseball fan.

- It's no coincidence the Isles cut ties with Alexei Yashin shortly after Mike Milbury walked away. If Ferguson is dumb enough to bring Yashin to the Leafs I would seriously consider burning my jersey.

- Happy Trails to Bob Barker, who along with Hugh Hefner lived every teenage boy's, and most adult men's, dream.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Bark At The Park.



- It was dog day at Lynx Stadium on Sunday, which meant Ms. Skeelo and I were able to take our pooch Willie (named after the greatest centerfielder of all-time, Willie Mays) to the game. Front row seats right next to the Richmond bullpen for the three of us for only $15 - you can't beat that. Unfortunately the Lynx got waxed 9-1.

- A professional baseball player may have cheated on his wife? Absolutely shocking! I've never heard of such a thing. Wake me when A-Rod gets to 50 home runs which is real news.

- I'm glad to see the Cavs make it to the NBA Finals. Cleveland has to be the losingest and most hard luck sports town in North America (edging runner's up Buffalo, Seattle, and Philly) and the town will be going nuts. But they don't have a hope in hell against the Spurs.

- I like suspending Billy Donovan from coaching in the NBA for five years for trying to back out of his contract with Orlando. I think it's fair and it will also keep Donovan in college ball where he belongs and will continue to be successful.

- In case you ever wondered why I hat gutless Daniel Alfreddson so much, you got a perfect example last night when he fired the puck right at Scott Niedermayer at the end of the second period. Don't even try to convince me it was not on purpose. Alfie is very lucky Chris Pronger was suspended for this game because he would have ended the game with about 6 less teeth than he started it with. And what did Alfie do in the third period to back up his stupidity? Nothing.

If the Ducks get ahead a few goals in game 5, which I think they will because the Sens look mentally finished, someone is going to hurt the Sens captain, and he will deserve it.

- I'll start by saying I have never liked Rebecca Eckler. Does she really think that Hollywood producers read her book, potentially giving this suit merit?

- Happy 36th to Mark Wahlberg, whose turned into a damned fine actor, and 39th to Ron Livingston, who I have always liked and not just because of Office Space.

Friday, June 01, 2007

It May Very Well Be LeBron's World We Are All Living In.

- My biggest beef with LeBron James has never been his obvious talent, it's with the fact that he coasts through huge parts of games, even parts of the regular season, and seems more interested in being a brand than the best basketball player in the world. He may have arrived last night though. He was simply incredible as he scored 25 straight Cavs points and 29 of their last 30 to lead them to a win in double OT. I hope it's a sign of things to come.

- Nice to see Doc hasn't missed a beat.

- Knocked Up looks like a must see.

- Billy Donovan is going to be a terrible NBA coach. His biggest asset as a very successful college coach was his ability to (illegally) recruit star players. He won't have that chance in the NBA and he won't have guys aged 18-22 to pal around with. College players want their coach to be their buddy. NBA players want their coach to be invisible away from the court.

Donovan is also a lousy game coach and will be badly exploited, especially playing in the same division as a coach like Pat Riley.

- Ms. Skeelo and I thought something else was on and accidentally caught some of the Spelling Bee. Christ it's intense. I couldn't even fathom going through something that pressure packed at that age.

- Happy 70th to Morgan Freeman, who has the best voice in Hollywood other than James Earl Jones. If my life was ever made into a documentary I would want Freeman narrating it.

- The level of professionalism and debate in the House of Commons just isn't getting any better is it?