The Pursuit Of Leisure

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

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Headin' Down To Vegas Baby!

- This will be my last post for a few days as Ms. Skeelo and I are heading down to Vegas tomorrow for our 5th wedding anniversary.

- The thought of cheering for UCLA against Florida Saturday night in a sports book filled with Vegas tourists from SoCal is too much for me to handle. It's going to be crazy. The hardest game of the tournament for me to pick was Kansas-UCLA. I figured the winner of that game would win the tournament and I picked Kansas. With UCLA winning I now think UCLA will beat Ohio St. in the final Monday night.

- Losing Jorge Garbajosa to a hideous ankle injury is really going to hurt the Raptors in the playoffs (that injury was disgusting. I am squeamish but you knew it was bad when the nearest Celtic to him took a look at his foot pointed in the wrong direction and nearly puked). The Raps don't go that deep in their rotation and he was a tough matchup at the offensive end. I'm not sure who can pick up the slack.

- Jemele Hill has been a great addition to ESPN's page 2. She makes a pretty good case that Kobe is better than MJ. I don't think Kobe is quite there yet but he will be by the time his career's over. He is a better defender and more explosive scorer. As Hill points out Jordan was a pretty bad teammate at times too and got a Doug Collins fired. Once Lamar Odom is fully healthy and Andrew Bynum develops the Lakers will start winning titles again and Kobe will be the reason. And don't forget Jordan never won a title without Scottie Pippen who was one of the 20 best players of all time.

- Stay tuned for my in-depth Major League Baseball preview next week. It promises to be 50% less accurate then last year.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Fighting in The NHL....And Quebec.

- Banning fighting from the NHL has been a hot topic the last few weeks and I think a legitimate case can be made for eliminating fighting. But I think the problem is not so much fights as it is designated fighters. Watching the Devils-Leafs game last week and watching Belak and Jannsen go at it was ridiculous. Neither one of those two guys belongs in the league. If two hard nosed players with some talent like Gary Roberts and Chris Neil get worked up battling with each other over the course of the game and decide to throw down that's fine. But guys who play 2 minutes a game then brawl for no reason have no place in the league. Maybe they should have a rule stating that if you have more penalty minutes than ice time at the end of the year you are suspended for one year.

The bigger issue is the hits from behind and late hits. If the league really started giving out harsh fines and suspensions for late and cheap hits (as an example I would have given Jannsen 20 games for the hit on Kaberle) those hits would decrease and fighting would also decrease.

I will get into this topic more next week as I want to talk about how fighting does not put asses in the seats the way defenders says it does and why it is in the players best economic interest to clean itself up.

- Another topic that aggravates me to no end lately is Quebec. Well, aggravates me more so than usual. Our provincial neighbors to the east elected a minority government last month but I really don't care about that. Whoever they voted in would have the same grand goal - Extract as much money as possible from the federal government to pay for their second rate language, culture and social programs.

What frustrates me so much is that catering to Quebec to win federal elections has never really worked. In fact, the more you stand up to them the more likely they have proven themselves to work with you. As I correctly pointed out before the last federal election Quebecers are first and foremost front runners. They really don't care who is in Ottawa as long as they have a voice at the table. Therefore the best way to win seats in Quebec is to poll well in the rest of the country. In the last election campaign the Tories only started to poll well in Quebec after they started rising in Ontario and that is always how it works. Quebec jumps on the bandwagon and the numbers rise in Quebec. Then Ontario sees the Tories or whoever it is as a national party and the numbers grow in Ontario. It is a stupid game of cat and mouse I admit but the point remains the same - Stop giving away the farm to Quebec and concentrate on the rest of the country. They will only vote for who is in first place anyway.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Ain't Nothin' Fina' Than Hatin' Carolina.

- As someone who loathes North Carloina basketball I absolutely loved watching the Tar Heels lose yesterday. And watching them gag on a 10 point lead with under 7 minutes to go made it even better. I was practically having a stroke in my basement by the time Georgetown tied it with about 30 seconds left I was having such a good time. Despite Billy Packer's desperate homerism and the refs screwing the Hoyas (The Heels went to the line 34 times for Christ Sake, mostly on ticky tack fouls) the Heels choked like a Roy Williams coached team usually does. It was a joy to watch.

- I got three of the Final Four right and missed out on Kansas which lost to UCLA. That game was the one I agonized over picking the most. I am now taking Ohio State over UCLA in the final. I think UCLA will have a big point to prove against Florida after playing so poorly in last years final against the Gators.

- Only 21 days until the Ottawa Lynx home opener. Going to Lynx games is on of my true joys during Ottawa summers.

- Gilbert Arenas is my favorite NBA player because he is just a flat out flake who can score at will most nights. But also because he understands the entertainment value of the game and knows how to put asses in the seats. Even if that means making $10 bets with fans about hitting the game winning shot.

- I haven't commented on last week's federal budget because it was exactly what I expected it to be. I feel bad for Jim Flaherty who had to deliver that mess. I have know doubt he wanted to pull a Lou Brown (the manager of the Indians in Major League) and piss all over it the way Brown did on Roger Dorn's contract when Dorn said he didn't have to stretch.

I am now hoping Harper really does have a hidden agenda. My current political fantasy is that Harper calls an election tomorrow, wins a majority and during his acceptance speech rips off the Mulroney mask, puts on a Reform button, somebody pulls the cord on the Tory banner behind him to reveal a Reform banner, and he says "All right fuckers, time to get down to business and nobody can stop me for the next five years." Please don't ruin it for me by suggesting it is unlikely.

- Happy 31st birthday to Amy Smart who I have always had a crush on (it would never work out though. She's vegan). If she had any talent at all she would be a Pursuit of Lesiure Hottie. And a happy 22nd to Keira Knightley who is about 3 years and an additional 25 pounds away from becoming a Pursuit of Leisure Hottie because she does have the talent.

Friday, March 23, 2007

The Male Equivalent Of Getting Flowers.

- Ms. Skeelo likes to comment now and then that I don't buy her flowers enough. My retort is always the same - "When was the last time you bought me a new putter?" I was thinking about this yesterday and last night while talking to Diamond Joe and I started to wonder what the male equivalent of getting flowers would be. While I think a new putter is suitable it may be a bit overpriced. But I think a dozen Titleists is perfectly reasonable. I would be interested to hear from male readers what they feel would be appropriate to bug women about not buying us enough of.

- Pretty damn good games last night in the NCAA's. After the double digit comebacks that Ohio St. has overcome their last two games makes me think they might just won this thing. Big men like Oden almost never win titles (Shaq and Tim Duncan never even made the Final Four) because they can be neutralized on the offensive end by aggressive zones in college ball. But that's where Ohio St. differs. They don't need any offense from Oden because their guards score so well.

- Kobe is starting to get that look again after dropping 60 again last night, the second time in less than a week. I don't think they can win a playoff series because they are not healthy enough but they are going to throw one hell of a scare into Dallas, Phoenix or San Antonio if they meet in the first round.

- The Celtics lost a game at home the other night to the equally pathetic Bobcats who they are battling for worst record in the NBA and therefore the most ping pong balls in the lottery. The Celtics barely played there starting five at all and Danny Ainge was spotted sitting next to Kevin Durant's mom at a Texas NCAA tournament game. This proves beyond argument that the Celtics are tanking games on purpose as the season comes to a close. Poor Red Auerbach is turning over in his grave right now.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Random Stuff.

- So Texas won't be beating North Carolina in the third round of the NCAA's as I originally predicted. That would be because Longhorns coach Rick Barnes is a terrible game coach. Kevin Durant is the most explosive scorer in college in the past 25 years and should have the ball in his hands every time down the court. He really is a cross between Scottie Pippen and Kevin Garnett. Instead he doesn't get the ball and they lose to USC. Well done Barnes.

- College coaching is so different from the pros because of the recruiting factor. There are very few coaches in NCAA basketball who are great coaches and recruiters and those are the guys who are always competitive. Teams like Arizona, Duke, UNC, UConn and Wisconsin come to mind. Most coaches are great recruiters and lousy coaches however, but increasingly recruiting is more important. Coaches like that are Barnes, Billy Donovan (the Gators play well as a group but are fundamentally awful), and schools like UCLA and Ohio State.

- I'm sticking with my original Final Four of Florida, Kansas, Georgetown and Ohio St.

- The reason critics hate bands like Nickelback and The Black Eyed Peas (who I actually like) is because they are awful, it's really not that hard to figure out. I recently said Nickelback is the worst band currently making music and I stand by that. My 11 year old nephew could write better lyrics than these self importants jags. If there is a musical equivalent to jumping the shark it was that song with that ridiculous "Kickin' your ass would be a pleasure" line. It is impossible to hear Nickelback without either cringing or laughing out loud. Especially now that they are ripping off Kid Rock with that Wanna Be A Rock Star tune. And for the record I like Kid Rock.

- You know it must of hurt if Iggy Pop says it hurts. This guy is as big a medical marvel as Keith Richards. I remember listening to an interview with Iggy where he admitted that he doesn't remember living with David Bowie in Berlin in the 70's. They lived together for at least 2 years and he doesn't have one recollection of it. That's pretty damned impressive.

- I think Emma Watson bailing on the last two Harry Potter movies is a strange move. She doesn't want to be known as the "girl from Harry Potter" but she has already done five of them. How is another two going to hurt. On the other hand she is the most talented actor in the group and may have better opportunities lined up.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

I'm Shocked Pete Rose! Shocked!

- The last time I was in Vegas as Ms. Skeelo headed down to the pool for some martinis and sunshine I decided to watch some baseball at the MGM Grand sportsbook. I look to my left and two chairs next to me is Pete Rose watching the games with a ticket marker in his hand. So I'm not that surprised to hear him finally admit he bet on the Reds. But at least he bet on them to win. It's not like he was throwing games like the 1919 White Sox. And for the record I think he should absolutely be in the Hall of Fame despite being a complete lowlife.

- A lot of people are picking Florida to win the NCAA's and I just don't see it happening. It's not that they don't have the talent but that it's just too hard to repeat and there are better teams out there. Or maybe it's that I can't accept a team whose emotional leader, Joakim Noah, looks like a trannie when he wears that moomoo. What a ninny.

- Upsets in the tournament happen for two reasons - 1. high seeds are not as good as their seed and 2. low seeds are better than their seed. It's rarely both in the same game. So who are potential bracket busters? In the overrated category #2 Memphis tops the list. They play in a terrible conference and didn't beat many good teams all year. I'm also not convinced Oregon and Washington St are worthy of 3 seeds out of the weak Pac 10. And as I said yesterday Texas is going to beat #1 UNC. On the underrated side I think Long Beach St., Winthrop and Old Dominion could all find themselves in the Sweet Sixteen.

- Damien Cox has tried to tackle the debate over this year's Hart Trophy. I think Sidney Crosby will win it but to me it comes down to Msrtin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo. I think Broduer is the better goalie and should win the Vezina but the Devils would be in the playoffs with even average goaltending. The Canucks on the other hand would be in last place in their division without Luongo in the loaded western conference. That's why I would give it to him.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Happy Birthday Michael Caine



A very Happy 74th Birthday to Michael Caine who in my opinion is the best actor alive. His body of work is exceptional and while many of his contemporaries have become mere parodies of themselves, Caine continues to play a great range of characters with the same high level of skill and professionalism he has shown for decades now. If anything he is actually improving with age.

NCAA Thoughts and Picks.

- The greatest show on earth starts tomorrow and I can't wait. I'm even working from home the next couple of days so I can have an eye on the TV. One of the best things about this tournament is watching games on a nuetral court played between two teams located nowhere near where they are playing and watching fans get behind one of the teams as the game moves on. An example of this is will be Penn playing Texas A&M in Lexington, Kentucky tomorrow. If this game is close listen as the crowd goes completely apeshit every time Penn does something good.

- You need to watch Kevin Durant of Texas play. He is the best offensvis player in college ball in 20 years and can go for 50 on any given night. I think he will take Texas to the Elite Eight and knock off 1 seed North Carolina (who I loathe) in the round of Sixteen. It will be a primetime game and he will personally dismantle UNC.

- Staying on Durant for a minute (indulge me here, there is a point) I find it funny when people say he needs to stay in school because the experience is great for him (he is a freshman). I only understand that argument from the "college is the greatest 4 years of your life" point of view. But 90% of the people who make the stay in school argument feel it is important for him to get his degree. I ask why? If the goal of college is to enhance your career prospects and get a good job Durant can't enhance them any more. He is going to be the first or second pick in the draft and with endorsements make about $5 million next year. I don't think to many other Texas grads are going to land gigs with that pay scale when they graduate next month. There was another guy who dropped out of Texas as an undergrad to start his own company. I'm currently typing this blog on one of his computers. It has the name Dell on it. Yeah, Michael Dell. I don't think dropping out of Texas caused him any career setbacks.

- You gotta cheer for Long Beach St. in this tournament if for no other reason than the potential spectacle of seeing annoying troll Billy Packer having to interview Snoop (if LBS and USC somehow met in the Final Four Packer's head would explode). I have them in the Sweet Sixteen more as a tribute to my love of Snoop, Sublime and Gwen Stefani than any real basketball reasoning.

- I think it is very unfair for small conference champions to have to play in a play in game like Niagara and Florida A&M did Tuesday night. Make two low seeded BCS conference schools like Illinois and Arkansas play the play in game like many have suggested.

- My Final Four picks are: Florida, Kansas, Ohio St. and Georgetown with Kansas beating Ohio St. in the final.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Diane Lane



Today we add Diane Lane to the growing list of Pursuit of Leisure Hotties. Not many woman have the beauty of Ms. Lane, especially not many 42 year olds. This Oscar nominated actress is getting better with age and her roles are also improving. I though she was great in last year's Hollywoodland, and she is set to star in 5 movies coming out over the next 2 years.

Some Farewell Tour.

- I'm very ambivalent about the end of the Isiah Thomas farewell tour. On one hand I wanted to see the most hated man in the league run out of town never to be heard from again. On the other hand I hope the Knicks continue to stink so we can keep rippin' on him.

- Don't look now but the Spurs are playing as well as ever. The Spurs are to the NBA what the Patriots are to the NFL. They spook everybody because they now how to win and are better coached than anyone else. While the Mavericks are winning at a ridiculous rate I still don't think they can beat the Spurs. The only team that can is the Suns.

- In my opinion James Brown was the most influential stage performer in music history. It makes me very sad to know that he had to suffer the indignity of having Al Sharpton preside over his burial ceremony.

- It's a sad day when someone as left of center as Stephane Dion takes aim at the Tory tax policy and is right on the money (no pun intended). We used to have one party in this country that watered down it's platform, didn't stand for anything and had no principles. Now we have two as Stephen Harper can't be considered a conservative at all. Which is why Canadian politics barely ever rates a mention on this site.

Some Farewell Tour.

- I'm very ambivalent about the end of the Isiah Thomas farewell tour. On one hand I wanted to see the most hated man in the league run out of town never to be heard from again. On the other hand I hope the Knicks continue to stink so we can keep rippin' on him.

- Don't look now but the Spurs are playing as well as ever. The Spurs are to the NBA what the Patriots are to the NFL. They spook everybody because they now how to win and are better coached than anyone else. While the Mavericks are winning at a ridiculous rate I still don't think they can beat the Spurs. The only team that can is the Suns.

- In my opinion James Brown was the most influential stage performer in music history. It makes me very sad to know that he had to suffer the indignity of having Al Sharpton preside over his burial ceremony.

- It's a sad day when someone as left of center as Stephane Dion takes aim at the Tory tax policy and is right on the money (no pun intended). We used to have one party in this country that watered down it's platform, didn't stand for anything and had no priciples. Now we have two as Stephen Harper can't be considered a conservative at all. Which is why Canadian politics barely ever rates a mention on this site.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Three Days 'til the Madness Starts.

- The single best event in sports starts this Thursday. Do yourself a favor and print off an NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket, fill it out, and watch this Thursday and Friday rooting for underdogs in the first round (32 games). Root for schools you've never heard of and win your office pool by choosing schools to win strictly on their nicknames. Because if you do not watch this tournament you have absolutely no right to call yourself a sports fan. None.

- My favorite underdog for this year's tourney is going to be Miami of Ohio, the Alma mater of Ms. Diamond Joe Quimby. They are a 14 seed taking on 3 seed Oregon. Every year a 14 beats a 3 and this could be this year's upset.

- Chris Simon's suspension is way too short. This guy has been suspended for stick violations before and should have been suspended for an entire year. He really should have been made an example of. As my friend in Whitby put it, the best way to cut stuff like what Simon did out of the game is to have a start player hit hard and often as retaliation. Then the skill players would take it upon themselves to give the cement heads on their own team shit for starting things up. Don't get me wrong, I love a good fight if it is too hard nosed players going at it over the course of the game (like George Larocques vs. Chris Neil)and things get heated. But why should roster spots be given to guys who can't play at all?

- I saw Zodiac last week and it was very good. I will try to do a full review soon.

- Congrats to future Pursuit of Leisure Hottie Selma Hayek on her impending wedding and child. She seems to be marrying a guy worthy of her too which is not often the case with women of her calibre.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Tom Brady Has Boys of Steel.

- As if winning three Super Bowls and having women world wide adore him wasn't enough, apparently Tom Brady has sperm that could swim upstream successfully during a hurricane. After recently knocking up Bridget Moynahan he may have now knocked up uberbbabe Gisele Bundchen. Somebody buy this guy a pack of condoms.

- I have started to watch Heroes the past 5 or 6 weeks and have to admit that despite far too many story lines, I am really enjoying it. And Hayden Panettiere (who plays Claire Bennet) is just cute as hell. And I mean that in a "If I ever have a teenage son I hope he lands a girl that cute" kind of way, not in a "creepy 31 year old guy likes a 17 year old" kind of way. I still can't figure out if Ali Larter (who plays Niki Sanders) is hot or not though. Sometimes she looks great and other times not so much.

- Please watch 30 Rock tonight because I think it needs more viewers. I find this show hilarious and despite being a communist in real life Alec Baldwin is great at comedy (as evidenced in his turn in The Departed). Tracy Morgan is also hysterical in this show. But I'm worried that now that I am starting to watch it it will get cancelled like every other show I like.

- Three years later and neither Steve Moore nor Todd Bertuzzi are the same. This is one of those times you wish you could hit rewind and stop something from ever happening.

- I'm starting to think the best way to stop Quebec separation from being the third rail of Canadian politics is to have another referendum. Only this time everyone in Canada gets to vote instead of Quebec. The rest of Canada should vote on whether we want them here or not. I'm dead serious. If we vote them off the island, then we just send them packing and stop all this bullshit every few years.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Those Sens Sure Are Heartbreakers.

- One of the things I enjoy most about living in Ottawa is that I am not a Sens fan. It's great to watch everybody here go hysterical every year thinking this is the year the Sens finally don't shit the bed in the playoffs. So of course everyone here thinks this is "the year". After watching them blow last night's game to the Penguins it is clear they are going nowhere again. Their defense is really weak and they don't have much offensive depth. I love Ray Emery in net but he won't be able to do it all himself.

And for the record we Leaf fans think every year is "the year" too but deep down we always know it isn't.

- I love Shaq. I think he is hilarious, an unstoppable force on the court, and in a league with a lot of image problems currently, a great guy who has never been arrested for beating his wife, drugs, gun fights at a Ripper joint or anything like that. But I find his new reality show about helping kids with nutrition ironic given he shows up for training camp 30 pounds overweight every year and takes the first 4 months of the season to play his way into shape. But it is bound to be better than Kazaam.

- Another guy I actually like is Bob Rae who is getting back into federal politics. I like Bob Rae as the head of panels and task forces but don't like his politics as he essentially ran Ontario into the ground (and for you Mike Harris haters in the crowd, remember that Rae's ineptitude created the need for Harris). A good friend of mine was an Ignatieff supporter at the Grit convention in Montreal and some Rae supporters were giving him a hard time because Iggy had no track record. To which my friend said at least he doesn't have a dismal track record. Exactly.

- I'm glad Stephen Harper's only comments on the current ABM fees "controversy" (What's next on the docket? Stamp prices?) is that they annoy him. They annoy me too but I'm not about to sign a petition trying to outlaw banks from charging them. There should be a charge when you are taking money from a bank other than your own because the banks pay a fee to move the money. I also find it funny that people bitch about these fees but invest in mutual funds in Canada that pretty much all invest heavily in banks.

- Here is a sports argument so good I'm pissed off I didn't write the column myself. Who is the most hated Duke basketball player of all-time? As someone who is a rabid Duke fan and has been since about 1987 I can totally see why everyone hates them. But hands down the winner has to be Christian Laettner. Four Final Fours, two championships, Player of the Year and all the girls loved him. Plus he stomped on Aminu Timberlake's chest and hit the game winning shot in the greatest college basketball game ever played.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Back In Action.

- I've been away from bloggin' for a while due to a crazy busy work schedule but you can always count on a Ron Artest arrest to get my juices flowing again. I would give anything to have Artest, Pacman Jones (dropping 81K at a peelers is the stuff that dreams are made of), and Terrell Owens all playing in the same city and hanging out together. I wouldn't actually visit that city for fear of my life though.

- Another constant source of material is Alex Kovalev, who denies ripping his team and coach. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he did make these comments which is funny coming from a guy who is more responsible for the Habs decline this year than anyone. He is the single biggest waste of talent I have ever seen in the NHL. No guts, no interest in using his awesome abilities and absolutely no pride.

- The Edmonton Oilers trade of Ryan Smyth last week shows what an absolute waste of time the lockout was for the NHL. The whole point of the lockout was so that teams like the Oilers didn't need to trade their best players. And trading Smyth shows that the Oilers are the most hypocritical team in the "new" NHL. The Oilers didn't have to trade Smyth they chose to. Which means they have probably been bullshitting their fans for 20 years and simply just refused to pay their players all along. And oh by the way, the Oiler payroll is higher today than it was pre-lockout. The lockout that was supposed to reduce the payroll of small market teams. This is way I think the NHL is such a disgrace. Don't get me wrong I love watching hockey and the NHL, but the league itself as a business entity is a farce.

- What would impress me is if the NHL is smart enough to try to introduce the Las Vegas Penguins. Having an elite team, which the Pens are at least from a marketing point of view, in that market would be invaluable to the league.