Candy is a double-edged sword

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The Marvelous Dustin Hoffman is 72

Car clocked at 210 km/h in an 80 zone

A man has been charged with stunt driving and dangerous driving after being clocked at almost three times the posted speed limit on a Brampton highway overnight.

An OPP officer first spotted the black Mitsubishi Lancer going 193 km/h southbound on Hwy. 10 in Caledon around 2 a.m., said Sgt. James Mink.

But when the officer tried to pull the vehicle over, it sped up, reaching 210 km/h in an 80 km/h zone, he said.

Harjinde Sekhon, 28, was just minutes away from his Brampton home when he was arrested. He has been charged with dangerous driving, stunt driving and possessing an expired insurance card.

In accordance with the stunt driving law, his car has been impounded and his license suspended for seven days. Under the same legislation, he could face up to a $10,000 fine.

This is what he was driving:

So you think the Maple Leafs are getting younger?

Brian Burke is making the Leafs bigger and tougher but are they getting younger? I need a comparison of last year's opening lineup and what might be this season's opening lineup. The team isn't really younger. Now if players like Blake, Primeau and Mayers are pushed aside to make room for youngsters then the average age will drop. But if Burke wants to make the playoffs then he isn't about to do that unless the replacement players are better.

2008-09 Opening Lineup

Blake – 35

Mayers – 34

Antropov – 28

Ponikarovsky - 28

Hagman – 28

Moore – 28

Hollweg – 25

Grabovski - 24

Stajan – 24

Steen – 24

Mitchell – 23

Kulemin – 22

Tlusty – 20

Kubina – 31

Kaberle – 30

Van Ryn – 29

Finger – 28

Frogren – 28

Colaiacovo - 25

White – 24

Schenn – 18

Joseph – 41

Toksala – 31

Average age: 27.3

Projected 2009-10 Opening Lineup

Blake – 36

Mayers – 35

Primeau - 33

Ponikarovsky - 29

Wallin - 29

Hagman – 29

Orr – 27

Stempniak - 26

Grabovski - 25

Stajan – 25

Mitchell – 24

Kulemin – 23

Tlusty – 21

Kaberle – 31

Van Ryn – 30

Beauchemin - 29

Finger – 29

Frogren – 29

Exelby – 28

Komisarik - 27

White – 25

Schenn – 19

Toksala – 32

Gustavsson - 25

Average age: 27.7

All Time Blue Jay Lineup

With the reunion this weekend of the Blue Jay back-to-back World Series wins in 1992 and 1993, I thought I would post my picks for the top Blue Jay by position. Then you realize the mediocre owners have failed to fund a winner in 17 years. Oh well, it's been 42 years for the Maple Leafs.

1^st base – Carlos Delgado

Carlos Delgado ranks first among Blue Jay hitter is a number of categories including 336 home runs,1036 RBI's and 343 doubles; he also ranks 2^nd with 1413 hits. After a slow start he hit 30+ HR every year from 1997 through 2004. He also had six consecutive 100+ RBI seasons, and three others with 90+. His best season was 2000, when he hit .344 with 57 doubles, 41 HR, 115 R, 137 RBI, and a .470 OBP. He is easily the best slugger the Blue Jays have had to date.

Honourable mention: John Olerud, John Mayberry, Willie Upshaw, Fred McGriff

2^nd base – Roberto Alomar

Roberto Alomar is the Blue Jays all-time leading hitter with a .307 average. He only played for Toronto from 1991-1995, but he hit .295 or better every year and stole plenty of bases. In 1993 he hit .326 with 17 HR, 93 RBI, 109 R, and 55 SB. He was an all-star and won Gold Gloves every year. Most people believe he was the Jays best all round player.

Honourable mention: Damaso Garcia, Aaron Hill, Orlando Hudson

Shortstop – Tony Fernandez

Tony Fernandez retired as the Blue Jays all-time leader in games (1,450), at-bats (5,335), hits (1,583), triples (72), second in doubles (291), third in runs (704), total bases (2,198), and average (.297), fourth in walks (439) and stolen bases (172) and fifth in extra-base hits (425). Tony Fernandez also won four straight gold gloves at shortstop (1986-1989). Ironically, his trade to the Padres along with Fred McGriff for Carter and Alomar strengthened the team and made it a World Series contender.

Honourable mention: Alfredo Griffin, Alex Gonzalez

3^rd base – Kelly Gruber

I’ve always felt that the Blue Jays have always been weak at third. For me only two players stood out and for only a limited period. I didn’t even consider Scott Rolen who played like an all star – for one half of a season. So I chose Kelly Gruber who was a fine fielder, and had some power, but really only had one outstanding season, 1990, when he hit .274 with 31 HR and 119 RBI. But he also played more games at third than any other Blue Jay, so he is my pick.

Honourable mention: Ed Sprague

Catcher – Pat Borders

Pat Borders was never was an all -star nor a Gold Glove winner but he will always be a hero in Toronto for outshining all of the stars and future Hall of Famers on the Blue Jays and Braves during the 1992 World Series. After having a solid ALCS, he was the World Series MVP in 1992, when he went 9-20 with three doubles and a home run. I know Ernie Whitt had a better track record during the regular season but winning the World Series is what it’s all about and Borders was a giant-killer.

Honourable mention: Darren Fletcher, Ernie Whitt

Right field – Joe Carter

Joe Carter is second in team history with 203 home runs and third in RBI's with 736. Carter hit the game winning home run in the bottom of the 9^th inning in game 6 of the 1993 World Series to give the Blue Jays the title. I think there have only been two walk off homerun wins in the World Series and Carter has one of them. So he edges out the terrific Jesse Barfield for right field. Carter had seven full seasons in Toronto, hitting 30+ HRs four times and 100+ RBIs six times. In 1992 he was third in the MVP balloting after hitting 34 HR with 119 RBI.

Honourable mention: Jesse Barfield, Shawn Green

Centre field - Vernon Wells

This selection is controversial considering Wells’ recent play. But he has already had several all-star seasons, including three Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger award and the former 5th overall pick in the 1997 draft looked like he was becoming MVP material but has slumped the last few years.

Honourable mention: Devon White, Lloyd Moseby

Left field – George Bell

In nine seasons with Toronto George Bell ranks second in club history in total bases (2201), runs batted in (740), extra base hits (471); third in home runs with 202 and fourth in hits with 1294. He was voted the American League Most Valuable Player in 1987 when he hit .308 with 47 home runs and 134 RBI's. He also holds the Blue Jays single season home run record with 47.

Honourable mention: Shannon Stewart

DH – Paul Molitor

Paul Molitor left Milwaukee to replace Dave Winfield and hopefully get a World Series ring. And he did everything they could ask from him. He actually had an MVP caliber season (finishing second to Frank Thomas.) hitting .391 with a 1.777 OPS in the ALCS.
In the World Series he played DH, 3B and 1B, hit .500 with a 1.571 OPS with 2 homers and was named MVP.

Honourable mention: Dave Winfield, Cliff Johnson

Starting pitcher – Roy Halladay

I only picked one starter as opposed to an entire starting rotation and it was easy. Roy Halladay is already the best pitcher the team has ever had and one of the few actual franchise players. He holds the Blue Jays all-time season record with 22 wins and ranks 2nd all-time with 142 wins. Halladay the 2003 American League Cy Young Award when he went 22-7 and recorded 15 straight victories (He shares the team record with Roger Clemens). Dave Stieb is the team leader in most pitching categories and is a Hall of Famer but Halladay will eclipse many of his records if he remains a Blue Jay for a few more seasons.

Honourable mention: Dave Stieb, Pat Hentgen, Jimmy Key, David Wells, Jim Clancy Roger Clemens (with an asterisk)

Reliever – Tom Henke

The Blue Jays did not have a consistent closer until Tom Henke arrived from Texas. From 1986 through 1992 Tom "The Terminator" was amongst the league's best, saving 20-34 games each year, often with an ERA well below 2.50. Henke and Duane Ward were the best one-two punch the team has ever had. Staying healthy is always a factor for a closer. Both Ward and B.J. Ryan might have been able to surpass Henke if not for injuries.

Honourable mention: Duane Ward, Mark Eichorn, B.J. Ryan

Referee gets kicked in the head and knocked out

This is rugby? I swear I invented this game years ago at camp and called it Murderball.

Melissa George is 33

Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme to be released from prison

The president she once pointed a gun at has been dead for nearly three years, and her longtime idol and leader, Charles Manson, remains in prison.

However, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme is about to get her first taste of real freedom in more than three decades.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Fromme, now 60, is set to be released on parole August 16.

Fromme is housed at Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas.

For years, she was one of Manson's few remaining followers, as many other "Manson Family" members have shunned him. A prison spokeswoman would not say whether Fromme continues to correspond with Manson.

Fromme was convicted in 1975 of pointing a gun at then-President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, California. Secret Service agents prevented her from firing, but the gun was later found to have no bullet in the chamber, although it contained a clip of ammunition.

She never requested a parole hearing.

Mug Shot of the Week

Miley Cyrus' fiance is busted again

A 53-year-old man who told police he is secretly engaged to
marry Miley Cyrus has been charged with attempting to stalk the
teenage "Hannah Montana" star, who is filming a movie in Georgia.

Tybee Island Police Chief Jim Price said Wednesday that Mark
McLeod, 53, of Appling was arrested after Walt Disney Pictures
security officers reported he had returned to the beachside movie
set Sunday after police warned him to stay away in June.

"He was asking for Miley and going up and knocking on some
doors" of beach homes near the set, Price said. "The security
guards recognized him. In fact, he went up to the security guards
and asked them 'Is Miley around?"'

Police on Tybee Island, east of Savannah, have been on the
lookout for McLeod since he was arrested there June 22 on
misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and obstruction of a
police officer.

Price said officers arrested McLeod after he tried to breach a
security perimeter around the movie set. A police report says
McLeod told officers he had come to the beach "to be with Miley"
and tried to head butt one of them when he was handcuffed. McLeod
later told police he and the 16-year-old Cyrus "were supposed to be
together and we couldn't stop it."

Officer Warren Millikan wrote in his June report that McLeod
claimed he'd met Cyrus 18 months earlier, that he'd sent her
diamond rings and other gifts and that she had accepted his
marriage proposal.

John Hughes is dead at 59

John Hughes was a great creator of comedy films often covering teens. He wrote, directed or produced 20 films between 1983 and 1997. He frequently cast actors he had worked with in the past in his movies. John Candy was cast in 8 of his 20 films. Most people's favourite is Ferris Beuller's Day Off though his most commercial successful film was Home Alone.

Maureen McCormick turns 53 today

...or better known as Marcia Brady.

Woman finds Jesus on toilet seat

People have been finding Jesus and the Virgin Mary just about anywhere - piece of toast, tree trunks, so why not a toilet seat? Why is Joseph not ever showing up anywhere?

A Las Vegas woman says she's seeing a sign from above when she answers nature's call. Magdalena Nelson's guest bathroom screams "I love Las Vegas." But while she was cleaning last week, she says an image of Jesus appeared on the bumper sticker on the toilet lid.



Her boyfriend now says he sees the image and it's given them a positive feeling after they almost lost their home to foreclosure. Nelson says she's even willing to let visitors come see it, if it might help them as well.

Hump Day Hottie

Summer Glau

Steroid shadow hangs over Vernon Wells

Vernon Wells is projected to finish the season batting .259, with 16 homers and 64 RBI. Not bad for a defensive platoon outfielder. Except Wells will make $21 million next season. Back in 2003 Wells hit .317 with 33 homers and 117 RBI. That was also the height of the Steroid Era and there has been a lot of whisper about why Vernon can't hit for power anymore - well he and a large group of other former power hitters. Today Wells' home runs have become long flyouts.

Interestingly, Wells spoke to the Globe about the list of players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 during the survey testing program. He thinks the list should be released in entirety so that everyone can move on. He is quoted as saying, “Everybody makes choices in life and you live with them.” “For me I guess you’d kind of rather just get by this point and let it all come out and then deal with the fallout all at the same time.” That sure sounds like an admission to me.

The names of those players who tested positive in the survey were supposed to remain anonymous but that hasn’t been the case with the identities of several players being leaked to the news media.

Last week David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox and Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers were the latest players to emerge in news reports as having tested positive in 2003 when both were teammates on the Red Sox.

Wells certainly capitalized on those big numbers several years ago. He and his family are set for life. But I feel that contract was obtained fraudulently. Would the Jays have offered him that contract had they known he could only produce those numbers on steroid?

New urban legend: Obama isn't born in America

They are called Birthers - conspiracy theorists who believes that Barack Obama is not a natural born American. As a Canadian, I'm non-partisan. The assertions from birthers is just absurd.




Let's talk hypothetically...

Assume that the Birfers are correct. Somehow, it is revealed beyond a shadow of a doubt that Barack Obama was born in Kenya. Then what?

The Birfers would probably like to see lengthy court proceedings that essentially shuts down the Federal government for at least two years. It would be a major scandal that makes the Dems look bad. At the end of those two years, Obama would be replaced by Biden, and Obama would be lynched. But that still leaves 1.5 years of a Democratic president. During those 1.5 years, the Republicans would regroup and convince the voters that they have their act together. Sarah Palin would easily be elected president in 2012, with Joe The Plumber as her Vice President.

Does that sound realistic? How do you see it?

Fox "News" reporter ridicules guest

How this qualifies as "news" escapes me. Glenn Beck must be the rudest person on the planet.

Girls are looking for guys with benefits

Can someone tell me what's this about

Personal Urns are CREEEEPY!!!

Never forget a face.

Personal urns are a new and exciting way to memorialize your loved one.

Now we can create a custom urn in the image of your loved one or favorite celebrity or hero.

Personal Urns combine art and the very latest in technology to create a family heirloom that will be cherished for generations.

They are built from just one or two photographs of the cherished persons face. This is the most heart warming and special memorial product available anywhere - "A Personal Urn"

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Don't wait, fire Ricciardi now!

After weeks of shopping Roy Halladay, the Toronto Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi was unable or unwilling to move him at the trade deadline. So now Ricciardi is trying to go back to the old storyline -- you know, the one where the Jays make a long-planned and heroic charge at a playoff spot, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays be damned.

But wait, he was claiming that he only shopped Halladay around after being told by Halladay that he was going to test free agency. However, now he is saying that wasn't the case.

It's gotten so tired, this endless Ricciardi spin, the endless Ricciardi junk. He's still slippery, still arrogant, and still a liar. He's been publicly dangling Halladay -- only the most admirable and valuable player ever to wear a Blue Jay uniform -- for weeks, and now that he failed to make the deal, dooming the Jays to a lesser return when Halladay inevitably leaves, he's trying to back down the road.

And why wouldn't Halladay leave after being humiliated by the GM. That's why fire him now. Don't bother even waiting till the end of the season. Let's end the Ricciardi era before his tarnishes the organization even more. As if being in year 8 of his 5 year plan to compete wasn't a good enough reason. The one thing that all Blue Jay fans agree on with respect to the team's future is that liar has to go.

Guaranteed Parents of the Year

...to this dad and mom from Quebec for letting their 7 year old drive...in the rain!

Today is supposed to be Megan Fox blackout day

Today is apparently the day when several news outlets have agreed to have a news blackout on Megan Fox. For most of these outlets that merely means no publishing paparazzi pictures of Megan. Maybe they are annoyed about how over exposed she is.

Some of the gossip rags did this a few years ago with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears although it was supposed to be for more than just one day. That lasted maybe a few days. These outlets make them money by publishing pictures and lame stories about celebrities. They can't survive without the likes of Britney, Lindsay, Paris or Megan Fox. What a bunch of hypocrits. Megan Fox Blackout Day was likely promoted to get the public to check them out to see if they kept their word.

Notice how Megan Fox Blackout Day was well after the release of Transformers 2. What are the chances anything interesting--which is a relative term when talking about Megan Fox--is really going to happen in the world of Megan Fox "news"? She's not really pushing anything right now; Jennifer's Body is still far enough away that she's not talking it up just yet, anyway. So it's not like it really matters, anyway.

After all isn't talking about how you're having a Megan Fox Blackout Day just still talking about Megan Fox and tacitly acknowledging that she has some effect on the media?

Roger Clemens swears on a stack of bibles that he is 47 today

Bank teller stops robbery but loses his job

After more than two years working as a teller, Jim Nicholson clearly understood the bank’s strict policy of quickly complying with robbers’ demands and avoiding confrontation.

Instead, after a robber pushed a black backpack across the bank counter and demanded money, Nicholson threw the bag to the floor, lunged toward the robber and demanded to see a weapon. Surprised, the would-be bank robber backed up and then bolted for the door, with Nicholson on his heels.

Nicholson, 30, chased the man for several blocks before knocking him to the ground with the help of a passer-by. Nicholson then held him until police arrived.

That was Tuesday. So did the bank reward their brave and loyal employee?

Nope. On Thursday, the "appreciative" bank fired Nicholson for not following company policy.

When demolishing a building, hire an expert

My all time favourite TV shows

1. Twilight Zone (1959-64)
There was nothing quite like the original Twilight Zone series created by Rod Serling. Each unqiue episode was a mix of science fiction, suspense and horror with a twist ending. Below is the first episode that aired in 1959.



2. All in the Family (1971-79)
Norman Lear's breakthrough series was based on a British series Till Death Do Us Part. The series dealt with topics that until that time were taboo (prejudice, politics, religion, etc.) and the audiences were huge. Only two shows since then have had higher ratings. Ther series protagonist is probably one of the best TV characters ever created. My favourite episode has Archie trying to deal with is wife's menopause .



3. Law and Order (1990 to present)
The series has recently been extended so it will become the longest running drama in the history of TV. It's success is not just reflected in longevity but in the number of spinoff series. This is NBC's franchise drama (it generates $1 billion in revenue) for 2 decades now. The crime series has actors and writers come and go without losing much steam. Quite unique for TV. Each episode deals with the police who investigate crimes and the attorneys that prosecute the criminals. Many episodes have been based on actual trials that have been fictionalized. My favourite actors on the series were Jerry Orbach who lasted about 10 seasons and Michael Moriarty who left after 4 seasons because of political differences with the network. Below was his last scene.



4. I Love Lucy (1951-57)
This probably one of the most syndicated shows in TV history. Lucille Ball had a knack for physical comedy that has largely been unmatched by TV actresses. The show featured her with her bandleader husband Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnez) in real life as well as friends and landlords Fred and Ethel. Lucy is somewhat naïve and ambitious, with an overactive imagination and a knack for getting herself into trouble. Below is a classic scene where Lucy and Ethel work on a candy assembly line.



5. Mission Impossible (1966-73)
Each episode of Mission: Impossible featured a unique opening. Clips from the upcoming show were edited together in the fast-paced style of Lalo Schrifrin's brilliant theme song and played before the opening credits (below is a montage of 6 episode openings). It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The leader of the team for all but the first season was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves. A hallmark of the series shows Phelps receiving his instructions on a tape that then self destructs.



6. Seinfeld (1989-98)
The series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David became a template for comedies over the last 20 years. The series was about the comedienne and his group of friends Cosmos Kramer, Elaine Benes and George Costanza. George is Larry David's alter ego played by Jason Alexander. George is Jerry's best friend since elementary school. He is cheap, dishonest, petty and often envious of others' achievements. He is often portrayed as a loser who is insecure about his capabilities. He frequently complains and lies about his profession, relationships, and almost everything else, which usually creates trouble for him later. He often uses an alias ("Art Vandelay") when lying or concocting a cover story. Both George and the series lost a lot of bite when Larry David left the show after the 7th season.



7. Perry Mason (1957-66)
Perry Mason was based on a character in novels written by Earl Stanley Gardner. This was the father of lawyers series starring Raymond Burr. Gardner depicts Mason as a lawyer who fights hard on behalf of his clients and who enjoys unusual, difficult or nearly hopeless cases. He frequently accepts clients on a whim based on his curiosity about their problem, for a minimal retainer, and finances the investigation of their cases himself if necessary. Each episode included a courtroom coup, Mason introduces new evidence and often elicits a confession from the lawbreaker. The man never lost a case.



8. Taxi (1978-83)
The show focuses on the employees of the fictional Sunshine Cab Company, and its principal setting is the company's fleet garage in Lower Manhattan. The show had an incredible ensemble cast led by Judd Hirsch Christopher Lloyd and Danny DiVito. But any show that included Andy Kaufman goes on this list. Kaufman played Latka who was an immigrant from a very strange land, often speaking in his invented foreign tongue ("ibi da", "nik nik"). He works as a mechanic, fixing the taxis. Latka was an adaptation of the "Foreign Man" character Kaufman originated in his stand-up comedy act.



9 Six Feet Under (2001-05)
I loved this show because it was so dark yet included a lot of humour. The show centred on a dysfunctional family that operated a funeral home so you know you are into some deep territory. The show's focus was on death and each episode opened with a death the set the tone for that episode. The first episode actually opened with the death of the family patriarch. Clips from that episode are below.



10. The Honeymooners (1955-56)
There are only 39 episodes of this early comedy classic. It didn't receive the critical acclaim it deserved and was dropped. Jackie Gleason and Art Carney were two brilliant comediennes with incredible comic timing and a knack for physical comedy. Both were also great dramatic actors. Gleason received an Academy Award nomination for The Hustler and Carney won an Award for Harry and Tonto.



There were many other great TV series that didn't make my list mostly because I didn't enjoy them as much as this group. Those shows include: Mary Tyler Moore, The Cosby Show, Cheers, E.R., Star Trek.

Yikes that was awkward

7 year old steals car to avoid church

...and who can blame him. Best part is when he tries to run away from the police.

Toronto's bald raccoon

Neighbours say Baldy began losing her hair a couple of years ago. She has given birth to at least one litter of properly furred raccoons. She seems to have somehow survived at least one winter without a coat.

Coen Brothers coming out with their most Jewish film

Joel and Ethan Coen are back with A Serious Man. The film centers on a Jewish professor who seeks stability in his unraveling life.

Statue of the Week

Peter O'Toole is 77 today

One Hit Wonder

Mungo Jerry - In the Summertime (1970)