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Howdy, folks.
Let’s go around the horn this week: a collection of thoughts from a scattered brain.
A quick apology to start things off: sorry for the lack of newsletters over the past couple of weeks. A combo platter of a hectic schedule and a bit of writer’s block. I’ll blame a post-Winter Olympics “hangover” for that. It left me in a position I’m rarely in: lacking things to say.
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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: April is the best sports month of the year.
The NHL regular season is winding down, the Stanley Cup playoffs are about to begin — and the first round is usually the best. MLB is ramping up, even if Opening Day now arrives in late March. And, of course, there’s the Masters. It’s a beautiful thing.
The second-best sports month? October, when the NHL season begins and the MLB playoffs are in full swing.
Say this about the Winnipeg Jets: they’ve made the last few weeks mighty interesting. I figured I’d be covering a lengthy funeral procession, given the position they were in at the Olympic break. Instead, a late-season surge has shown they haven’t quit. I still don’t think it will be enough, but at least they’ve shown plenty of fight for themselves and their fans rather than simply rolling over.
How cool is it that Manitoba now has both an MLB player and a PGA Tour regular? I’m talking about Tristan Peters of Winkler and Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Winnipeg.
From the “incredible timing” department, I spoke with Peters last Thursday night about his strong start to the season. That included his first big-league hit with the Chicago White Sox, followed by several more. How did he follow up our chat? By walking off the Toronto Blue Jays the next evening with a game-winning RBI — the first of his career — in extra innings against the team he grew up cheering for. I texted him afterward to congratulate him and suggested we clearly need to talk more often.
Peters, 26, is the first Manitoban to play in MLB since Corey Koskie retired two decades ago.
Note to my bosses: perhaps I should head to Minneapolis this summer when the White Sox are in town, along with what I suspect will be most of Winkler, for some up-close coverage?
Chicago White Sox’s Tristan Peters is doused to celebrate his walk-off RBI single to win a home-opener baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / The Associated Press)
As for Yellamaraju, he’s absolutely tearing it up in his rookie season on tour. The 24-year-old immigrated from India with his family, fell in love with golf in Winnipeg and later moved to Ontario.
He has made eight of nine cuts, with two top-10 finishes and five top-25s. He has already earned more than US$1.7 million, sits 27th in the FedEx Cup standings and has climbed to 119th in the world rankings.
He’s quickly put himself on the golf map and given Manitoba its first homegrown star since Glen Hnatiuk was a PGA regular a quarter-century ago.
I’ll be chatting with Yellamaraju in the coming days, so stay tuned for that story. Although he didn’t qualify this year, I have little doubt he’ll one day play in the Masters.
Additional note to my bosses: think we could make that trip happen when the time comes?
Yellamaraju now gives us two pro golfers to follow, along with Stony Mountain’s Aaron Cockerill. I recently spoke with Cockerill about his chaotic start to the DP World Tour season. That stretch has included welcoming a baby girl and fleeing his home base in Dubai amid regional conflict. “A lot going on,” he told me with a laugh. No kidding.
Cockerill is back in Winnipeg with his family for a few weeks before heading back overseas for a busy stretch in which he plans to play in about 10 tournaments over a four-month stretch.
Speaking of the Blue Jays, I sure hope Wednesday’s comeback win over the Los Angeles Dodgers is the spark they need after an ugly start which included getting swept (!!!) by Peters and the White Sox, who are very much in rebuild mode.
Yes, the injury list is staggering, but that is still not an excuse. Now go sweep the Minnesota Twins this weekend, put it behind you and do not look back.
Turning back to hockey, I saw plenty of angst on social media this week about Jets forward Jonathan Toews being named the local nominee for the Masterton Trophy. Some feel the Winnipegger is not a suitable candidate given his modest offensive totals of 27 points, including 10 goals and 17 assists.
Reality check: the award, which is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (myself included), has nothing to do with on-ice production. It goes to the player who “best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”
By that definition, Toews, who returned at age 37 after a two-year, health-related absence, is a perfect candidate.
Gabe Landeskog was not only Colorado’s nominee last year but also a league finalist despite not playing a single regular-season game. Voting occurs before the playoffs, which he returned for after a lengthy injury absence.
I would be surprised if Toews is not one of the three finalists this spring.
After Hours on Hockey Night in Canada has always been appointment viewing for me. I have learned a lot about players over the years, thanks largely to the way Winnipegger Scott Oake conducts his interviews.
He is a master of his craft and, having gotten to know him over the past decade, an even better person.
Oake is calling it a career at the end of this season, with his final After Hours airing this Saturday from San Jose. Fittingly, his guest will be former neighbour and family friend Ryan Reaves.
I spoke with Oake earlier this week for a feature and there were plenty of laughs along the way. Good on him for going out on top and choosing to spend more time with his family while continuing his work with the two Winnipeg recovery centres named in honour of his late son and wife.
Last but not least, a reminder that I’ll be “performing” – and I use that term loosely – at the “Laughing with the Stars” event on April 22 as part of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival.
I’ve been working on my stand-up routine and am equal parts excited and terrified to try it out in front of an audience. Fellow amateurs Derek Taylor (CJOB), Doug Darling (Tripwire Media), Jim Agapito (CBC) and Sav Jonsa (APTN) will also be on stage, along with polished local pros such as Big Daddy Taz, Joel Brandt, Kristen Einarson, Tim Gray, Emmanuel Lomuro and Matt Nightingale. You can find tickets here.
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