blogovich

GO AWAY GATEFOLDS IN NEWSPAPERS !!!!!

Gatefolds. They're those advertising 'wrap' things that encase your newspaper. You know the thing; cuts off half your front or other section page.

If it's on a magazine, usually, unless you are very careful, ripping off the gatefold also affects the stapling of the magazine and before you know it you've got a loose-leaf page product instead of a bound magazine.

Annoying as all hell.

Sometimes, the printing process is mindless and when you discard the gatefold, you find you've also lost the back page of the paper that had actual stories on it. Nice. And talk to a page layout person sometime. They have to factor in the gatefold when doing their work; it affects their artistry, how they display photos, etc.

I'm in the newspaper/media industry, am concerned about its future, am searching for solutions. And I know one thing - the more you tick people off the less they'll buy you. You have to be user friendly. I realize these (allegedly) make $ but can't imagine whatever revenue is being generated justifies the aggravation factor.

It might seem like a small thing, but, well, actually, it's big. 

Gee, Wayne, take a stand. Oh, sorry. Forgot. You're Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky was at it again the other day, sticking his finger into the wind to gauge which way the wind was blowing on the Phoenix Coyotes issue. Only to - big surprise - straddle the fence.

I nearly keeled over laughing but then I realized who I was reading about. And yeah, OK, I admit it. As web editor of The Record, I write many headlines and yes, "Gretzky wants everyone to wind up happy" was written tongue in cheek. Besides which, read the story and you realize he said absolutely nothing.

As a recent commenter to the Toronto Star suggested, "great player, not very bright." Again, just because he was a great player doesn't mean he's a great hockey executive. If he were a great hockey executive he'd fire himself as coach of the Coyotes and would never have put himself behind the bench in the first place.

Take Mario Lemieux, for instance. See him behind the bench? Acting as GM? Of course not. As Dirty Harry said, a man's got to know his limitations.

Yet Gretzky remains for whatever reason hands off as far as the media is concerned. Except for some of us. Yours truly, in fact. Hate to be self-serving but so be it. Someone has to call Gretzky out. Read the entire piece or for the Gretzky part, scroll to the last three paragraphs.

Leafs pursuing 'Monster'? He's just 6-foot-3

The Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to land Swedish goalie Jonas Gustavsson, so much so that the Toronto Star actually reported a Gustavsson sighting on Friday.

Wow. I feel incomplete that I didn't see him. And just when did he become a household name?

Anyway, the fun thing is, his nickname is The Monster. Now, that's admittedly better than the usual hockey fare by which one would expect Gustavsson to be nicknamed, oh, something creative like "Gusty" or something.

He's nicknamed The Monster because he stands 6-foot-3. This is a monster, in modern sports? Heck, Ken Dryden came up with the Montreal Canadiens in 1971 and he's 6-foot-4. And Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyer goalie of more recent vintage, late 1980s into the 1990s, is 6-foot-3. Nobody ever called him Monster. Mister, maybe, given his propensity to be a bit, shall we say, truculent.

Sounds to me, at this point anyway, that good ol' Gusty could be the latest in a long line of what I call "Toronto superstars", i.e. run-of-the-mill players whose talents are blown out of all proportion simply because they play in the so-called centre of the universe that never sees a Stanley Cup.

Thoughts on Balsillie, Bettman, Gretzky, the Coyotes and the ongoing saga

All seems quiet on the Balsillie-pursues-the-Coyotes front . . . today, anyway.

Great column by the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons, published Friday, on the endless soap opera. About time somebody in Canada took Captain Canada Balsillie to task. The media coverage of this whole affair in Canada, generally speaking, has been shamefully cheerleader-like.

Bottom line: all the populist nonsense like appealing to Canadians' love of hockey (gee, ya think?) matters not a wit. The court has ruled (view story-by-story package), and despite the endless posturing and shenanigans, the NHL indeed doesn't want Balsillie in its club. Think about it dispassionately: would you? He's obviously a major pain in the neck.

Imagine what he'd be like as an owner? Based on his tactics in ongoing efforts to land a team, he'd never follow league policy, he'd likely be forever telling his coach and general manager what to do; in short, close to another Harold Ballard.

Yes, the NHL has had its share of pain in the butt, even criminal owners, in its lodge. So maybe the league has learned its lesson and don't want another headache. It's really getting rather pathetic, bordering on buffoonery and naivete, with the Balsillie camp now whining that the NHL has taken to ignoring Balsillie's entreaties for mediation and so forth.

Besides which, Balsillie isn't the only potential owner in the world, folks. There may be others who will eventually bring another team to Canada. But not Hamilton. Sorry, the so-called Hammer isn't getting an NHL team. Not now. Likely not ever. The NHL has enough trouble "selling" Canadian teams to U.S. fans - and try coaxing players to come to Steeltown. It doesn't mean it's a bad city, or there's an anti-Canadian policy; it's just reality when measured against other, more appealing markets. Not to mention that in terms of location, with all the issues about infringing on the Toronto and Buffalo markets, Hamilton is situated awkwardly.

And getting just 3,500 people out for a rally (when organizers hoped for and predicted as many as 10,000) doesn't exactly help your cause, although media spin made it sound like 3,500 was a good turnout.

Of course, who was the brainiac who decided to hold the rally on a weekday afternoon - and after the judge's ruling came down? Sure, nobody knew exactly when that judgment was to be rendered, but setting June 19 as the rally date was Bal-silly.

It should have been scheduled while the actual process of tabling arguments was still going on. At that point, if you believe in populism, maybe a huge turnout - and chances of getting a huge turnout were better, obviously, before the judge ruled against Balsillie - might have had an impact on the judge's decision. Unlikely, but worth a try - if you believe in populism which is essentially the only card Balsillie seems to have had all along. Hamilton deserves a team because, well, you know, it's a Canadian city and, well, damn it, it just ought to have one.

And another thing. Enough with the "Gary Bettman hates Canada" nonsense. First off, he doesn't get a vote in the matter of who gets a team.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, Gary Bettman, folks, is one of the main reasons there are still NHL teams in Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa and perhaps Vancouver. Most Canadians can't stand Bettman for petty reasons that come down to he's an American running what Canadians see as "their" sport when Canadians should be proud that "their" sport has been embraced by so many outside this country. Talk about parochial.

As for Bettman's alleged hatred of Canada, remember when the Canadian dollar was at 60 cents or so U.S.? Bettman and the NHL came up with the Canadian currency assistance plan and helped find owners for the Canucks (egad, and an American owner at the time, too, when no Canadians stepped up), Oilers (a community group) and even the Montreal Canadiens (American George Gillett, who has just sold the team back to Canadian interests in the Molson family).

Where, praytell, was Captain Canada Balsillie then?

Meanwhile, how does Teflon Man Wayne Gretzky, he of the $8 million coaching salary for repeatedly missing the playoffs, get off without criticism in all this? He's a prime reason the Coyotes are in the state they're in. Just because he was a great hockey player does not mean he's a great owner, coach, manager; something he's proven so far.

Phoenix is not a traditional market (yes, I know, so why have a team there but it's all about trying to 'grow' the game and non-traditional markets like Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Jose have long worked) so it's that much more important for the team to be a winner to have a chance of survival. These aren't the Toronto Maple Leafs we're talking about.

So we really don't know about Phoenix as a market until the team improves. And with Gretzky as coach the last four years and managing partner of the team - in charge of all hockey operations, you can check that fact out on the Coyotes' website - since 2001, chances of that happening appear slim. It's all there in the record.

It's not pretty.

Tiger Woods: The first dad in the history of humankind

Big piece in the New York Times via the Toronto Star today.

Tiger Woods is a dad, and apparently good at it.

No other male in the history of humankind has ever been a father besides Tiger, of course.

Gotta love celebrity culture.

Phew. So what do we do now, sports followers?

Stanley Cup is over.

NBA Finals (c'mon, what's with the ridiculous trademarked 'Finals"; it's a final series, folks) are over.

Baseball is still in its early stages.

Canadian Football League training camps are open but the season doesn't start for a few weeks yet.

National Football League not yet in session.

Well, we do have the NHL draft and the ongoing Balsillie-seeks-an-NHL-team-any-team, saga.

Hang in there. We'll be back up to speed soon. Read a book. Catch up on all those magazine subscriptions you've let pile up. Talk to the wife. Carry on, somehow.

Federer and Nadal: The classy rivalry

Every now and then, you hear or read just the slightest bit of pique from one to another, Roger Federer to Rafael Nadal and vice-versa. Usually, it happens during their actual matches over a line call or Nadal's propensity for gamesmanship via repeatedly bouncing the ball -- ad nauseum - before serving.

Every now and then, you almost get sick of what can sometimes seem a contrived mutual admiration society, as when Nadal would insist that Federer was still No. 1 even as it became evident over the last year or so that a changing of the guard had happened.

Better, Federe's statement to Sports Illustrated that he preferred it when he had no real rival. Honest. Refreshing. But still obviously respectful. 

And otherwise, this truly does seem a legitimately friendly rivalry.

Witness Federer, the newly-crowned French Open champion - benefitting, obviously, from Clay King Nadal's surprising early ouster but let's not take away from the majestic Federer's worthy triumph; he has been an exemplary player and ambassador for the game and is a personal favourite - and his words with respect to the possibility Nadal may have to withdraw from Wimbledon due to knee woes. 

"I was surprised to see him pull out of Queen's (Wimbledon warmup tournament) and now the debate that he might pull out of Wimbledon is quite frightening," Federer said in media reports. "I don't like to see it, because you want the best to be playing in the biggest events. . . I only wish him the best and I hope it's not true that he will miss Wimbledon."

In this rivalry, you actually believe Federer is sincere.

When do stories - like Balsille-Bettman-NHL-Coyotes - cease being stories?

As a journalist, I often wonder when stories reach their best-before or saturation date.

Air France flight 447 for instance. When, sadly, does it become less than breaking news that another body or piece of the plane has been found? We're close if not already there. Or perhaps not quite yet, as traffic on our web site for this story remains high. People are intrigued by the mystery of why the plane went down; and there is a local angle - a Guelph, Ont. man having perished as a result.

Tori Stafford, so very sadly. It was news when she disappeared, remained so for a few weeks, then faded until it was confirmed she had been murdered. Then, naturally, coverage ramped up again as the sad search for her remains began and continues. On Saturday, a touching memorial service was held and that will be it until her remains are found, if ever that happens.

The world moves on, for better or worse.

In a different, and obviously less important world in the grand scheme than an innocent child being murdered, when does the NHL-Jim Balsille-Phoenix Coyotes soap opera cease becoming news?

I don't think it's at that point yet, far from it. But I do have the sense that people, particularly those who follow sports passionately, i.e. sport itself, not the business of sport, have long since had their eyes glaze over on this one in spite of the knowledge that what is on trial here could well be the future structure of professional sports leagues.

Aside from that rather important issue (in an unimportant pursuit in the grand scheme), I sense that people are beginning to seek relief from the dense legalese, to shrug their shoulders and simply wait for an outcome, whatever that may be, to this he-said, he-said scenario. Maintain the team in Phoenix. Put it in Hamilton. Both sides have seemingly valid arguments. Whatever. Just please, solve this and go away.

And bring on Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final tonight. (on the other hand, I just checked numbers and the Coyotes saga still resonates with readers).

Penguins win. On to Game 7. (on the ice and, perhaps, in court).

Ah, so that's it: It's all about Balsillie's lawyer

And to think we have been led to believe all along that it's Captain Canada, Jim Balsillie, who wants an NHL team.

Well, according to an article in the Saturday, June 6 Globe and Mail, it's lawyer Richard Rodier, the puppet master, pulling the strings.

You be the judge, though judging by this story, he's been plotting this for years; he just hasn't been able to find the right sugar daddy.

Vee-rry-y interesting. And not so surprising. As the article speculates, what's in it for him?

D-Day , the Canadians, and Don Cherry

Cherry was on again with his militaristic schtick on Hockey Night In Canada during the first intermission of Stanley Cup final Game 5 tonight.

"The Canadians got no flyover (at commemorations today) but yet they were the first off the beach, they had to wait for everyone, blah blah blah" he droned on with the same Canadian conceit we've heard for eons about D-Day, and not just from Cherry. 

Look, I'm a proud Canadian, my deceased older brother was in the military, I respect all of those in the services, but let's not let reality get in the way of a good story and mythology. Like, for instance, how do the Russians, who fought the Germans on the Eastern Front from 1941-45 and helped suck the Nazi resources dry, often get forgotten when the West celebrates these victories.

In any event, there were all amazingly brave men thrust into the teeth of gunfire, but no braver than the Brits and Americans and French - who Cherry predictably dissed; what is his problem; oh, right, he's just a simplistic man and TV clown (we get it, folks) who played one NHL game and in the end was a failed NHL coach yet knows all about it; never served in the military though there is military history in his family, yet knows all about it - on that fateful day.

If Cherry truly had respect and/or knowledge of the military, as veterans like my father in law did, or war civilians like my parents did, he wouldn't even discuss it. Those who have seen comrades-in-arms and enemies and friends die before their own eyes rarely do, unless asked and even then . . .

But since he brought it up . . . 

From Wikipedia (and also readily available elsewhere). The bolding about the German defences on Juno Beach is my emphasis.

Juno was the second most heavily defended of the five landing sites chosen.^[3] General Wilhelm Richter was in charge of the 716th Division guarding the beach, with 11 heavy batteries of 155 mm guns and 9 medium batteries of 75 mm guns at his disposal. Additionally, pillboxesand other fortifications were present all along the beach, most heavily concentrated in the Courseulles-sur-Mer region. The seawall was twice the height of Omaha Beach's, and the sea was heavily mined.^[4] The Division was a "static" division, however, with little or no transport, no combat experience, and augmented by "East Battalions" made up of Soviet 'volunteer' troops.^[5] One Canadian historian felt that despite having no aerial or naval support, the 716th Division nonetheless fought well.^[6] In all, the division numbered under 8,000 soldiers, including non-combat tradesmen, on 6 June 1944, and was one of the weakest divisions in Normandy. 

...Despite being assigned to the Canadians, significant British forces were also present at Juno Beach.

More . . . 

716th Infantry Division (Static) defended the Eastern end of the landing zones, including most of the British and Canadian beaches. This division, as well as the 709th, included Germans who were not considered fit for active duty on the Eastern Front, usually for medical reasons, and soldiers of various other nationalities (from conquered countries, often drafted by force) and former Soviet prisoners-of-war who had agreed to fight for the Germans rather than endure the harsh conditions of German POW camps (among them so called hiwis). These "volunteers" were concentrated in "Ost-Bataillonen" (East Battalions) that were of dubious loyalty.

And more, about the opposition the U.S. faced on Omaha beach:

Elements of the 1st Infantry Division and 29th Infantry Division (US) faced the veteran German 352nd Infantry Division, one of the best trained on the beaches. Allied intelligence failed to realize that the relatively low-quality 716th Infantry Division (static) had been replaced by the352nd the previous March. Omaha was also the most heavily fortified beach, with high bluffs defended by funneled mortars, machine guns, and artillery, and the pre-landing aerial and naval bombardment of the bunkers proved to be ineffective. Difficulties in navigation caused the majority of landings to drift eastwards, missing their assigned sectors and the initial assault waves of tanks, infantry and engineers took heavy casualties. 

So let's stop comparing who has/had the better soldiers, respect what they all did, and hope (against hope, given human nature) that war as a concept in itself passes into our history.