It's baseball season; Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing; the Miami Heat are still in cruise mode as they head to the NBA title, so of course curling is the topic this week.
In May? The curling season has been over for more than a month, but one of the most shocking stories of the curling season occurred in late April when John Morris announced he was leaving Kevin Martin's squad - after two Brier titles, a world championship and, oh yes, an Olympic gold medal..
While there were no divorce lawyers in sight, this split was to Canadian sports fans as the Kardashian-Humphries go-round was to the Hollywood entertainment scene.
Every curling fan knows Morris is a hothead, but why he would leave the Martin team six months away from the 2013 Olympic Trials was the stunning aspect of the announcement.
Since 2010, when they won the gold medal in curling at the Vancouver Olympics, Martin, Morris, Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert have been piling up points in an effort to get back into the Olympic Trials. Canada's teams to wear the Maple Leaf at Sochi, Russia, next February will be determined at an eight-team playoff in Winnipeg this December.
What's left of the Martin team still gets to compete in the Trials, but who will be throwing third stone for the Edmonton-based rink is still a mystery. Morris cleared up part of the story by announcing he would join Jim Cotter's Kamloops rink, which will compete in a November Pre-Trials qualifying bonspiel in Hamilton, where the final two berths in the Trials are up for grabs. What's weird, though, is that Cotter didn't dump anybody (yet) to make room for Morris; he simply added Johnny Mo to make a five-player team. Morris apparently will call the shots, and Cotter will throw last rock.
You hear about married couples who stay together "for the sake of the children." Why Morris couldn't hold his nose and hang on for six more months in an effort to get back to the Olympics was the $64,000 question Canadian curling fans were asking. The conflict between Morris and his skip must have been severe.
So now there are delicious possibilities. How about this scene? Cotter's team wins one of the two berths at Hamilton, gets hot in Winnipeg, and advances to the Olympic Trials final where Kevin Martin's team awaits. Oh, the drama!
Blogger Steve Burgess, after NBA player Jason Collins came out and announced he was gay: "Good for you Jason Collins! Now let's go further. The NBA will not truly be open until they also admit the short, the talentless, and the elderly."
Comedy writer @JerryPerisho on Twitter: "Jason Collins is tired of being shunned, disrespected & treated differently. But, enough about playing for the Wizards."
si.com's headline on the story about Tim Tebow being released by the New York Jets: "End of an error."
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: "The Marlins are in the midst of a seven-game homestand against the Cubs and Mets, and attendance is such that the club is using inventive discounts and giveaways to all but beg fans to come. My favorite is the "2 for 1" promotion: If you buy two tickets, you get to pitch one inning of relief or have one at-bat."
Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: "A new poll said four out of five Americans do not think the Washington Redskins should change their name. Although five out of five Redskins fans think the team should change their owner."
TC from BC, snipped from leftcoastsportsbabe.com: "The PGA has dropped doping case against Vijay Singh over deer antler spray. It is no longer on the list of banned substances. Insiders say that Tiger never used it, but may have at one time hit on a waitress named Bambi."
Comedian Ellen deGeneres, on Collins coming out as a homosexual: "It was especially hard for Jason to come out of the closet because he had to duck."
Hough again: "To be fair, Jason Collins already has known what it's like to face public embarrassment. He spent last season with the Washington Wizards."
Comedy writer Jim Barach: "Greg Norman says the lack of blood testing on the PGA tour is "disgraceful." Has he looked at the PGA tour stars lately? The only thing Tim Herron, John Daly and Kevin Stadler will test positive for is Haagen Dazs."
R.J. Currie of sportsdeke.com: "NHL legend Ken Dryden is on a cross-Canada talking tour about preventing brain damage. Precaution one: avoid talks by Ken Dryden."
Currie again: "A woman attending the Shrine Circus in Kansas was confronted by an escaped tiger in the ladies room. She told reporters it was a 'scary ordeal,' but she'd take it over seeing a Chiefs game."
