The National Football League steamrolls towards next month’s Super Bowl and after this weekend’s games the field will be narrowed to just four teams. After a perfect 3-for-3 forecast in last Saturday’s column, including the upset special Green Bay over the Eagles in Philadelphia, the Sports Prophet is heating up again (as usual).
This week I’m staying away from the New York Jets vs. New England game because quarterback Tom Brady (like Peyton Manning) never gives gamblers a value for money proposition. There is never favourable odds on these two quarterbacks, so keep your money in your pocket unless the spread narrows to even money or better. The Patriots will win because of the Brady-Belichek factor. In Sunday’s other game, the Seattle Seahawks, who upset visiting New Orleans last week, travel to Chicago in what looks like an easy win for the hometown Bears.
It’s Saturday's games where the upsets likely will occur.
Baltimore Ravens never looked better offensively than last week against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead. Quarterback Joe Flacco brought his A game and the balanced attack of run and pass tells me that they have more than enough to defeat the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, I look for a big game from Ravens back Ray Rice in their upset of the Steelers.
In Saturday's other game, the Green Bay Packers travel to Atlanta in what looks like a close tight game. The Packers showed balance with their offence in the win over Philly and the sudden emergence of rookie running back James Starks could tip the scales in favour of the Packers. Add star Packers QB Aaron Rogers to the mix and you could have the recipe for an upset. Atlanta has a Brady-like quarterback in Matt Ryan but the Falcons are going to find out that the regular season is much different than the playoffs. Here’s another upset in the making; take Green Bay by a field goal.
As always, pay the mortgage first, the picks are for fun.
Here and there
Harness driver and curler Doug MacGregor is likely the biggest Seattle fan in the province but I think Doug’s Super Bowl dream comes to an end this weekend in Chicago.
Lots of football fans in the province sporting team wearables and logos. Jerry LeBlanc of Beacon’s Signs has been driving around the city in his recently decorated truck sporting New England Patriots logos. I thought he was a Jets fans? Maybe he jumped the Jets ship.
Ex-UPEI Panthers star Mike Lyriotokis has folded away his New York Giants jacket and I guess Tokis will not be hosting a Super Bowl party as he did last year. Maybe Tom Corcoran, a New England fan, will be having the boys over for a Patriots party.
In local hockey, the P.E.I. Rocket is at home Sunday at 3 p.m. against Cape Breton.
Local fans applauded Rocket defenceman Matthew Hobbs who came to the aid of one of his teammates and engaged in a spirited battle here last week. Great job Matthew.
Local hockey fans love an aggressive physical style of game and the “big draw’’ teams always had a physical presence from the days of Mike Kennedy and Steve Gallant to the more recent Abbies teams that featured guys like Ben Metzger, Andy Bezeau, rugged Mike McGuigan and Andrew MacMillan.
McGuigan was a legit heavy while MacMillan was game as they come. As his good friend Yousef Hashmi says, “he couldn’t beat eggs, but he is some game and willing’’. I hope in the future the Rocket can land enforcers that can play because, even in a losing cause, the rink will be filled.
Our condolences to long-time Charlottetown Abbies GM Jim Kennedy and to all connected to this gentleman on the passing of his wife Bunny after a long illness.
UPEI hockey fans are asked to keep next Saturday night, Jan. 29 open. The Panthers play nationally ranked UNB and on that night UPEI will retire great defenceman Wilf MacDonald’s number.
There’s also the alumni game. More on this and on the great defencemen that played at UPEI in the past.
On the track
Live harness racing continues today at the city track with a 15-dash card, post time 1 p.m. sharp. The $1,900 feature goes in Race 14 and it includes, from the rail out, Blue Star Outlaw, Babes Gold, McHales Gravy, Fit to Ben Tied, Electric Moves, Life Savior, Blu Meadow Willie and Matt Trapper. In last Saturday’s card, young driver Mark Cullen put trotter Dunmore Alpha on the trot and that’s where the pair stayed in route to the 2:04 score in the $1,500 open trot. Mark is the son of ex-Charlottetown Islanders junior hockey standout Tom Cullen, a regular visitor to the city track.
New Jersey assemblyman Ron Dancer, son of Hall of Famer Stanley Dancer, and the New Jersey Horsemans Association are working tirelessly to get a bill passed that will pour $30 million over three years into enhanced slots at Atlantic City and a revitalization of the harness racing and breeding industry in New Jersey. That’s great news.
Maryland is also joining the slots/harness racing model and look for Rosecroft to re-open. That’s great news, too.
On the home front, a tip of the hat to Tom Clarke, president of the P.E.I. Standardbred Horse Owners Association, and to guys like Eldred Nicholson, Kent Oakes and Wayne Pike who work tirelessly for the whole P.E.I. harness racing industry. And to think that in some silly circles, there’s a few misinformed individuals who believe Summerside should have more race dates.
When the parimutuel handle registers less than $6,000 in September with some of the best stake horses in the Maritimes competing on the same night can you imagine what the bet would be like in February.
Guys like Clarke, Nicholson and company have been able to secure the same purse money for Summerside as for Charlottetown and they get little thanks for it.
The horsemen that race at Mohawk and Woodbine in Ontario, the flagship track, race for a lot more money than Flamboro for obvious reasons. To listen to the few malcontents that bellyache about Summerside being closed, one would think that horsemen up there were locked out of racing.
There’s dozens of horses in to go every Saturday at Charlottetown, just 35 minutes away. I’m been all over the race game in North America, the Meadowlands, Ohio, Vernon Downs, Tioga, all Ontario tracks and many points in between and I can tell you from experience that you will not find more honourable men spear-heading the industry than Clarke and the group of volunteers.
This group along with a provincial government that recognizes the importance of the race industry to the economy and to the role it plays in the tourism package should be applauded. If you take a look around the North America landscape, any reasonable man will soon realize how fortunate we are here on Prince Edward Island. Next time you run into Tom Clarke, Eldred and the group thank them for a job well done.
Next Saturday , the Atlantic Regional Harness Driving championships featuring P.E.I.’s top drivers Ken Arsenault, Marc Campbell and Gary Chappell against drivers from the rest of the Maritimes will headline the racing at the city track. Watch the Guardian throughout the week for updates.
Fred MacDonald can be reached at fiddlersfacts@hotmail.com.
The recent Journal Pioneer unsigned editorial is so inaccurate and full of misinformation, it almost reads like a propaganda blurb issued by Wes Sheridan’s office and the Prince Edward Island Harness Racing Industry Association. Let’s take a look: 1 – It says The Red Shores Fall Classic this past Oct. 13 had 14 dashes and brought in only $6,176 in wagers. Wagers for Sept. 15 totaled only $5,595. It is a well known fact that SRW is overloaded with stake races and that fans don’t like to bet them heavily. Also a close look at the fall betting statistics, will show SRW was averaging a higher bet than the CDP. 2 – The argument about the costs of race cards applies to all tracks today, that’s why all jurisdictions and governments with tracks allot a portion of casino incomes to purses. 3 – the statement that Summerside should better promote the cards they have, only proves how little the writer understands the dynamics at play. The government is responsible for and manages all racing on PEI and its budget. This includes the promotional funds allocated to each track. They would not dare to make those numbes public, biased as they are in the CDP’s favour. They have contracted with Atlantic Lotto to manage both tracks and turned the administration of racing over to a racing manager and various PEIHRIA committees. Neither the City of Summerside, nor the horsemen have any say in promotional matters. The only difference between the CDP and SRW in fact is that Summerside horsemen are forced to provide free volunteer service to run a racing card, while staff is paid to do this at the CDP. 4 – Summerside taxpayers and Prince County taxpayers like those in any part of Prince Edward Island want their area to be treated fairly. It’s not a matter of going to them for more money. It’s a matter of a fair distribution of the current monies. You will never convince Prince County and Summerside residents that giving 81 race dates to Charlottetown and 29 to Summerside is fair to their region. 5 - The numbers simply do not support the contention that Summerside is not deserving of more race dates. Here in fact are the government’s own figures for the last 2 years. CDP 2009, Live $1,781,549 Simulcast $3,613,252 2010, Live $1,702,628 Simulcast $3,443,482 --------------------------- -------------------------- Down $78,921 Down $169,770 SRW 2009, Live $345,290 Simulcast $539,611 2010, Live $393,693 Simulcast $819,197 ------------------------- ----------------------- Up $48,403 Up $279,586 One also needs to ask why Atlantic Lotto, the other provinces and the food service people at the track are not taking a closer look at this issue. Obviously more dates means more players in the casino and more diners and drinkers at the track. This could only serve to enhance their bottom lines as well. Something is seriously amiss here and there seems to be almost a campaign of misinformation being mounted against Summerside Raceway and the City of Summerside’s city council. Why and who does it benefit? Is it political or designed to benefit only a certain portion of the Harness Racing industry? Also, why would the Jounal Pioneer run such an editorial, full of inaccuracies? These are questions begging for answers. Donald Gunning Summerside PEI