Canada

Bellies Up Against The Wall

admin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:26:00 +0000

The New Westminster Salmonbellies came out in Game Three of the 2008u Mann Cup and played the first period like a team that only lost one game all season, including the playoffs. The problem is that it still was not enough at the end, as they find themselves down 3-0 after dropping a 7-3 decision Monday night.

The Bellies controlled the first period, dominating almost the entire frame. Colin Doyle opened the scoring for Brampton before three straight goals by New West. Peter Morgan scored to tie the game on a low shot short side on Anthony Cosmo. Tyler Crompton made it 2-1 shortly after and New West seemed to have their game legs on the night. Crompton would score his second of the period, allowing New West to take a 3-1 lead to the locker room after one.

Unfortunately, for the Champions of the West that would be it for the scoring for them on the night. In the second period, controversy arose when Colin Doyle, on a 4 minute Power Play, took a back handed shot that hit a New West defender in the helmet. The shot clock at the time was down to roughly 3 seconds, and was reset, the operator thinking it had hit goalie Tyler Richards. The New West bench and players on the floor immediatley protested, but play was allowed to continue. Roughly 10 seconds later, Dan Dawson took a cross floor pass from Josh Sanderson and scored cutting the lead to 3-2. Less than a minute and a half after his goal, Sanderson would then score another Power Play goal, Dawson returning the favour setting him up. The score after two periods was 3-3.

Just as I was mentioning in our webcast that New West had appeared to drop the monkey they had on their backs in games one and two, it happened again, this time in the third period. Two goals less than a minute apart by Patrick Merrill and Colin Doyle, and then two more in less than thirty seconds by Brodie Merrill and Blaine Manning blew the game open for Brampton. The final ended 7-3 and allowed the Excelsiors to take a stranglehold on the series.

We mentioned that only one team in Mann Cup history, the 1985 Brooklin Redmen, have come back from a 3-0 defecit to win the Championship. So it can be done, but will it? Many New West fans I’m sure hope so.

Mann Cup Stats After Three Games

Wamp and I did a live webcast, and although we had a few technical problems, it went fairly well. The videos were recorded for anyone that did not see the game or wants to after the fact. Simply click the links below to see the game (I did place them in order):

Period 1 - File 1
Period 1 - File 2
Period 2
Period 3 - File 1
Period 3 - File 2
Period 3 - File 3
Period 3 - File 4

Mann Cup Game Three Live Updates

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:42:00 +0000

We hope you are enjoying the free Webcast and our Mann Cup game coverage. While we were asked to provide game reports, the webcast was an after thought. We would ask you to please consider making a per game donation (of any amount) if you find the webcast worthy. Click the Paypal logo to the right and you can donate whatever amount you feel. Thank you.

Click the link below to be taken to the live webcast. The stats for the game will be updated on this page.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/litg—2008-mann-cup-coverage

	2008 Mann Cup
	Game Three Monday Sept 8/08
	Powerade Center
	Brampton, Ontario
	.	Period	Final
	Officials: Fox, Martin	Time	0:00
	.
	Brampton Excelsiors	Score	7
Goals		Shots	41
1	Doyle - (J Sanderson, P. Merrill)	7:22
2	Dawson (PP)- (Sanderson, Doyle)	16:30
3	J Sanderson (PP)-(D Dawson,Manning	18:19
4	P Merrill - (Shattler, Teat)	5:57
5	Doyle - (Manning, Dawson)	6:56
6	Merrill (unassisted)	12:02
7	Manning - (unassisted)	12:31
8
9
10
11
12

	New WestminsterSalmonbellies	Score	3
		Shots	38
1	P Morgan - (McBride, Crompton)
2	Crompton - (Smith)	12:19
3	Crompton - (Gill, Smith)	3:02
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

	Latest Update



Scratches:


Scratches:

Mann Cup Official Stats After Two Games / 2008 Program

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

A big thank you to Bernie Bernhardt for doing up these stats. I sit next to Bernie and his wife Lynne during the games, and they do a great job compiling these. They are in Excel format, so please just click the link below to download a copy.

I will put up an updated copy after game three.

Mann Cup Stats After Two Games

And while I am at it, Bernie also provided me a scanned copy of the Program (only missing the front cover), for anyone that woud like a copy of it. Please click that link below (it is in pdf format, approx 2.6 MB in size):

2008 Mann Cup Program

Excelsiors Take 2-0 Lead

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:58:00 +0000

Wanna see more great pics of Saturday’s game? Check out M40 Images

Game 2 of the 2008 Mann Cup went Saturday night at the Powerade Center in Brampton, Ontario. And while the New West Minster Salmonbellies played a more complete game than their first, the Brampton Excelsiors were still able to better them by one goal with a narrow 6-5 victory.

Game 2 started out very similar to game one with New West’s Cliff Smith finding the net only 2:30 into the contest. The Bellies held the 1-0 lead until five minutes later when Dan Teat scored his first of two consecutive goals in the first period. The second goal came with just two minuntes left in the frame, and seemed to ignite the Excelsiors going into the second period.

Two quick goals in the second period again for Brampton seemed to be the problem for New West, similar to game one. Colin Doyle and Aaron Wilson extended the lead to 4-1 before Ilija Gajic scored his first goal of the series to close the gap to 4-2.

Blaine Manning scored his first of two goals to keep Brampton ahead 5-2 at the end of the second period. Manning was the beneficiary of some incredible work by Dan Dawson, who was being double teamed at the time. When Manning was able to break loose off his pick, he found himself wide open in front of starter Matt Roik with the ball and made the best of his chance.

The third period saw Manning open the scoring to widen the gap to 6-2. However, the Western Champion Bellies showed their character by coming back with the next three. Jordan Hall scored less than a minute after Manning did on a nice feed from Pete Morgan. And then probably the nicest goal on the night was Ilija Gajic’s second (pictured above). He took a shot on net, and found the ball rolling out from the crease. Gajic continued to drive to the net, after his shot. At the same time he was driving the net, Anthony Cosmo was getting up from his initial save. Gajic won the race against his defender, and was right in front of Cosmo, mere inches from being in the crease. He jumped in the air, and threw a back hander by Cosmo before landing in the crease.

Pete Morgan would then add New West’s fifth marker on a real nice launch from about 10 feet outside the dotted line with only twenty-two seconds left on the clock. New West won the ensuing face-off, and called their timeout, but were unable to penetrate the Brampton zone and get a good quality shot away.

Only seven minor penalties were called last night, and again neither Power Play seemed very effective with Brampton scoring only once on their four tries.

Other Game Notes:

- Wamp and I did a Live Internet Broadcast of the game and had a blast doing it. As we said to the viewers, we were not Professionals but we did the best we could. We will again be doing one on Monday night.
- Attendance last night was only a little better than game one.
- Again last night Josh Sanderson was a healthy scratch, and Nenad Gajic was a scratch for New West, but we could not find out the reason. Jon Harasym did not dress for Brampton either.
- Shots favored New West 46-44
=Player of the game for Brampton - Dan Teat, for New West - Jordan Hall

Blog Kiosk 8/24/2008

admin — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:40:00 +0000

Are the Olympics over yet?

Check out the Olympics made of Lego's.
Michael Phelps autographed cards are selling for crazy money on eBay. The below 2004 Donruss Leaf "Fans of the Game" card is going for more than $400.00 a pop. The Upper Deck 2005 Autographed card below (limited to 10) was available only at the Hawaii Trade Conference and is already at $3,850.00.
Cardboard Junkie shows off my favorite Olympic card set- the 1983 Topps Greatest Olympians. I know this is a card with a hockey player on it, but I can't even begin to tell you how eager I am for the season to begin. BTW, did you know that Eruzione means eruption. His winning goal in 1980 was like Mount Vesuvius blowing his top.
The Inside the Park Blog shows off an early 60's Dodgers souvenir mail order catalog. I've seen most of the items before. The bobbleheads at the top are very rare and highly sought after. The pennant, ashtray, helmet and hat are readily found on eBay, but that cartoon looking toy of the pitcher is totally new to me.
This guy knows how to catch a ball. With no glove in hand he uses the best thing he's got- a cup of beer.

Hat Tip: Lion In Oil:

Blog Kiosk 8/17/2008

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:21:00 +0000

Late as usual.

Dottie Collins was a mammoth of a pitcher. In 1945 she won 29 games while only losing 10 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In that year she had 239 strike outs and an ERA of 0.83. Last week she died at the age of 84.
Pitching for six seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, created in 1943 to provide home front entertainment while many major leaguers were off to war, Collins dazzled opposing batters.
She pitched underhand, sidearm and overhand; she threw curveballs, fastballs and changeups; and in the summer of 1948, she pitched until she was four months pregnant. She won more than 20 games in each of her first four seasons. She threw 17 shutouts and had a league-leading 293 strikeouts in 1945 for the Fort Wayne Daisies, when the women's game resembled fast-pitch softball.
She was also quite a character.
“I pitched and won both games of a doubleheader once pitching underhand,” she told Susan E. Johnson in “When Women Played Hardball.”
“I think I could have pitched a doubleheader overhand, too,” she said. “I don’t think it would be that hard. Nowadays, the men can’t do it, but hell, they can’t do nothin’.”
(Hat Tip: ShysterBall:)
Erin is back with a new Dodger Blog called Robots Took My Medicine.
That Woolly Mammoth card I wrote about several weeks ago closed last week on eBay at an astounding $1,725.00. Holy Moly! I'd take some Campanella's, a Snider, a Pee Wee and a boatload of Manny Ramirez cards for that kind of money. Heck, I could probably pay my rent on top of that.
Topps just announced the inclusion of Clayton Kershaw into their 2008 Topps Finest Baseball Rookie Redemption Set.
Check out Cards in the Attic's find of vintage T206 cards displayed on the wall in a vintage period photo.
Fox News visits Topps. Check out the video below.

Hat Tip: Cardboard Mania:

The Professor, Part II

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:30:00 +0000

Apparently, the smartest pitcher in Baseball will be a Dodger once again.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday night that the team had completed a deal with the Padres for veteran right-hander Greg Maddux . Citing an anonymous person close to the deal, the newspaper did not know who San Diego would receive in return.

With some questions still surrounding the Dodgers pitching staff this is a good pick up that should provide some stability, if not some veteran leadership for the stretch run.

Brian Kamenetzky notes further,

While overall Maddux sports a 6-9 record, a look at the game log shows he's been pretty effective since mid-May (three awful starts skew his numbers a lot), and the three starts he's had in August have been lights out. With Brad Penny out for perhaps the remainder of the year, it makes sense for the Blue to make a move. How good a move depends a lot on the cost of acquiring the future HOFer. Assuming it's low, I can't see how adding him hurts, that's for sure. Maddux will, I assume, make his re-debut Saturday in Philadelphia, unless Joe Torre decides to jigger around the rotation to accommodate his presence.

Here is the breaking story from Dylan Hernandez of the Times.

UPDATE: MLB Trade Rumors has a full rundown here.

Peewee / Bantam Final Six Schedule / Results

admin — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:49:00 +0000

I’m hoping to get some updates from Guelph for this.

	Peewee Final Six
Score			Score
3	Orangeville	Clarington	4
7	Burlington	E/G Newmarket	5
1	Six Nations	Whitby	11
3	E/G Newmarket	Orangeville	7
2	Burlington	Whitby	7
7	Clarington	Six Nations	6
4	E/G Newmarket	Clarington	6
4	Six Nations	Burlington	9
6	Whitby	Orangeville	2
4	Orangeville	Six Nations	3
2	E/G Newmarket	Whitby	4
6	Clarington	Burlington	4
5	Six Nations	E/G Newmarket	5
9	Whitby	Clarington	4
4	Orangeville	Burlington	6
5	Orangeville - Bronze	Game - Burlington	3
12	Whitby - Gold	Game - Clarington	3


	Bantam Final Six
Score			Score
4	Akwesasne	Six Nations	5
4	Brampton	St. Catharines	6
5	Whitby	Halton Hills	5
7	Six Nations	Whitby	6
3	St. Catharines	Akwesasne	6
2	Brampton	Halton Hills	7
3	St. Catharines	Six Nations	6
6	Whitby	Brampton	2
4	Halton Hills	Akwesasne	7
4	Akwesasne	Whitby	4
3	Six Nations	Brampton	2
5	St. Catharines	Halton Hills	6
5	Whitby	St. Catharines	2
5	Akwesasne	Brampton	2
	Halton Hills	Six Nations
3	Halton Hills - Bronze	Game - Whitby	5
7	Six Nations - Gold	Game - Akwesasne	1

Bantam Provincial Schedule / Results

admin — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:38:00 +0000

I will be participating in these games and will do my best to update.

	Bantam B
Score			Score
7	Wallaceburg	Newmarket #1	4
4	Barrie	Nia-on-the-Lake #1	6
6	Six Nations #2	Windsor	7
2	Gloucester #1	Oakville #1	6
2	Nepean #1	Beaches #1	4
3	Caledon #1	Burlington #1	5
7	Cornwall #1	Clarington #1	7
3	Mississauga #1	Hamilton #1	5
8	Barrie	Wallaceburg	3
1	Newmarket #1	Nia-on-the-Lake #1	4
16	Gloucester #1	Six Nations #2	4
7	Oakville #1	Windsor	7
0	Caledon #1	Nepean #1	1
5	Beaches #1	Burlington #1	1
5	Mississauga #1	Cornwall #1	7
8	Hamilton #1	Clarington #1	2
7	Wallaceburg	Nia-on-the-Lake #1	2
8	Barrie	Newmarket #1	2
1	Six Nations #2	Oakville #1	4
10	Windsor	Gloucester #1	5
1	Nepean #1	Burlington #1	4
4	Caledon #1	Beaches #1	3
10	Cornwall #1	Hamilton #1	2
7	Clarington #1	Mississauga #1	8
2	1st-1 - Barrie	2nd-4 - Hamilton	1
7	1st-3 - Beaches	2nd-2 - Windsor	5
4	1st-2 - Oakville	2nd-3 - Burlington	6
4	1st-4 - Cornwall	2nd-1 - Wallaceburg	7
5	Burlington	Wallaceburg	6
2	Barrie	Beaches	5
3	Beaches	Wallaceburg	8
	B Champs	Wallaceburg


	Bantam C 1
Score			Score
3	W. Durham	Arthur #1	12
12	Oakville #2	Kahnawake	2
8	Whitby #2	Elora #1	8
1	Orangeville #2	Brantford	4
4	Halton Hills	Cambridge	5
8	Uxbridge	Owen Sound	11
8	Kitchener #2	Markham	7
4	Shelburne #1	Mimico #2	7
1	Oakville #2	W. Durham	10
14	Arthur #1	Kahnawake	5
4	Orangeville #2	Whitby #2	7
4	Brantford	Elora #1	6
12	Uxbridge	Halton Hills #2	3
2	Cambridge	Owen Sound	12
5	Shelburne #1	Kitchener #2	9
3	Mimico #2	Markham	4
9	W. Durham	Kahnawake	1
5	Oakville #2	Arthur #1	10
7	Whitby #2	Brantford	3
8	Elora #1	Orangeville #2	2
5	Halton Hills #2	Owen Sound	8
6	Uxbridge	Cambridge	4
6	Kitchener #2	Mimico #2	6
2	Markham	Shelburne #1	10
9	1st-1 - Arthur	2nd-4 - Mimico	6
5	1st-3 - Owen Sound	2nd-2 - Whitby # 2	6
6	1st-2 - Elora	2nd-3 - Uxbridge	10
2	1st-4 - Kitchener # 2	2nd-1 - West Durham	9
10	Arthur	Whitby # 2	4
6	West Durham	Uxbridge	4
7	Arthur	West Durham	4

	C 1 Champs	Arthur



	Bantam C 2
Score			Score
8	Fergus #1	Innisfil	5
12	Sarnia	Peterborough #2	7
6	Sarnia	Fergus #1	8
2	Innisfil	Peterborough #2	7
4	Whitby #3	Stayner	3
6	St. Catharines	Arthur #2	5
5	Midland #1	Nepean #2	3
1	Milton	Hamilton #2	9
6	Clarington #2	Six Nations #3	10
12	Orillia	Huntsville	2
10	Stayner	Arthur #2	4
5	Whitby #3	St. Catharines #2	4
6	Nepean #2	Milton	3
10	Midland #1	Hamilton #2	7
9	Six Nations #3	Huntsville	2
4	Clarington #2	Orillia	13
4	Six Nations #3	Orillia	9
6	Huntsville	Clarington #2	4
6	Fergus #1	Peterborough #2	6
10	Sarnia	Innisfil	8
8	Stayner	St. Catharines #2	4
8	Arthur #2	Whitby #3	9
2	Nepean #2	Hamilton #2	4
6	Midland #1	Milton	6
8	1st-1 - Fergus	2nd-4 - Six Nations # 3	4
4	1st-3 - Midland	2nd-2 - Stayner	5 (OT)
4	1st-2 - Whitby # 3	2nd-3 - Hamilton	8
15	1st-4 - Orillia	2nd-1 - Sarnia	5
6	Fergus	Stayner	2
4	Hamilton	Orillia	8
1	Fergus	Orillia	11

	C 2 Champs	Orillia


	Bantam D
Score			Score
3	Beaches #2	Sudbury	10
3	Lincoln	North Perth	3
8	Fort Erie	Orangeville #3	2
5	Burlington #2	Gloucester #2	4
8	Kawartha Lakes	Mississauga #2	5
13	Brampton #2	Midland #2	0
27	Brockville	Sun County	0
8	Kingston #1	Shelburne #2	1
12	Mimico #3	Welland #2	1
3	Lincoln	Beaches #2	3
5	Sudbury	North Perth	0
1	Guelph #2	Fort Erie	6
7	Kawartha Lakes	Burlington #2	5
7	Gloucester #2	Mississauga #2	5
13	Brockville	Brampton #2	8
6	Sun County	Midland	13
3	Mimico #3	Kingston #1	6
4	Welland #2	Shelburne #2	1
4	Beaches #2	North Perth	2
1	Lincoln	Sudbury	7
6	Orangeville #3	Guelph #2	2
6	Burlington #2	Mississauga #2	0
4	Kawartha Lakes	Gloucester #2	8
13	Brampton #2	Sun County	0
2	Midland #2	Brockville	13
8	Kingston #1	Welland #2	2
2	Shelburne #2	Mimico #3	10
4	1st-2 - Fort Erie	1st-5 - Kingston	8
1	1st-3 - Gloucester # 2	1st-4 - Brockville	6
12	1st-1 - Sudbury	Kingston	5
8	Sudbury	Brockville	4


	D Champs	Sudbury

Dodger Autograph Notice

admin — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:18:00 +0000

I just got a notice from the Dodgers PR department that I wanted to pass along.

Closer Jonathon Broxton, legendary 1st Baseman Wes Parker and one of the nicest guys in the world "Sweet Lou" Johnson will be on-hand at the Staples store in Westchester to participate in a "Back to School" shopping spree to benefit the Westside Children's Center tomorrow afternoon, Friday, August 15, 2008.

I guess they'll be racing around the store while filling up their shopping karts with some goodies for the kids. The event starts at noon and the autograph session begins at 1:00 PM. Below are the details.

WHERE: Staples #0951
8704 S. Sepulveda
Westchester , CA 90045
(310) 342-5113

WHEN: Tomorrow, August 15, 2008
12 – 1 p.m. “Back to School” shopping spree with Westside Children’s Center
1 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Autograph session open to the public

Feds Visit the National

admin — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:01:00 +0000

The National Convention was not all fun and sports. It was also filled with the Feds.

Federal investigators crashed the National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemont, Ill., on Thursday and Friday, delivering subpoenas to several hobby executives to appear before a grand jury that is hearing evidence about fraud in their industry.

This is probably one of the hobbies biggest dirty little secrets. For many years this unregulated multi-million dollar business has been prone to abuse. Several years ago the FBI broke up a huge fake-autograph ring, called "Operation Bullpen." Now, they are hovering around the major auction house business to question certain hobby practices such as shill-bidding

(when an auction house or a consignor enters fake bids on an item in order to drive up the price),

fake memorabilia (in particular the altered UNC Michael Jordan warm-up jersey) and altered cards. The subject of their ire appears to be Mastro Auctions. AGAIN!

"No more business as usual," said Chicago collector Michael Gidwitz, who was interviewed by the FBI several months ago. "An unregulated business like this, it brings in a lot of unscrupulous people. This needed to be done a long time ago."

I say it's just about time. Fortunately, I'm not a collecting "whale", so to speak, so I doubt this has affected me. Nevertheless, I'm disappointed that these practices have been allowed to occur in a hobby I deeply enjoy. There are a lot of good people in the hobby and I believe these indiscretions are the exception and not the rule. Nevertheless, always keep your eyes open and if you have any questions I will always do my best to help out or point you in the right direction.

Hat Tip: VBCF:

National Pics Galore

admin — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:14:00 +0000

Sports Antiques.com has really outdone themselves. They have over 600 photos now available for all to view from the 2008 National Sports Collectors Convention. Check them all out by clicking here. Below are some of my new favorites.

Below is probably one of the rarest of all game used Baseball caps. It is Babe Ruth's barnstorming cap from 1927. He and Yankee legend Lou Gehrig went out on a national tour during the off-season. It was billed as a battle between Ruth's "Bustin' Babes" versus Gehrig's "Tarrupin Lou's."
I have never seen one of these. This is a stock certificate for the Brooklyn National League Baseball club. It is from 1953 and are for Walter O'Malley's ownership shares. This is an incredible find.
Mantle, Mantle, Mantle! Here is a case filled with the most collected player in the hobby.
This is my favorite of all Rittgers statues, circa 1940's. Known for its comical style it perfectly encapsulates the humor and loss that often surrounds Baseball.
Oh, you little rascal!

Dodgers Win! Dodgers Win!

admin — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 06:05:00 +0000

Wow! What game tonight.

The relief corps hold off the Phillies with 6 outstanding innings. Manny drives in 2 with a deep drive to right centerfield. Kent ties the game in the 8th inning with a 2-run double. Nomar hits a walk-off homerun to win it.

Do you feel the magic! We are now in 1st place, baby!

Dodger Kids

admin — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:57:00 +0000

There is a nice collection of vintage press photos available in the most recent Mastro Auction featuring the Dodgers with their kids. It's like a Dodger family album. Check them out below.

Did you know that the Dodgers had a canine mascot. His name was "Dodger" and he can't help but whisper something important into the ears of Duke Snider's son, Kevin. The little tyke listens intently as Duke watches on.
Dodger hurler Clem Labine hoist up his two daughters as they pose for the camera.
Jackie and Rachel Robinson with their son. I think this is their youngest son David Robinson.
A youthful Jackie watches over Jackie Jr. as he shows off his swing. The most interest thing about the photo is that Jackie is wearing one of those shiny satin Brooklyn uniforms.This press photo is titled "Making it a family affair." Pee Wee Reese is giving some pointers to his wife and daughter, Barbara, on how to play the infield. The paper press bio on the reverse says, "if ever women make their debut in the majors, Mrs. Reese will be ready." Gil Hodges enjoys some ice cream from his son. I don't think I've ever seen a kid balance on a couple of bats like that.
Stick 'em up! Roy Campanella's son is in full catcher attire as he tries to steal daddy's job.
Check out the rest of the photos here.

Wampers Corner Episode 6

admin — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:55:00 +0000

Episode six, recorded shorlty after the Brooklin Redmen had their 2008 season ended by the Brampton Exclesiors at Iroquois Park Arena. Wamp and I discuss the Mann Cup, he shows a few of his collectible programs from Mann Cups of years gone by.

Then Wamp, with the end of the Brooklin season details the plans he has for an upcoming trip with Twyla. I’ll be honest and say, that I’ve not laughed harder than I have in this episode. And believe me, the only part if this that is rehearsed, is the fact that we are talking about Mann Cups, and that he would talk about his trip.