What is it about short weeks that seem long? I don’t know what it was but by Friday I had totally forgotten that Monday had been a holiday. Of course, my Mom thought today was Sunday, so perhaps it all depends on your perspective.
My Mom and I hit the road again this Saturday. This time we went north to Stratford.
Before I get too far into this story, can I ask a question? What is it about the drivers on Highway 7 deciding to try and pass other cars and sometimes transport trucks in the face of oncoming traffic? I mean, I know it happens everywhere (I’ve seen it on Cheapside in London) but it just seems like every time we travel along Highway 7, we see at least one instance of it. To say nothing of almost seeing a wreck in the parking lot at the Value Village where a guy in a pick-up made a left-hand turn mere inches away from an oncoming woman in an SUV. (She was so shocked, her mouth was wide open even as she drove by us.) Man, I thought drivers in London were bad.
Anyways, so yes, my Mom and I went to Stratford to the Habitat for Humanity, the Value Village, the Food Basics (instead of driving all the way back to Ingersoll) and I walked around the Festival Marketplace, mostly to see what GameStop had to offer. Turns out the big purchase of the day was another Keirstead painting for my Mom’s collection. (She was hesitant but I bought it for her.)
This weekend is Talladega in NASCAR (and how great is it that Austin Hill won the Xfinity Race for Richard Childress Racing) but it’s also going to be the end of the Blue Jays drive towards another World Series berth. Sorry, flock faithful, but you could tell they were doomed after the sixth inning of the first game of the ALCS. All was well when they were cranking out home runs and double-digit run tallies against the Yankees in the Division Series but as soon as they went down a run against the Mariners, the team, the crowd, the commentators – all of them folded like a cheap suit. Dan and Buck started talking about how few hits the team had, the crowd suddenly looked bored to be there and the team just gazed out from the dugout.
I know that, after being down two games to none, they headed to Seattle and took two of the next three but unless they can overcome the “folding at the first sign of trouble” issues of the first two games, the Blue Jays will have to wait until 2026 for another crack at their first World Series since Joe Carter’s three-run home run in 1993. It’s fine to have the “We Want It All!” tagline and home run jackets and bring Joe Carter come out to remind the fans of past glory but they need a team that doesn’t just sit there and wait for the innings to play out.
As a matter of fact, instead of signing a 20-game winner or a 50 home run hitter, go out and get a spark plug who will pump up the team when the going gets tough, the tough need to get going.
Now I hope I’m wrong and by tomorrow night, I’m celebrating another RCR win at ‘Dega, this time on the Cup side and the Jays re-tying the series with momentum into a Game 7.
As always, if you want to discuss anything covered above (or below), chat me up on Facebook Messenger – either by text or voice message – or via email.
johnmilner.ca 