JUSTCAWS

Have been warning my tribe in this space for a while that they are losing the room. So I have to admit, feeling a little schadenfreude as the verdict came in for the U.S. election. If the Democrats are to regain power in four years they can hope that Trump will implode and his working class base will be reminded of who and what he truly cares about. Or they can look themselves in the mirror and discover why their brand image needs an overhaul. In sports it’s never good idea to always be on the defensive and hope the other side blows it. Winners don’t leave it to chance, they’re proactive. So let’s hope for America’s sake the Democrats fix themselves. From a political perspective there is plenty to second guess. Hindsight is always 20/20, but there were a bunch of own goals by the Democrats this election. Here’s a list from start to finish: Don’t announce that any of your appointments including the VP are based on anything other than pure merit. Biden saying that he wanted to pick a V...

  The fourth estate in Canada is far too consumed with the State of the American Union than our own  Canadian Dominion.  On a recent trip back from the States, I was looking forward to catching up on some local news as we crossed the border. To my chagrin, the first three stories I heard were about the goings on in the country I just left. While in the U.S. I got my fill on the Democratic National Convention coverage, but it seems the Canadian press believes Canadians can’t get enough of the upcoming American election either.   If you have followed many of my posts, you might find it strange that I would complain of too much U.S. political coverage, when many of my posts contain my take on the goings on in American democracy.  By this point, I would like to think most readers know for better or worse, what they're going to get here.  When I tune into Canadian news I would like to find first and foremost, Canadian content.  What bugged me on this partic...

One way to tone down the rhetoric is for the political talking heads to get back to changing minds rather than seeking attention. After the assassination attempt on former President Trump, there has been a rightful call to turn down the political heat and division in the United States. Elected officials and opinion makers across the political spectrum have condemned political violence and called for unity.  This of course is the right response, but many don’t think it will last. The problem is that in our desire to be heard online we lost our ability to have a civil discussion.  You would think if the point of giving your political opinion was to persuade others to your way of thinking - we would be much better at it.  We’ve lost the art of persuasion and have mastered the put down.  How did we get so far down the rabbit hole?  Many will point to social media and while it is the main culprit, I can’t give them all the blame. We have to be better as citizens and ...

Back  in 2020 made some suggestions of what Rogers could do if they were going to build a new stadium or make some major renovations. We all know now that they chose the latter. They did most of the heavy lifting already, but there’s always more that can still be done. The kids, well not kids anymore, and I have toured quite a few ballparks prior to the pandemic. We’re up to 17 now. Love doing the tours and taking notes of what works and what doesn't.   Had noted some of my observations for ideas on how to improve the Rogers Centre for baseball. Here were my Top 10 suggestions and a comparison for what they did and what still may be to come.   1.  Angle the Seats  - they did do this - but the steep incline has now created a significant blind spot down the line. So expect these seats to be in less demand than the better value ones in the upper deck.  2. Permanent Team Standings Display  - idea here is to have the courage to show everyone where...

  I must say it was nice to see the Ontario School Boards sue the big social media companies for  deliberately hurting students.  While many don’t believe the school boards will prevail in this case, many are hoping it will draw more awareness to the dangers to children of unfettered access to social media. I would share that sentiment, but I take a dim view of virtue signals and hollow gestures when the safety of kids are at stake.  The school boards must take the needed step of removing the gateway device to social media - the smartphone.  If you are going to take the stand that social media is hurting kids, then how can you in good conscience allow access to it in schools?  In fact, the school boards themselves, maybe opening themselves up to the same litigation, once harm to kids is legally established.  Many have argued, as I have, that smartphones will be soon seen in the same light as smoking in the 1950’s.  Back then, smoking took place in...

With the NHL All-Star game upon us I thought it would be a good time to propose some league changes to give the league a boost in the States.   First up, let's revamp the divisions and place them based more on geography. Suggest putting all the Canadian teams together to not only reduce travel, but more importantly reducing the number of times Canadian based teams play their American counterparts. Canadian teams are a bad draw both at the gate and on U.S. television, so reducing their number benefits the league on both fronts.   EASTERN   CONFERENCE  NORTHEAST   METRO     EAST                      SOUTH TORONTO           NY RANGERS             BOSTON               TAMPA BAY MONTREAL        NY ISLANDERS             PITTSBURGH   ...