Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-05-31, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 31,2Q00. Sports From the sidelines Respect to Dickens By Hugh Nichol With all due respect to Charles Dickens, his quo­ tation “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” perfectly summarizes the 1999-2000 NHL hockey season. The best of times was the contin­ ued growth in both popularity and participation of the game. Teams in Dallas, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, and Toronto played to 100 per cent capacity during the sea­ son, the Atlanta Thrashers estab­ lished a new expansion record for attendance, the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Bluejackets both sur­ passed their mandated target for the pre-selling of the upcoming season ticket packages, and all four major television networks reported increas­ es in household viewership numbers. The worst of times included the Bryan Berard eye injury, the increase in the number of players sidelined by post-concussion syndrome and the ever present cases of stick stupidity, the most publicized of which is the Marty McSorley fiasco. McSorley will stand trial this fall on a charge of assault with a weapon following his blindside blow to the head of Donald Brashear. beyond what is acceptable. McSorley’s defense will be that the incident occurred on the ice in the context of the game and that the issue was handled decisively when the NHL assessed the longest sus­ pension in league history. While incarceration is a possibili­ ty, past history suggests McSorley will plead guilty to a reduced charge of common assault resulting in a fine. To date only Dino Ciccarelli of the Minnesota North Stars has served jail time, and in his case the sentence was a single day for hitting Toronto’s Luke Richardson over the head with his stick during a 1988 contest at Maple Leaf Gardens. The McSorley proceedings will undoubtedly be a kangaroo court of delight as every reporter will have ample means to vocalize his conclu­ sions, convictions, judge-ments, and theories on what is wrong with our national pastime. News channels will broadcast an endless menagerie of interviews, commentaries, debates, disputes, and behind-the- scenes observations until finally, when the airways have reached a sat­ uration point beyond the limits of human tolerance, someone will real­ ize the general public doesn’t give a damn. At this point in time the merry-go- round battle between the advocates From the starting gate Skye Cook, left, and Kerissa VanAmersfoort take off as they challenged themselves and class mates during races at Blyth Public School’s track and field day, May 25. Tigers victorious in season opener The Brussels Tigers travelled to Zurich to open their Huron County Fastball League season and posted a 12-2 victory over the Rangers. The Tigers opened the scoring in the first as Moe Pipe singled to open the game. Brian Neill was then hit by a pitch. Both scored on a Doug Conley double. One batter later Doug Shaw cashed Conley to make it 3-0. The Rangers answered with two in the first at bat. However from then on it was all Brussels. The Tigers added two in the third and seven runs in the fifth to break the game open. Conley went all the way on the mound allowing only two hits and fanning nine Rangers. The Tigers next game is a home date, Wednesday versus the Goderich Orioles at 8:30 p.m. Local golfers win youth tourney At this time the Crown will attempt to prove that while players consent to a certain level of on-ice violence what McSorley did went of non-violence and the supporters of old time hockey will subside allowing the 2000-01 season to carry on as scheduled. U-9s down Elma in season start The Brussels U-9 1 squad got off to a great start, slipping by a tough soccer opponent from Elma, May 22. Evan Ducharme made some great saves in net before Andrew Lindsay notched the first goal of the season for Brussels. He got help on the net- ter from Jesse McKinnon and Trevor Wood. Ducharme received some defen­ sive help from Randy Zwep when he deflected a shot from in front of the net. Lindsay took the position between the posts in the second half, allowing Ducharme to tally the team’s second goal. Wood assisted on the play. Thomas Johnston made a great kick from centre to set up an attack and Ducharme received a nice pass from Chris Becker for another close play. Ducharme was robbed of his sec­ ond goal when the Elma goalie got a hand on a high shot. Zwep and Gavin Bowers displayed some nice passing. Brussels won 2-0. Mosquito Lightning settle for tie The Blyth Lightning Mosquitoes had to settle for a 2-2 tie when Clinton came to town. May 25. Darcey Cook scored early in the second half from Shawn Drost and Lisa Carter to put the team up 1-0. Clinton answered with two of their own on Lightning goalie Danny Cullen to take the lead. Cook tallied for the second time on a high shot on a pass from Jessica Wheeler and Drew Taylor to tie the game. Goalie Justin Dobie was sensa­ tional, making several unbelievable stops to keep the Lightning in the game. The team played a great game as they were a tired and sore bunch after a day of track and field, said Coach Steve Cook. Wingham Golf and Curling club hosted an Optimist Junior Golf Tournament on Saturday, May 20. The four area clubs: Wingham, Lucknow, Belgrave, and Brussels that sponsored the tournament will be nominating top players to advance to a Midwestern District Tournament on July 10,11 at St Mary’s Golf and Country Club. Kathleen Hamilton and Kristen Kluskins tied for girls, while for boys age 11 and under Adam Corbett of Brussels was best player. For age 12-13, Brad Carter of Wingham had the lowest score, and Kirk Stewart of Blyth was best in age 14-15, with Duane Schiestel of Wingham for age 16-18. Optimist event organizer Dan .Webster said “We were pleased with the level of play by these Juniors. The Friday clinics for the kids organ­ ized by Wingham’s pro Ron Knight gave these young golfers a neat start.” The golf clinic for local kids begins at 10 a.m. each Friday start­ ing when school’s out. Registration is $10. Donations of old golf clubs to be cut down for use by the Juniors can “ |Shop locally Beat the HEAT! Avoid breakdowns with an Air Conditioning Checkover Only $59.95 Certified Financial Planner Bert Askes Account Executive Box 849 Wingham, Ont. NOG 2W0 (519) 357-4554 1 888 349-4447 You know what your investments earn, but what about the tax implications? Some types of investment income receive preferential tax treatment, but others do not. I can help you plan a strategy that will let you get the most mileage out of your investments. 'Investors Group' IMTrade-marks owned by Investors Group Inc. and licensed to its affiliated corporations. SOLUTIONS BUILT AROUND YOU.™ Investors Group Financial Services Inc. After the checkover, our technicians will tell you what your equipment needs to keep you cool in the dog days of summer. Example - 86 Series Tractors upgrade to HFC-134A $199.41+Labour Give Clarence a call to book your checkover today! 1*4 Miles North of Seaforth 527-0120 ©2000 Case Corporation Visit us on the Internet at http://www.casecorp.com CASE III