After a rather rainy three days, it cleared in Muskoka yesterday afternoon and as I sat down at 4pm to watch football, the late October sun was streaming in the southwest windows in the rich yellow colour you only see in the last hour or so before sunset. As the game progressed, I left the lights off and, as the sun set, the orange dusk slowly turned to darkness over the lake with the waxing half moon rising in the eastern sky. A beautiful evening indeed. And a football game which will not be remembered for anything much, especially by fans of the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers outgained Buffalo 425 yards to 167. They earned 20 first downs to the Bills 9. However, they turned the ball over 4 times, missed 2 makeable field goals and lost an ugly game in the process.
The Bills have generated 10 turnovers in their past 2 games - an unsustainable rate probably, but a key factor in their 2 consecutive road wins. Jarius Byrd now has 5 interceptions over these 2 games and stands only 1 off the league lead. He was touted as a "ball hawk" coming out of Oregon in the second round of this year's draft and he is clearly showing why.
Ryan Fitzpatrick looked brutal for much of this game and completed only 11 passes. What he did not do was turn the ball over and, with quarterbacking as mediocre as the Bills have, that's a necessity. This team is not in the bottom rung of the NFL (which is pretty big this year) and has not been in the entire four years of the Dick Jauron regime. He has them just where he wants them - en route to another 7-9 season. A couple of weeks ago, it looked like things were really changing and they were heading toward 4-12. Up next: a chance to even their season record with a home date against the Houston Texans.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Bills 16, Jets 13
I rode my bike to Dennis and Cathy's place around noon on Saturday to scope out the walking distances from the Queensway and Bloor Street. I decided that Jane Station was the best option for later. Just a 10 minute walk.
The end-of-season dragonboat party was a rip-roaring affair - for me at least. Plenty of red wine and I lost track of time. The last of us left after 1.30am, stumbling down to the Queensway and a eventually onto a streetcar and back downtown. I got home around 2.30am. Thanks to Dennis and Cathy again for putting up with us. Great party!
And so we now look ahead to 2010 and I foresee a high return rate as all of the indicators are positive coming out of this past season. Everyone on our team is between the ages of 34 and 48. I'm the third oldest. I kept asking everyone about this until I got the answers.
Ok, after the Bills recorded their fifth interception of Mark Sanchez, I started thinking about how ridiculous it would be if they lost the game anyway - and they obviously almost did. But, despite what I thought was a bad call on the review of the Evans catch, Rian Lindell came through in overtime and the Bills have their first division win in ages. Next up: at Carolina.
The end-of-season dragonboat party was a rip-roaring affair - for me at least. Plenty of red wine and I lost track of time. The last of us left after 1.30am, stumbling down to the Queensway and a eventually onto a streetcar and back downtown. I got home around 2.30am. Thanks to Dennis and Cathy again for putting up with us. Great party!
And so we now look ahead to 2010 and I foresee a high return rate as all of the indicators are positive coming out of this past season. Everyone on our team is between the ages of 34 and 48. I'm the third oldest. I kept asking everyone about this until I got the answers.
Ok, after the Bills recorded their fifth interception of Mark Sanchez, I started thinking about how ridiculous it would be if they lost the game anyway - and they obviously almost did. But, despite what I thought was a bad call on the review of the Evans catch, Rian Lindell came through in overtime and the Bills have their first division win in ages. Next up: at Carolina.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Browns 6, Bills 3
This was the fourth Thanksgiving weekend I have spent in Prince Edward County after spending the last 40+ in Muskoka. I think I have adjusted. I have learned my way around some of the scenic parts of the County on my bike and the pastoral landscape has really grown on me.
The County is known for cycling - not for extreme mountain biking or serious racing - but for pleasure cycling. An extensive network of lightly traveled roads lead to a multitude of scenic vistas of Lake Ontario and its coves, inlets and bays which extend around the series of peninsulas where the land has been farmed for over 2 centuries. I did a 40km ride each day and took some nice photos at Little Bluff Conservation Area on Saturday and at Point Petre on Sunday in a howling west wind.
Grapes and wine are the relatively new rage in the County and an Australian fellow named Norman Hardie is a rapidly rising star who is generating recognition and credibility for the PEC wine business. His 2007 County Pinot Noir is highly regarded and available only at the winery and in a few restaurants who carry it. At $35 per bottle, I was interested enough to buy 3 - one for the Thanksgiving dinner, one for my dad and one for the cottage this fall. I really liked it but, compared to the Pinot Noirs available from the LCBO, I think it's probably about $10 too much. He has done a great job of building demand for a wine which is made in limited quantities and, hey, I'm glad that I have another bottle. We'll have it with grilled salmon.
Our end-of-season dragonboat team party is next weekend and then we'll be into 4 straight cottage weekends before the weekend of the CAAMP Conference which will require me to be in town. Fall is a great time of year. It's a busy time too - busy in the business world, busy in the academic world, busy in the city and busy in the sports world with all of the major sports in action. Few people take holidays over the next 10 weeks. A lot of stuff gets done between now and the end of the year.
The County is known for cycling - not for extreme mountain biking or serious racing - but for pleasure cycling. An extensive network of lightly traveled roads lead to a multitude of scenic vistas of Lake Ontario and its coves, inlets and bays which extend around the series of peninsulas where the land has been farmed for over 2 centuries. I did a 40km ride each day and took some nice photos at Little Bluff Conservation Area on Saturday and at Point Petre on Sunday in a howling west wind.
Grapes and wine are the relatively new rage in the County and an Australian fellow named Norman Hardie is a rapidly rising star who is generating recognition and credibility for the PEC wine business. His 2007 County Pinot Noir is highly regarded and available only at the winery and in a few restaurants who carry it. At $35 per bottle, I was interested enough to buy 3 - one for the Thanksgiving dinner, one for my dad and one for the cottage this fall. I really liked it but, compared to the Pinot Noirs available from the LCBO, I think it's probably about $10 too much. He has done a great job of building demand for a wine which is made in limited quantities and, hey, I'm glad that I have another bottle. We'll have it with grilled salmon.
Our end-of-season dragonboat team party is next weekend and then we'll be into 4 straight cottage weekends before the weekend of the CAAMP Conference which will require me to be in town. Fall is a great time of year. It's a busy time too - busy in the business world, busy in the academic world, busy in the city and busy in the sports world with all of the major sports in action. Few people take holidays over the next 10 weeks. A lot of stuff gets done between now and the end of the year.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Dolphins 38, Bills 10
In May of last year, when I paid the $3,500 for all eight Toronto games, I was at least hopeful that one of them would be meaningful - and sometime soon. For 2010, I'm predicting another partial refund like we had this year and I know that we will have to wait at least that long for a December game at the Rogers Centre which has playoff implications for the Bills. They will be well out of contention by the time Jets roll into town. The Jets look like they might have something to play for so that will create some sense of relevance for the game but it will be another quiet and disengaged gathering on that Thursday evening.
After the New England game, I thought that they might finally be a good team - one capable of at least playing a meaningful game in the month of December - let alone one which could make the playoffs or earn a home playoff game or a first round bye. I don't think that wanting your team to still be in the hunt for the playoffs in the last month of the season is really being unreasonable. It's now been 5 years since we've had that - when the Steelers 3rd stringers stopped our late season drive for the last wildcard spot in the 2004 season under Mike Mularkey. Does it seem like longer than that?
When Miami made it 31 - 3, I went for a bike ride and saw no more of the game. I had seen enough. Injured, young, not enough talent - the offensive line is a huge problem, among many.
Will Dick be gone if they lose to Cleveland? No. Ralph is paying him $3 million this year - whether he lasts the year or not.
After the New England game, I thought that they might finally be a good team - one capable of at least playing a meaningful game in the month of December - let alone one which could make the playoffs or earn a home playoff game or a first round bye. I don't think that wanting your team to still be in the hunt for the playoffs in the last month of the season is really being unreasonable. It's now been 5 years since we've had that - when the Steelers 3rd stringers stopped our late season drive for the last wildcard spot in the 2004 season under Mike Mularkey. Does it seem like longer than that?
When Miami made it 31 - 3, I went for a bike ride and saw no more of the game. I had seen enough. Injured, young, not enough talent - the offensive line is a huge problem, among many.
Will Dick be gone if they lose to Cleveland? No. Ralph is paying him $3 million this year - whether he lasts the year or not.
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