Baseball Divisional Series

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Edward Brain

The wild card games are in the bag for 2013.  Now we can move onto the divisional series (first round) of the Major League Baseball (M.L.B.) playoffs.

American League Divisional Series (A.L.D.S.)

In the A.L., the Eastern Division Champion Boston Red Sox take on the high flying Tampa Bay Rays who had to win three straight games to get here (the final game of the regular season vs. the Toronto Blue Jays, the tie breaker against the Texas Rangers, and then the wild card game in Cleveland, and all three games on the road.) Continue reading →

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Are the St. Louis Cardinals the Best Team of the 21st Century?

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Edward Brain

Despite their failure to capture the World Series this year, there is a question we need to discuss: are the St. Louis Cardinals the best in the 21st Century?  I would certainly say they are.

Let’s just look at their success – since 2000, they have won two World Series (2006, 2011), four National League (N.L.) Pennants (2004, 2006, 2011, 2013), won the Central Division Title eight times (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2013) and have won the wild card three times (2001, 2011, 2012.)  In 2001, the Cardinals were tied with the Houstan Astros for first place in the N.L. Central Division.  Major League Baseball (M.L.B.) awarded both teams the division title, but as the Astros beat the Cardinals in their season series, the Cardinals were award the wild card spot.  That means over the span 14 seasons, the Cardinals have only missed the playoffs four times. Continue reading →

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Leafs vs. Habs: The Greatest Rivalry

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Edward Brain

With the Maple Leafs 4-3 win last night in the NHL opener last night, and the injury to George Parros, let review the greatest rivalry of all time.

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It’s now the end of the National Hockey League (NHL) 2012-2013 regular season, with the Toronto Maple Leafs playing host to their arch rivals the  Montreal Canadiens.  The Canadiens would win 4-1, to finish the regular season with 29 wins, 14 losses, and five overtime losses, good enough for first place in the Northeast Division and second place overall in the Eastern Conference.  The Maple Leafs finished with a record of 26 wins, 17 losses, and five overtime losses for 57 points, good for third place in the Northeast Divsion and fifth place overall in the Eastern Conference.

Let’s look at the greatest rivalry in sports:

The Maple Leafs and Habs have met 15 times in the post season, the last time being in 1979.  Of those meetings, five have been for the Stanley Cup (1947, 1951, 1959, 1960, 1967) with the Leafs winning three of those finals.  The two…

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M.L.B. Wild Card Match-ups

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Edward Brain

Now that the Tampa Bay Rays have defeated the Texas Rangers to secure the second wild card in the American League (A.L.), let’s look at the wild card match-ups:

In the National League (N.L.), the Cincinnati Reds visit the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Pirates are soaring high this year.  This year is the first year that the Pirates have ended the season with a winning season, or made the playoffs, since 1992.  Because of this, my opinion is that the Pirates will take the wild card game over Cincinnati. Continue reading →

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Munenori Kawasaki Deserves Another Year in Toronto

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Edward Brain

Blue Jays player Munenori Kawasaki has earned a spot on the 25 man roster for Toronto in 2014.  He certainly has Blue Jays fans behind him – even when he grounds out, the crowds in Toronto applaud him for his efforts.

Let’s review what Kawasaki has done to deserve a spot on the 25 man roster next year: Continue reading →

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Tampa Holds on to Beat the Blue Jays

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Edward Brain

The Toronto Blue Jays have lost their final game of 2013, 7-6 to the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Rays took an early 6-0 in the first inning, knocking out Blue Jays start Todd Redmond after only two outs.

The Blue Jays looked horrible throughout the first five innings, especially in the first before coming to life in the sixth inning scoring three runs.  They scored another in seventh, and another pair in the eighth inning.  Continue reading →

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R.A. Dickey beats the Rays

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Edward Brain

Tonight, R.A. Dickey pitched 7.1 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, giving up only five hits and two runs on solo homeruns by Ben Zobrist in the first inning and Delmon Young in the second.  Pitching for the Rays was Jeremy Hellickson who faced the minimum batters through the first three frames, only to see a couple of errors let the Blue Jays score four runs in the fourth inning before adding another pair in the fifth for a 6-2.

José Reyes opened the fourth inning with a single.  Munenori Kawasaki then put down a perfect sacrifice bunt down the third base line to allow Reyes to move to second base.  An error by Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria allowed Brett Lawrie to reach first base putting runners at first and second with one out.  Moises Sierra then hit a single to right field scoring Reyes from second and moving Lawrie to third.  Anthony Gose then hit a single to centre field scoring Brett Lawrie.  Sierra was stopped at second base.  After Mark DeRosa struck out, Ryan Goins hit a single to centre field.  Rays centre fielder Sam Fuld missed the ball, which rolled to the deepest part of centre field, both Sierra and Gose scored and Goins made it to third base.  However, he did not stop at third but continued on to try and score.  Unfortunately the Rays’ defense had been able to get the ball and get it to home just before Goins could slide in safely for the third out.  But what an exciting end to the inning. Continue reading →

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Bud Selig to Retire as MLB Commissioner

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Edward Brain

Bud Selig announced yesterday that he would be retiring as the Commissioner of Major League Baseball (M.L.B.) after the 2014 season after more than 20 years as Commissioner.  This is not the first time he has announced his plans to retire so there is always a chance he may change his decision over the next year.  However, he will turn 80 next July so it appears likely he may mean it this time.

Let’s take a closer look at Bud Selig:

Mr. Selig was born on July 30th 1934 in Milwaukee Wisconsin during the height of the Great Depression. He holds a B.A. in American History and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He was a larger stockholder of the Milwaukee Braves, while the team was in Milwaukee, before selling his interest in the team when it moved to Atlanta.  He then formed his own company to pursue the return of an M.L.B. to Milwaukee, something that he accomplished in 1970 when he purchased the bankrupt Seattle Pilots and persuaded the American League allow him to move the team to Milwaukee.  The Milwaukee Brewers (named after the breweries in the city) have been in Milwaukee ever since.  The team made the playoffs in 1981 and made it to the World Series in 1982, losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.  He transferred ownership of the team to his daughter in 1992 when he became Acting Commissioner. Continue reading →

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Condominim Act Review Stage 2

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Edward Brain

Canada’s Public Policy Forum has released it’s second stage review of Ontario’s Condominium Act.  I’d like to discuss a number of issues in the report:

1)  The report calls for mandatory testing for property managers.  This is a good step forward.  Many property managers do not have years of experience as owners and residents before becoming a property manager which means they tend not to understand condominiums properly, nor how to make them better.  Sure, those who have had training will know ‘the law’ but this does not mean they actually understand the issues that come up in condominiums nor do they necessarily have the empathy required.  However, this will only work if oversight occurs and owners can file complaints with the realistic chance that a property manager will lose his/her license. Continue reading →

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Moving into/Out of a Condominum

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Edward Brain

Gerry Hyman has another article.  Let’s discuss it:

QUESTION: We have a rule prohibiting moves in or out of a unit on weekends. The board passed a policy at a board meeting specifying that moves would be allowed on weekends. Could they do that without amending the existing rule?

ANSWER: The board must pass a new rule amending the existing rule. The new rule must be sent to the owners with a notice advising that, within 30 days, owners of 15 per cent of the units may requisition a meeting to vote on the rule. The new rule is effective if a requisition is not received within the 30 days or if the rule is approved at a requisitioned owners’ meeting. Continue reading →

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