With less than 50 days until Vancouver becomes the beacon of the Winter Olympic movement, things haven’t been going so right for the greatest sporting event in the world. With cost overruns, native indian land spats, kicking out Right to Play and winning the right to ban female ski jumpers, you would believe not much else could go wrong. Well this little thing called trademark infringement may pop its ugly head into the mix. After the Bay won the right to become the exclusive clothier for Canada, no one else has actually tried to compete…until now. Lululemon has put a stake in ground to take on the Olympic /HBC partnership with its own clothing line names “Cool Sporting Event That Takes Place in British Columbia Between 2009 and 2011 Edition” Coincidentally, Roots has moved on to work with Right to Play. Hmmm..
Toronto Life’s article “Lululemon launches Olympics-timed line with worst name ever” can be found here ~ http://www.torontolife.com/daily/style/new-in-shops/2009/12/15/lululemon-launches-olympics-timed-line-with-worst-name-ever/
Finally. After almost a year of yes, no and maybes, Roy Halladay’s 12 year carrier in Toronto is done. The soap opera that started with J.P. Ricciardi ends with the Blue Jays new General Manager and Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos. The fact that Anthopoulous, a Montreal native and former Assistant General Manager for the Montreal Expos is looking to bring over not one but two Canadian born prospects right-handers Phillippe Aumont, from Gatineau, Quebec and minor-league outfielder Tyson Gillies of Langley, B.C., is no coincidence. The Blue Jays need to start looking at the ‘Canadian Angle’ of being situated in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Could cash and/or money be offered to Trail, British Columbia’s Jason Bay?
A couple of companion deals that would send Roy Halladay to Philadelphia and Cliff Lee to Seattle are “close” but “not done,” according to two sources familiar with the negotiations.
As part of the deals, Halladay would agree to a three-year extension through 2013, with a vesting option that could lengthen the deal by another year or two, one source said. The extension is expected to guarantee Halladay in the neighborhood of $60 million, plus the $15.75 million he would make in 2010, the final year of his current contract.
The specifics of the trades took some twists and turns on Monday. The latest structure would send three Phillies — outfielder Michael Taylor, catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud and pitcher Kyle Drabek — to Toronto, sources said.
Under that scenario, the Phillies would not have to include their top position-player prospect, Domonic Brown, and they would receive Seattle’s top pitching prospect, Phillippe Aumont, who originally appeared ticketed for Toronto.
The Phillies would receive one other prospect — believed to be 21-year-old outfielder Tyson Gillies — from Seattle in the other trade for Lee, who is a year away from free agency.
Indications are that the Phillies also will receive a third prospect in the deal, but it wasn’t clear Tuesday morning whether that player would come from Toronto or Seattle.
Initially, sources said, Toronto was to receive Aumont, d’Arnaud and another Phillies prospect in exchange for Halladay. The Phillies had balked at sending Brown.
Phillies doctors also have to sign off on Halladay’s physical.
The Associated Press reported that Happ, Joe Blanton and Brown also took physicals in Philadelphia on Monday, but that was before specifics of the deals started to come out.
The AP also reported that the commissioner’s office granted a 72-hour window on Sunday for Toronto and Philadelphia to complete their trade.
So in effect, the Phillies would be trading one Cy Young (Lee) for another (Halladay). And while that may seem difficult to understand from afar, the Phillies clearly view it as a swap that enables them to keep one of those Cy Youngs well into the future — a less likely scenario if they held on to Lee.
Although the Phillies have done next to no actual negotiating with Lee, they heard enough rumblings that Lee wanted a CC Sabathia-type contract that they believed it would take a five-year or six-year deal to keep the 31-year-old left-hander. And the Phillies have an organizational philosophy that precludes deals longer than three years for starting pitchers.
Halladay, on the other hand, was willing to talk about a shorter guarantee if it meant going to the Phillies, a team with a spring training site minutes away from his home in Florida.
The Phillies could have held on to Lee and taken a chance that they could sign one of the two pitchers as a free agent next winter. But they were apparently concerned there would be a massive bidding war over Halladay and Lee that would price them both out of their range.
The Mariners, meanwhile, were looking for a top-of-the-rotation starter to pair with Felix Hernandez. And Halladay, who has a no-trade clause, wasn’t an option because he wouldn’t approve a trade to Seattle. So the Mariners opted to deal for Lee after it became clear their other top target, John Lackey, was bound for Boston as a free agent.
Before turning to Seattle, multiple sources say, the Phillies first attempted to complete a two-team deal with Toronto alone for Halladay. However, the Phillies refused — as they had last summer — to include Drabek and Brown in that trade. So they began looking for another team that could help them meet the Blue Jays’ price.
Originally, Seattle looked like a perfect match because of Aumont, the Mariners’ No. 1 pick in 2007 and a native of Quebec. But Toronto kept pressing for Drabek and/or J.A. Happ. And, in the end, the Phillies apparently decided their best option was to keep Brown and get Aumont, who would immediately become their top pitching prospect if Drabek is a part of the deal.
The Phillies also had to clear payroll space to accommodate the addition of Halladay. They attempted to do that by trading away Blanton, but found they couldn’t get enough back to enable them to make a Halladay deal.
SI.com first reported that the Phillies were close to acquiring Halladay.
Halladay, 32, is 148-76 lifetime with a 3.43 ERA. He won the 2003 Cy Young Award and finished in the top five in the Cy Young voting four other times.
Halladay went 17-10 with a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts for Toronto last season. He threw 239 innings and led the league with nine complete games.
The Phillies acquired Lee from the Indians on July 29 for four minor leaguers.
Lee quickly became Philadelphia’s ace. He posted a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts for the Phillies and then went 4-0 with a 1.56 mark in five postseason outings, including 2-0 in the World Series.
Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner with Cleveland, will make $8 million in 2010 and then be eligible for free agency.
Lee has told the Phillies he would like to stay but wants to be paid what the market will bear.
In other Blue Jays news, backup catcher Ramon Castro agreed to a one-year with Toronto, a source told ESPN The Magazine’s Jorge Arangure Jr.
A source told ESPN.com that Castro’s deal, which is pending a physical, is worth $1 million.
Castro split last season between the Mets and the White Sox.
He’s the second free-agent catcher to agree to terms with Toronto this week. The Blue Jays also signed free agent John Buck. Both of their primary catchers last season, Rod Barajas and Gregg Zaun, have exited via free agency.
Not much to say on this. I had cry after hearing Jian Ghomeshi’s intro to Q on Nov 26.th (you can read it below) Rest In Peace Haydain aka jacksoul. Your music touched so many people. You will not be forgotten.
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ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE HAYDAIN NEALE FAMILY TRUST
from the National Post November 24, 2009
by Peter Saltsman
Canadian musicians remember Haydain Neale
The Canadian music world was rocked today with news of the death of Haydain Neale. Best known as the lead vocalist of the multi-award-winning group Jacksoul, Neale was one of the country’s most well-respected musicians. As Canada’s music scene begins to mourn along with music lovers everywhere, here are some thoughts on the man and his music from industry professionals and friends.
Davide DiRenzo, Ron Lopata, Justin Abedin, John “JK” Kanakis , Roger Travassos Members of Jacksoul
“Our hearts are heavy during this very difficult time of the loss of our brother and leader, Haydain. His love for his family, friends, fans and musical peers were immeasurable. To his fans, we thank you for your prayers and well wishes over these past two and a half years during his recovery process. We will miss performing with Haydain, but most of all we will miss his infectious laughter and his soulful voice that has given us the rare and humble gift of sharing his beautiful music with the world.”
Gonzales Producer, songwriter, MC
“I asked him to come sing “The Beautiful Ones” when I did a guest-laden tribute to the Purple Rain album back in 1996. There were plenty of other A-list singers doing their thing, but he really blew everyone else away on that stage. He was a hard act to follow.”
Wesley Williams
aka Maestro, rapper
“The last time I saw Haydain was at the airport on the way to the Junos in Saskatoon a few years ago. He was there with his family and he seemed peaceful as usual. I was happy to find out that he won the award. It hurt me a few months later when I heard about his accident and then today it’s even a bigger shock to hear about this death. Hayden was always one of those cats who gave out positive energy to me whenever I’d see him. I would have loved to work with him but never had the chance. May God let his soul rest in everlasting peace and to look over and protect his family throughout this very challenging time.”
Jian Ghomeshi Musician and host of CBC Radio’s Q (where this comes from)
“Word started to spread late last night that Haydain Neale, one of the finest and warmest young creative talents in this country had died. Many of us are still in shock. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense.
You know it almost becomes a cliché when we lose someone to talk about them as “one of the good guys.” But the truth is, Haydain was an exceptional soul. He was sunshine, he was smarts, he was artistry, and he was a leader. As a friend and a musical peer I turned to him for advice on a couple of occasions the way you would to a sage mentor-type, even though he and I were about the same age. He was charming, utterly fine looking, and a commanding presence. But he was a sensitive and beautiful artist as well. He was a rare force that gave you pride in the fruits of this nation’s creative community. Indeed, this is a sad day for Canada.
Haydain Neale, you were the deal. Your passion, your voice, and your integrity will not be forgotten. We’ll make sure of that. Rest in peace, brother.”
I am a nameophile. If you are in need, I have no problem naming your child/car/boat/umbrella/favourite sandwich. What I don’t think I can do, is name your band. Over the years I have noticed trends within band names. Though the ‘wolf’ period is often referenced, I prefer to add it into my ‘vintage nature t-shirt animals’ category (Wolf Parade, Baby Eagle, […]
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As Ontario's 24 community colleges brace for a possible teachers' walkout in January, more than 11,500 students across the province are expressing their fear and anger using Facebook.
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By Steph Davidson, National PostAsian Canadian activists called today for tough sentencing in the wake of a Georgina man's conviction in a racially motivated incident against Asian fishermen.Trevor Middleton, 23, was found guilty of four counts of aggravated assault and two charges of criminal negligence after an attack on Asian fishermen escalated to a […]
