C'mon Lethbridge – Let's vote! - Lethbridge Journal

Page 34 - THE JOURNAL - WEEK OF JANUARY 20, 2011
Sports
2011 PREDICTIONS
MARTY BACEDA
For What it’s Worth
In my line of work, people are constantly
asking for my opinion, about how a certain
team will perform or how a game will play out.
In response, I give my best guess. Sometimes
it’s even educated.
With a brand new sports year upon us, I
wanted to write about what I think will happen
in 2011. Instead, I went to Madame Edna’s
Futuretorium and Chainsaws and had her
look into her crystal ball to see what’s in store
for the next 12 months.
• January 30th—Rafael Nadal defeats Roger
Federer 7-6 (21), 6-7 (15), 7-6 (32), 6-7 (47),
7-6 (35) in the Australian Open men’s final.
The 9-hour match instantly goes down as the
best in tennis history. Nadal wins his fourth
straight major but since they didn’t all come
in the same calendar year, legend Rod Laver
contends it’s not a “real” Grand Slam. Laver is
exiled to Fitzwilliam Owen Island.
• February 6th—Seattle defeats New England
31-0 in Super Bowl XLV in Dallas. Seahawks
quarterback Matt Hasselbeck throws
for 412 yards and 4 touchdowns and is named
game MVP. Three metric tonnes of crow is
eaten by reporters/anchors/columnists who
claimed a team that finished below .500 had
no business qualifying for the NFL post-season.
•February 20th—Dale Earnhardt Jr. triumphs
at the Daytona 500. It’s the 36-yearold’s
2nd win of NASCAR’s crown jewel and
his first Sprint Cup victory since June 2008.
He’s instantly cheered as the sport’s favourite
driver once again. Jimmy Johnson sulks in pit
row.
• March 31st—MLB season opens.
• April 1st—Toronto Blue Jays eliminated
from American League East pennant race.
• April 10th—Tiger Woods wins The Masters
by 13 strokes over Phil Mickelson. It’s the
35-year-old’s 15th major and 5th Green Jacket.
Woods later admits he was at Perkins daily
during the entire week of competition.
• May 7th—Uncle Mo wins the Kentucky
Derby by 3 and ¾ lengths over Rogue Romance.
Sire Indian Charlie and mare Playa
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Maya celebrate, while the sibling rivalry with
half-sister Grosse Pointe Anne takes another
turn for the worst.
• May 9th—The Prince George Cougars
trip up the Saskatoon Blades in Game 7 to win
the Western Hockey League Championship.
Lethbridge’s Brock Hircshe is named finals
MVP after a 7-goal, 6-assist effort in the series.
The Cougars victory leaves Blades fans
wondering when and what it will take for their
team to finally win a title.
• May 12th—The Players Championship
tees off at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra
Beach, Florida. Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino
and Paul “Pauly D” DelVecchio are escorted
off the course for not adhering to the
dress code.
• June 3rd—WNBA tips off its 15th season.
• June 8th—Vancouver Canucks down
Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in overtime to win the
2011 Stanley Cup in 4 games. After finishing
the NHL regular season with one regulation
loss in their last 40 contests, Alain Vigneault’s
crew then wins 16 in a row in the postseason.
Danhenialrick Sedin earns the Conn Smythe
award after racking up 56 playoff goals.
Downtown Vancouver burns to the ground
after rioting. Entire west coast gets “enlightened.”
• July 14th-17th—The British Open Championship
is played at Royal St. George’s in
Sandwich, England. It rains.
• July 29th—Dog days of summer catch up
to Kansas City’s Billy Butler. In a 5-4 loss at
Cleveland, the Royals first baseman bites Indians
backup catcher Lou Marson after a play at
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the plate. Butler later says, “Look, both of our
teams have absolutely no shot at making the
playoffs and we still have two months to go. I
was bored. Plain and simple.”
• August 9th—John Daly aces the 4th hole,
a 220-yard par 3 on the Highlands Course at
the Atlanta Athletic Club, sticking his hybrid
within 7 feet of the cup from off the tee box
and rolls it in from there. Despite the hole-inone,
Daly finishes the second round 47 shots
off of making the cut at the US Open.
• September 10th— In a surprising match
up in the women’s final at the tennis version
of the US Open, Anastasia Pavlynchenkova
downs Akgul Amanmuradova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in
three sets. The Russian wins her first major.
Sometime during the match commentator
Dick Enberg explodes.
• November 27th—Montreal defeats Saskatchewan
21-20 to win the 99th Grey Cup
in Vancouver. The Alouettes claim their 3rd
straight CFL championship as kicker David
Duval’s missed field goal results in a rouge—
the single point the difference at the end of
regulation. The Als were given 4 chances at
the final play after a too many men on the field
penalty, an offside penalty and a crazed Riders
Nation fan tackling Duval in the preceding 3
plays, all resulted in another attempt.
Well, there you have it. 2011 should be
an exciting year around the sports world.
As much as I respect Mme Edna’s psychic
abilities...I find it hard to believe Montreal and
Saskatchewan will meet in the Grey Cup once
more.
First Annual Lethbridge Sport Council Achievement Awards
Honor a special athlete, coach, official or volunteer for their spirit,
drive and commitment by nominating your sporting hero today!
Nominations due Feb. 1, 2011
Nomination forms available at www.lethbridgesportcouncil.ca
403.320.5412 or 403.320.9371 or info@lethbridgesportcouncil.ca