Canucks' J.T. Miller shows us what's out of whack, Padres-Dodgers a case for MLB 'unalignment'
The Canucks' J.T. Miller exposed some weaknesses of the NHLPA when he went rogue; it sucks that the Padres and Dodgers are unlikely to meet in a championship series; and a Doug Ford meme.
J.T. Miller is your first star, no matter happens
It will not happen, but J.T. Miller should get the Mark Messier Leadership Award since (1) he deserves it and (2) having a Vancouver Canucks player win the award named after a player who is still reviled by much of the fanbase is the dark irony this hockey season deserves.
Miller, as you know, bought the Canucks an extra 48 hours to resume playing by “call(ing) the idea that he and his teammates would be healthy enough to play professional hockey games on Friday and Saturday nights following just one practice, just a day or two after most had been cleared to return to physical activity by their doctors, ‘dangerous.’ ” (Vancouver’s first game back is on Sunday, and what they are being asked to do is probably still too much, and pointless, in light of their position in the standings.)
The rub with that is it seems odd that the National Hockey League Players’ Association did not step up sooner to coordinate (loose usage) a work refusal, or an elongated return-to-play plan. The NHLPA will go all out to defend a dues-paying member who smashes another dues-paying member headfirst into the boards or plexiglass with a dirty check — hey there, Tom Wilson — but it blew it on this file. Patrick Johnston, of Postmedia’s Vancouver vertical, said the union-management consultations “drew on previous outbreaks.” The Canucks were stricken with the P-1 variant, so the standard operating procedure might have needed an update.
The Vancouver media, particularly Blake Price and Matthew Sekeres who host a show on the station that is the Canucks’ media partner, deserves a stick tap for saying that this was bogus. All that this pylon wishes to add to the pile-on is that while the team’s proprietor and top hockey executive selling out the players is predictable, the union being a bit weak is sad.
Other sports unions negotiated for players to opt out of playing with few questions asked. The NHL’s collectively bargained language for opt-outs is really convoluted and focuses more on concerns for a player’s family members. That framing seems rather odd, and it raises questions about whether players were concerned that opting out on general principle might bring professional repercussions. In any event, the parts of the SportsLit episodes from 2020 with Al Strachan and Rick Westhead that dealt with the NHLPA seem pertinent, and J.T. Miller is a hero:
Padres-Dodgers is what baseball needs, but the divisions are dated and dumb
The “Beat LA!” chants began before Mookie Betts even stepped into the batter’s box for Chapter 1 of the Padres-Dodgers season series on Friday. The first game between the National League’s two presumptive powerhouses had a playoff atmosphere, even though the ballpark was limited to a one-third total capacity due to COVID restrictions.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are baseball royalty, and the San Diego Padres are usually the baseball equivalent of a warlord’s jester. Their core players, such as slugging shortstop extraordinaire Fernando Tatís Jr., always seem to have élan. The universally beloved brown-and-gold uniforms, the easy Anchorman references, and the desire to see something one has never seen make for a tailormade soft-spot team. Of course, the Padres historically have not won very much, and market size is not an excuse since San Diego is a metro area of 3 million.
Whoever comes out ahead after their 19-part regular-season drama will be the favorite entering the MLB playoffs. The other will be a wild card team in whatever postseason format is adopted. Enjoy the enjoyment and all that, but this betrays the stupidity of baseball’s tired ‘three divisions per league, number of wild cards to be named later’ format.
Last season, the Padres had the second-best record in the National League, but were seeded fourth for the playoffs and ran into a Dodger-Blue buzzsaw in the second round. The obvious answer for why that is obvious — North American leagues want interest spread out across the United States in the playoffs. Any a fan of pure competition should feel free of any obligation to carry water for that thinking. And, honestly, when there are two strong teams that obviously resent each other, it does not matter how many thousands of kilometres away they are.
Over a decade ago, Jeff Passan proposed “unalignment,” where MLB would have two 15-team leagues with no divisions. There is more of a point of principle behind that than the current format. It would also work in favour of having the two best teams meet in a best-of-seven league championship series. If you like baseball, you want to see San Diego and L.A. play for a pennant or more before California slides into the ocean, like the mystics and statistics say it will.
Pick a lane, MLB
Major League Baseball says it is addressing the Three True Outcomes problem by making design changes to the ball that it believes will lead to fewer home runs and strikeouts, and more actual baseball action. But what actions are emphasized when an MLB.tv patron gets push alerts sent to their mobile device?
Friday night, there was an alert about Washington’s Kyle Schwarber hitting “the second-longest walkoff home run in the HR tracker” era, as he hit that supposedly deadened baseball 463 feet. Another came about Washington pitching ace Max Scherzer moving ahead of Cy Young (never heard of him) on the career strikeouts list. The third was about Tatís belting a home run in his first game away coming off the injured list. All notable, but it sort of puts the lie to what MLB says it wants to do to better gameplay.
One of the close friends who encouraged me to try Substack also generously shared his MLB.tv access, and you should thank him for that.
Well sir, Trudeau probably cannot do that
The only un-parliamentary F-word in this tweet is “Ford.”
Matthew Green is my member of Parliament. He would be a more effective leader of either the federal or Ontario NDP than either party’s respective leader. Green is a true social democrat, up to speed on the climate emergency and invulnerable to the right’s bully tactics. I dislike wet-blanketing this, but the Emergencies Act is still under the Charter. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal federal government would still have to coordinate with any province. Facts matter, eh, although this is a sidepoint to the larger plate of clusterfudge.
Another week that felt like a lifetime
Ontario is only facing its “most serious civil emergency” since, when, 1784? And all I want to do is decide whether to make a reference to the The Office to describe the stresses imposed by Ontario’s government for the property brokers —
— or do a Simpsons meme. Why not both?
Trying to keep up with everything — so no camping (in April?) but also no paid sick days? Closing outdoor playgrounds while letting Amazon warehouses stay open? Possibly violating civil rights but without a commensurate COVID19-containing lockdown à la Australia’s or New Zealand’s? — is mentally unhealthful.
That is before one even touches the admission by the province’s science table that strongly suggests there is overly politicized pandemic management. Here is to hoping you, Reader, to can create some separation from the noise without retreating from the higher truth that as long as there is an underclass and marginalized groups, you are in them, too.
I am going for irreverence and introspection with the newsletter, from jussssst-a-bit-outside perspective. That clause is imbued with some mediocre-white-man privilege, but the point is that you know my clear political viewpoint. As a Xennial, I was pushed left of centre — where the human heart is— and liked it before it was cool.
Lastly, but not least of all
There were some thoughts about what is not talked about with Jackie Robinson. Sunday is the 75th anniversary of his debut with the Montréal Royals.
As anticipation builds for the women’s hockey world championship, Team USA made a coaching change just three weeks out from the first game. That is a choice.
Gophers assistant coach Joel Johnson takes over as interim head coach of the US women's national team, less than a month before the world championships. USA Hockey says only that coach Bob Corkum "has stepped down.''Joel Johnson has been named interim head coach of the 2021 U.S. Women’s National Team → https://t.co/ehlzamsVcz #WomensWorlds 🇺🇸 https://t.co/yKKC1SIgPl
USA Hockey @usahockeyIn 2020, it was a thrill for Neil Acharya and me to interview the esteemed Roy MacGregor. Spare a thought for the MacGregors, including France-based Ice Chips series co-author Kerry MacGregor, as Roy’s spouse, Ellen MacGregor, died on April 13.
That is more than enough for today. Phone or videochat with someone today. Thank you for allowing these words on to your screens.
This is hopeful. It's written by the President of the Peel Regional Police Association.
"I believe that these new measures called for by Doug Ford are in direct conflict with our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Further, they place all of our active frontline members in an untenable position when directed by politicians to enforce these measures."
"Common sense is the answer, not threats or scare tactics. Our members will NOT be conducting random vehicle or individual stops for the sole purpose of enforcing the EMCPA. Sorry, Doug... Not on my watch!"
https://twitter.com/PRPA_Prez/status/1383257735471386635