Summer 2009

TOM SAYS...

Ah, summer. Finally here after a brutal winter, even by Winnipeg standards. Bring it on, we deserve it.

I know this issue is chock full of great summer coverage of our sports heroes and sexy performance autos, but coming from a guy who is still grinding out miles from his ‘98 Civic, and is bored to death by baseball, I’m still pumped to be a part of it.

Truth is, my entire universe of family and friends can’t understand why I don’t get a new car, but it’s become sort of a quest at this point to see how far I can keep the Civi going. I know there are great deals out there right now, even on the vehicles you’ll see in this issue, but I just have to see how far I can take this ride. My deal with the kids is that 300,000 kms is the target, and then they get to choose the next car. My hope is that most of them will already have their own wheels by then and I can shoot for 400! We’re currently at 230.

Regarding our sports teams, baseball aside, and God love the Goldeyes, I am a big Bomber fan—but not quite as big a fan as my son Keenan.

We were once at a game where the Bombers fell behind 14 points in the first five minutes and I looked to my right to see my son bowed with his head in his hands. I pleaded with him to not be so upset. He answered that he wasn’t upset, but “disgusted.” This came from a 13-year-old at the time.

Like many Bomber fans this year, you can only imagine his trepidation with all the changes that have taken place in Bomberland during the off-season.

I, for one, like and embrace change and only assume that people like my good friend and new head coach, Mike Kelly, knows what he is doing. I’m excited about the new season, and by the time you’re reading this, we may have a pretty good feel about how it is going to play out.

Although we don’t make it out to all the games because of schedules and holiday trips, we make every one we can. We always sit in the upper deck with what I believe is the best field view, and love every minute of it. I would have said win or lose, but Keenan doesn’t accept losses.

Although that is a great part of our fun in the summer, the best part for me is the fact that the kids are out of school and have no real schedule. I just love hanging with them and goofing off. Of course, the numbers are dwindling, as most of the boys have jobs, but I can usually convince Keenan and my daughter, Little J, who is 10 now, to humour their Dad and play with me.

Be it road hockey, tossing the football, badminton, board games, a Bomber game, or going to the cottage we rent every July, I just love this time of year!

This year we hope to get out west for a drive down the coast from Portland. As many 92CITI-FM listeners and readers of my blog know, my mother in-law is battling cancer, and going through chemo throughout the summer, so a visit to her out there is a given, and will be combined with the road trip.

So best wishes to all for a fantastic summer whatever you’re doing, and here’s hoping I’m not sitting at a Bomber game this year with a 16-year-old kid with his head in his hands!

JOE SAYS...

Since Winnipeg Men Magazine did a terrific job with its feature article about professional summer sports, I thought I would take a page from the TV show Pros vs. Joes and take a look at the other side: summer sports through the eyes of the Average Joe.

To the Average Joe, nothing beats a beautiful, hot, sunny day in Manitoba, especially if you can spend it out at the ballpark watching a Goldeyes game or at the stadium catching the Bombers doing their thing. Add in a couple of cold beers and you’re in sports heaven. Why is it beer always tastes better when you’re watching sports?

We Average Joes don’t just love to watch sports, we also like to play them—at least at the recreational level, or “rec sports” for short. I believe they call it “rec” because of the damage one can do to your liver. Socializing with a cold beer after the game is what rec sports is all about. The beer quotient will vary from summer sport to sport, but one thing is certain: it’s as common and necessary as sunscreen and mosquito repellent.

The great thing about playing recreational sports is for some athletes they can still be somewhat competitive, depending at what level or division they are playing. For most of us Average Joes, however, it’s really just about getting together with people, having fun and sharing a few laughs (usually about a botched play by one of your teammates) over a few beers. It doesn’t really matter if you are good at the sport or not.

Let’s say slo-pitch baseball is your choice for summer activity. It doesn’t matter if you’re the home run hitter on the team or the guy who put the “slow” in slo-pitch (I’ll turn a triple into a long single any day, who needs to run that hard?) At the end of the game you are all going for a cold beer.

Maybe golf is your preference. It’s a great game to catch up with your buddies. You spend hours taking swings with your clubs and shots at your friends when they miss a putt. It’s the perfect game for breaking each other’s balls and having a few laughs. Plus, who cares if you are the guy in the foursome who shot an even-par round or the golfer who couldn’t break 100. You still finish the game at the same time and you’re still having some wobbly pops on and off the course.

The Average Joe sports motto is very simple: “win or lose, we drink the booze.”

Soccer, football, baseball, golf, whatever your favourite summer activity might be, it’s all for fun. We aren’t professional athletes, so just go out and have a good time with some friends and enjoy the summer. God knows they aren’t long enough! That’s what recreational sports are all about. I’ll drink to that!