Another excellent week of questions folks, I'm geeked up to get this mailbag started!
From: Bob T.
Comments:
Why do we let a moron like Don Cherry suck the life out of a player like Alex Ovechkin, who obviously loves playing the game? This old time stiff needs to be taken off the air.
Answer:
Hi Bob, thanks for a very interesting question. First off, love him or hate him, Don Cherry is the most valuable on air talent at Hockey Night in Canada. This is no way any kind of slight to anyone else who works at HNIC, it’s just a fact. Don’s ratings and popularity are as high as they’ve ever been; and big ratings in television equal big money. The only way to get rid of a warrior like Grapes is to carry him out on his shield. While you might not like him, Don Cherry is anything but a moron. He knows a lot more about television and the power of the medium than a lot of people give him credit for. He also has an encyclopaedic knowledge of Canadian military history. Alex Ovechkin might not realize it, but the publicity he gets when Don starts ranting about him on HNIC eclipses anything he might receive playing in an NFL dominated media market like Washington, DC. I don’t always agree with what Don has to say, but I always watch. Don’s real genius is that good or bad; you always want to watch him. His touch with the common man is unequalled in the history of Canadian Sports television. If you don’t like what Grapes has to say about Ovie, take it for what it is and just change the channel or put on a DVD of Entourage.
From: Kerry
Comments:
Love the station. Another love of mine is MMA. Tell your boss to hire me, I’m a natural lol. Keep up the good work Mr. Lang.
Answer:
Hi Kerry, loving the question and thanks for the kind words. I am not surprised to hear that you are totally geeked about MMA and the UFC. The numbers in regards to UFC’s popularity is simply overwhelming. I have read that the UFC made just under $300 million dollars in their pay per view events in 2008. That was good enough to beat both boxing and the WWE. Love it or hate it, the UFC is a great big hairy money making machine. What I can’t understand for the life of me is why Ontario Athletic Commissioner Ken Hayahsi refuses to allow UFC or MMA type events to be staged in Canada’s biggest province? Finally, I have notified my boss, and all the top executives at the CBC, TSN, Fox Sports, NBC and ESPN about your “natural talent’. Expect a call any day now.
From: Johnny in Ontario.
Comments:
My friend Dave lived in Beachville, a small community off the 401 just around Woodstock. As you enter this small community you are greeted with a sign "Welcome to Beachville, the North American home of Baseball." Why is it so hard to believe that Americas' Game was originally played in Ontario, Canada. Why???
Answer:
John, it’s a perfect time of the year to be talking baseball. I don’t think it’s hard at all. According to the town of Beachville, they claim the first game played took place in 1838. At that time, a bat was called a 'club', a pitcher was a 'thrower', and a batter was referred to as a 'knocker'. Yet another reason why my wife claims I have the maturity of a 14-year old, I really wish hitters were still called 'knockers'. That’s just me.
From: John
Comments:
If you could have drinks and dinner with any three sports figures from history who would they be and why?
Answer:
Hi Jim, thanks for the freaking awesome question. That is a really tough one. First off, I have spent the majority of life either watching, or reporting on the Canadian Football League, so I have to invite someone from the CFL. Say what you want about the CFL, but it’s a league filled with men you would love to sit down with over dinner and drinks. After much soul searching, I would have to go with the late, great Pat Marsden. The former voice of the CFL on CTV is a legend of Canadian football and Canadian sports broadcasting. Not only could Pat teach me how to be a better broadcaster, he could teach me his secret to winning at Blackjack. Even though I’m a Raiders fan, I was always been a huge Walter Payton fan. I still can’t believe the once indestructible man called “Sweetness” died of Liver disease. Just to sit down with Payton and listen to him tell tall tales from his halcyon days with the Bears would be a thrill of a lifetime. Besides, Sweetness could teach me a thing or two about physical conditioning and what it takes to be a 'man'. Finally, I would love to invite Mark Messier. The amazing thing about Messier is that he could tell stories about the WHA, the Oilers dynasty of the 1980’s, the Rangers Cup win in 1994 and on and on. Just to hear Messier explain how the Oilers beat the Flyers in their seven-game epic Stanley Cup Final in 1987 over a nice glass of 18-year old scotch after dinner would be the perfect end to a perfect evening.
