Uncle Drew Dribbles Pepsi’s Ball
Movie Review: Uncle Drew
A viral digital campaign featuring Kyrie Irving as an old baller gets blown up for the big screen, but its message of athletic purity feels hypocritical in light of endless logos.
A Great Big Yes to James Paxton’s No-No in Toronto
Sports: Baseball
Ladner B.C.’s James Paxton is the first Canadian to throw a no-hitter on home turf, but the man they call Big Maple refuses to chuck his Canuck identity.
By Rod Mickleburgh
When James Paxton came out for the bottom of the ninth against the hometown Toronto Blue Jays, he was pumped. Three outs away from an historic no-hitter, the steely hurler from Ladner, BC was not going to lose it by nibbling around the edges of the plate with sliders and curve balls. He came right at the Blue Jay hitters with fast balls. Despite having already thrown 92 pitches and never having pitched a complete game in his six-year, injury-plagued career, they were his fastest of the night. One broke the 100 mph barrier (160 kilometres per hour in Ladner). All seven were strikes. Anthony Alford fouled out on the first pitch. Hot-hitting Teoscar Hernandez went down swinging on three blazing fastballs. And dangerous Josh Donaldson lashed the ball hard, but straight at the Seattle Mariners’ ...
A Great Big Yes to James Paxton’s No-No in Toronto
Sports: Baseball
Ladner B.C.’s James Paxton is the first Canadian to throw a no-hitter on home turf, but the man they call Big Maple refuses to chuck his Canuck identity.
By Rod Mickleburgh
When James Paxton came out for the bottom of the ninth against the hometown Toronto Blue Jays, he was pumped. Three outs away from an historic no-hitter, the steely hurler from Ladner, BC was not going to lose it by nibbling around the edges of the plate with sliders and curve balls. He came right at the Blue Jay hitters with fast balls. Despite having already thrown 92 pitches and never having pitched a complete game in his six-year, injury-plagued career, they were his fastest of the night. One broke the 100 mph barrier (160 kilometres per hour in Ladner). All seven were strikes. Anthony Alford fouled out on the first pitch. Hot-hitting Teoscar Hernandez went down swinging on three blazing fastballs. And dangerous Josh Donaldson lashed the ball hard, but straight at the Seattle Mariners’ ...
What Made the Sedins Magic? Sixth Puck Sense
Sports: Daniel and Henrik Sedin Say Goodbye
Once called the “Sedin Sisters” by cynical media types who saw the Swedish twins as soft, Daniel and Henrik Sedin proved their taunters wrong with an iron forged commitment to the game, and pure finesse with the puck.
By Rod Mickleburgh
VANCOUVER - The outpouring of admiration and affection for the incomparable Daniel and Henrik Sedin, as they played their final three games for the lowly Canucks, was like nothing I’ve witnessed in my more than half a century of following sports. Fans, scribes, commentators, competitors, all the way down to the referees and well, just about everyone, joined in the celebration and heartfelt farewells in a way that went beyond the usual tributes to the end of a great player’s career. They seemed to be an acknowledgment that, in the 100-year history of the National Hockey League, the Sedins were something special. They were not the equal of Howe, Gretzky, Lemieux, the Rocket, or some of the other NHL ...
Borg vs. McEnroe: Resistance is Futile
Movie Review: Borg vs. McEnroe
“The greatest tennis match of all time” serves as the final destination for Janus Metz’s crafty biopic about polar opposites Björn Borg and John McEnroe, but getting there is half the fun thanks to a sweaty workout from Shia LaBeouf and Sverrir Gudnason.
How do you spell Canada? C.O.U.R.A.G.E.
Sports: 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang
The Great White North is currently enjoying one of its best Winter Games ever, but the winning ingredient may not be money, fame, celebrity or even patriotic support. It's guts.
By Rod Mickleburgh This year, I thought, my lifelong love of the Olympics, was, if not at an end, under serious challenge. PyeongChang? The site of the Games conjured up no vision at all. Nor, with newspapers and other media so reduced, was there any real build-up to these Winter Olympics to whet the appetite. Once Gary Kingston, the Vancouver Sun’s consummate chronicler of BC’s winter athletes, departed, coverage dropped to virtually zero. As for the Globe and Mail, my former paper has regularly sent a healthy contingent to the Olympics, including, on occasion, me. This year, the Globe opted for a small force of three. The late, dispiriting, get-out-of-jail-free card delivered to Russia’s organized dopers didn’t help. Given that, the lack of buzz and an ...
Everything You Need to Know About the 2018 Olympic Games
Sports: 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang
When do they start? What will the time difference mean to viewers? What about Russia?: A snapshot look at the Winter Games in South Korea
By Bev Wake
1. THE IMPORTANT STUFF
These are the second Olympics in South Korea, following the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul. They officially begin on Friday, Feb. 9 and end 17 days later on Sunday, Feb. 25. By the time they are done, 2,925 athletes representing 92 countries will have competed in 15 sports. Some athletes will begin their quest for gold prior to the opening ceremonies: mixed doubles curling starts Thursday — Wednesday night back in Canada — as does ski jumping. On Friday — again, Thursday evening back in Canada — moguls skiers will compete in qualifying heats, while the team figure skating competition opens with the men’s and pairs short programs.
2. ABOUT THAT TIME DIFFERENCE ...
There is a 14-hour time difference between South Korea and Toronto and a 17-hour time difference between ...
20 Canadian athletes to watch at the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang
Sports: 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang
Veterans, comeback kids and the big question marks in mixed doubles curling: A snapshot look at some of Canada's top medal prospects at the Winter Games in South Korea
By Bev Wake
1. TED-JAN BLOEMEN, Speed Skating Hometown: Leiderdorp, Netherlands
Born: Aug. 16, 1986
Why you should watch: He holds the world record over 5,000 metres and is ranked No. 1 in the world at both 5,000 and 10,000 metres. While he had disappointing results at the 2017 world single distance championships — finishing fifth in the 5,000 and fourth in the 10,000 — he has not finished off the podium at either distance in World Cup competition this season. In PyeongChang, he'll also compete in team pursuit, giving him a legitimate shot at three medals.
2. IVANIE BLONDIN, Speed Skating Hometown: Ottawa
Born: April 2, 1990 Why you should watch: Her results on the World Cup circuit this season show she’s capable of reaching the podium in any of her four events: mass ...
I, Tonya Has Triple Axel to Grind
Movie review: I, Tonya
Margot Robbie goes for the gold as disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in Craig Gillespie's dazzling ode to dysfunction that captures the early daze of reality-based entertainment
I, Tonya Has a Triple Axel to Grind
Movie review: I, Tonya
Margot Robbie goes for the gold as disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in Craig Gillespie's dazzling ode to dysfunction that captures the early daze of reality-based entertainment
